top of page
Search

Prince – If I Was Your Girlfriend (US 7" Single) May 6. 1987

  • Writer: GlamSlamEscape
    GlamSlamEscape
  • May 6, 1987
  • 2 min read

Format: 7" Single

Label: Paisley Park / Warner Bros. Country: USA

Release Date: 6 May 1987  

Genre: Pop • Funk • R&B

Style: Sign O’ The Times Minimalism • Camille Vocal


Overview  

Released on 6 May 1987, the US 7" of If I Was Your Girlfriend became the second single from Sign O’ The Times, arriving five weeks after the album. The B‑side, “Shockadelica,” was a previously unreleased Camille‑era track originally intended for the abandoned Camille album.


The single is historically significant as the first Prince‑related release ever issued on CD, via a US promotional disc — a full year before the first commercial CD single (Alphabet St., 1988).


Musically, the track is one of Prince’s most intimate and psychologically layered works. Sung in his Camille voice, it explores emotional closeness, vulnerability, and the complexities of romantic intimacy. Its sparse, minimal production became a defining hallmark of the Sign O’ The Times sound.


US 7" Single — 7‑28334

A. If I Was Your Girlfriend (Edit) — 3:46 B. Shockadelica — 3:30


US 7" Promo — 7‑28334

A. If I Was Your Girlfriend (Edit) — 3:46

B. If I Was Your Girlfriend (Edit) — 3:46


US CD Promo — PRO‑CD‑2747

If I Was Your Girlfriend (Edit) — 3:46 (First Prince‑related CD single ever issued)




Chart performance

in the US was modest on the pop chart (No. 67), but the single performed strongly on the Billboard Black Singles Chart, reaching No. 12 and remaining there for nine weeks.


Context & Significance

  • Second single from Sign O’ The Times

  • Released 6 May 1987 (US 7")

  • First Prince‑related single ever issued on CD (US promo)

  • B‑side “Shockadelica” originates from the Camille project

  • One of Prince’s most emotionally intimate recordings

  • Reissued in 2020 as part of the Sign O’ The Times Singles Collection


Context & Significance

  • Second single from Sign O’ The Times

  • Released 6 May 1987 (US 7")

  • First Prince‑related single ever issued on CD (US promo)

  • B‑side “Shockadelica” originates from the Camille project

  • One of Prince’s most emotionally intimate recordings

  • Reissued in 2020 as part of the Sign O’ The Times Singles Collection








bottom of page