Prince (July 7, 2015) “Hardrocklover” – Promo CD Single UK
- GlamSlamEscape
- Jul 7, 2015
- 3 min read
A moody, explosive slab of Kanye-esque martial funk that marked Prince’s surprise return in the summer of 2015, “Hardrocklover” was released as the second single from the then-unannounced HitNRun Phase One.
Artist: Prince
Label: NPG Records / JBPR (promo) Date: July 7, 2015
Catalogue: None (promo only) Format: Promo CD Single Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Funk / Rock Style: Martial funk, experimental pop
A-Side: “Hardrocklover”
Written by: Prince and Joshua Welton Produced by: Prince and Joshua Welton
B-Side: — (Single-track promo)
TRACK LIST
UK Promo CD Single (no catalogue number)
Hardrocklover
Main Commercial – Digital / Tidal / Soundcloud stream (July 2015) Promo CD – UK (this release) No commercial 7" or physical single was issued.
PERSONNEL
Prince – vocals, instruments Joshua Welton – co-writer, co-producer
THE STORY
“Hardrocklover” was the first new Prince music to appear after his guerrilla live shows in 2014. It was premiered via the Prince3EG Soundcloud account on 1 July 2015 and officially released as a single on 7 July. The track was recorded in late June 2015 at Paisley Park in a single intense session alongside the song “June.” Joshua Welton later recalled Prince describing exactly what he wanted: something that starts quiet, erupts like a roller coaster, then pulls back again. The result is a dark, swaggering, sexually charged funk-rock track that felt like a deliberate statement of intent.
CONTEXT & NOTES
Although no album had been announced at the time of release, “Hardrocklover” was later positioned as the lead single from HitNRun Phase One (2015). It received strong reviews, with NME calling it “the best song Prince has recorded since his guerrilla gig rampage last year.” The track was never performed live.
RELATED MATERIAL
Prince (2015) HitNRun Phase One
For other relevant posts, see the tags at the foot of the page.
SOURCES Prince Vault, Discogs, NME, Line of Best Fit, Huffington Post, JBPR promo notes and Sleevographia2
All single artwork, photographs, labels, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.
RELEASE DETAILS
Artist: Prince
Label: NPG Records / JBPR (promo)
Date: July 7, 2015
Catalogue: None (promo only)
Format: Promo CD Single
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Funk / Rock
Style: Martial funk, experimental pop
A-Side: “Hardrocklover”
Written by: Prince and Joshua Welton
Produced by: Prince and Joshua Welton
B-Side: — (Single-track promo)
TRACK LIST
UK Promo CD Single (no catalogue number)
Hardrocklover
LINKED RELEASES / VARIANTS
Main Commercial – Digital / Tidal / Soundcloud stream (July 2015)
Promo CD – UK (this release)
No commercial 7" or physical single was issued.
PERSONNEL
Prince – vocals, instruments
Joshua Welton – co-writer, co-producer
THE STORY
“Hardrocklover” was the first new Prince music to appear after his guerrilla live shows in 2014. It was premiered via the Prince3EG Soundcloud account on 1 July 2015 and officially released as a single on 7 July. The track was recorded in late June 2015 at Paisley Park in a single intense session alongside the song “June.” Joshua Welton later recalled Prince describing exactly what he wanted: something that starts quiet, erupts like a roller coaster, then pulls back again. The result is a dark, swaggering, sexually charged funk-rock track that felt like a deliberate statement of intent.
CONTEXT & NOTES
Although no album had been announced at the time of release, “Hardrocklover” was later positioned as the lead single from HitNRun Phase One (2015). It received strong reviews, with NME calling it “the best song Prince has recorded since his guerrilla gig rampage last year.” The track was never performed live.
RELATED MATERIAL
Prince (2015) HitNRun Phase One
SOURCES
Prince Vault, Discogs, NME, Line of Best Fit, Huffington Post, JBPR promo notes
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All single artwork, photographs, labels, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.
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