Prince (November 3, 1987) – I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man / Hot Thing Single USA: 7" / 12"
Released in the United States on November 3, 1987, I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man was the fourth and final commercial single from Prince's Sign O' The Times album.
The release followed approximately seven months after the album and paired one of its most direct rock songs with Hot Thing.
The US release inaugurated a wider international campaign, with the UK edition following later in November. Unlike many Prince singles, the release did not introduce a completely new B-side composition. Instead, Hot Thing was developed across edited, extended and dub configurations, making the 12" particularly distinctive.
BACKGROUND
RELEASE DETAILS | INFORMATION |
Artist | Prince |
Title | I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man |
US Release | November 3, 1987 |
UK Release | November 23, 1987 |
12" Release Date Supplied | December 19, 1987 |
Labels | Warner Bros. / Paisley Park Records |
Formats | 7" / 12" / Cassette / Picture Disc |
Related Album | Sign O' The Times |
US 7" Catalogue | 7-28288 |
UK 7" Catalogue | W8288 |
US Billboard Peak | No. 10 |
UK Peak | No. 29 |
STYLE & RELEASE CONFIGURATION
The 7" presented a shortened 3:39 fade of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man, significantly reducing the 6:31 album recording for the singles market. It was paired with a 3:40 edit of Hot Thing.
The 12" editions expanded the concept considerably. They restored the full 6:31 A-side while providing the 8:32 Extended Remix of Hot Thing, with some configurations additionally including the 6:53 Dub Version.
TRACK-BY-TRACK NOTES
MAIN TRACK | COMPANION TRACK |
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man | Hot Thing |
Full Version – 6:31 | Edit – 3:40 |
Fade – 3:39 | Extended Remix – 8:32 |
Sign O' The Times album track | Dub Version – 6:53 |
HOT THING REMIXES
The single campaign was particularly significant for the outside remix treatment given to Hot Thing.
Shep Pettibone produced the Hot Thing remixes, with editing credited to Pettibone and Junior Vasquez. The supplied information identifies this as the first Prince single campaign to feature remixes created by an outside producer, although Sheila E. had previously produced a remix of Pop Life.
VERSION | RUNNING TIME |
Hot Thing – Edit | 3:40 |
Hot Thing – Extended Remix | 8:32 |
Hot Thing – Dub Version | 6:53 |
RELEASE HISTORY
The single appeared first in the United States on November 3, 1987. The British release followed on November 23.
Both 7" and 12" configurations were issued during the campaign, accompanied by cassette formats and a UK 12" picture disc.
The single later returned in the United States during 1989 as part of the Back-To-Back Hits series, where I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Fade) was paired with Alphabet St. (Edit).
A further recreation appeared as part of the Sign O' The Times – The Singles collection in 2020.
CHART PERFORMANCE
COUNTRY / CHART | PEAK / WEEKS |
USA – Billboard Hot 100 | No. 10 / 17 weeks |
USA – Billboard Hot Dance Music – Club Play | No. 4 / 11 weeks |
Canada – Singles Chart | No. 33 / 6 weeks |
UK – Gallup Singles Chart | No. 29 / 6 weeks |
Ireland – IRMA | No. 10 / 3 weeks |
Netherlands – Dutch Top 40 | No. 22 / 5 weeks |
Belgium – Ultratop Flanders | No. 28 / 3 weeks |
The US Dance chart entry was listed jointly with Hot Thing.
CERTIFICATIONS & AWARDS
CATEGORY | STATUS |
Certifications | None supplied |
Awards | None supplied |
PRODUCTION
DETAIL | INFORMATION |
Artist | Prince |
Labels | Warner Bros. / Paisley Park Records |
Related Album | Sign O' The Times |
Hot Thing Remix Producer | Shep Pettibone |
Remix Editing | Shep Pettibone / Junior Vasquez |
Original US Release | November 3, 1987 |
NOTES
• Released in the United States on November 3, 1987.
• The UK release followed on November 23, 1987.
• It was the fourth and final commercial single from Sign O' The Times.
• Hot Thing also received a separate promotional-only release.
• The 7" uses the 3:39 Fade of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.
• The 7" B-side is the 3:40 Edit of Hot Thing.
• The full version of I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man runs for 6:31.
• The Hot Thing Extended Remix runs for 8:32.
• The Hot Thing Dub Version runs for 6:53.
• Shep Pettibone produced the Hot Thing remixes.
• Junior Vasquez and Shep Pettibone handled remix editing.
• The single reached No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
• It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music – Club Play chart when listed with Hot Thing.
• The British release reached No. 29.
• Ireland provided another Top 10 placing at No. 10.
• A UK 12" picture disc was issued as W8288TP.
• A US Back-To-Back Hits reissue followed in 1989.
• The single was recreated in the 2020 Sign O' The Times – The Singles collection.
• According to the supplied information, this was Prince's final commercial single to be issued on vinyl and cassette without a corresponding CD single release.
RELEASE VARIANTS TABLE
ORIGINAL 7" EDITIONS
COUNTRY / TERRITORY | CATALOGUE NUMBER |
USA | 7-28288 |
UK | W8288 |
Japan | P-2334 |
Germany / Canada | 928 288-7 |
12" & SPECIAL EDITIONS
TERRITORY / FORMAT | CATALOGUE NUMBER |
USA – 12" | 0-20728 |
Germany / Canada – 12" | 920 728-0 |
UK – 12" | W8288T |
UK – 12" Picture Disc | W8288TP |
USA – Cassette Single | 4-28288 |
USA – Cassette Long Box | 4-20728 |
USA – 7" Promo | 7-28288 |
USA – 12" Promo | PRO-A-2770 |
TRACKLIST – 7" SINGLE
SIDE A | SIDE B |
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Fade) | Hot Thing (Edit) |
3:39 | 3:40 |
TRACKLIST – UK 12"
SIDE A | SIDE B |
A1. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man – 6:31 | Hot Thing (Extended Remix) – 8:32 |
A2. Hot Thing (Edit) – 3:40 |
TRACKLIST – US 12"
SIDE A | SIDE B |
A1. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man – 6:31 | B1. Hot Thing (Extended Remix) – 8:32 |
A2. Hot Thing (Edit) – 3:40 | B2. Hot Thing (Dub Version) – 6:53 |
TRACKLIST – UK 12" PICTURE DISC
SIDE A | SIDE B |
A1. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man – 6:31 | Hot Thing (Extended Remix) – 8:32 |
A2. Hot Thing (Edit) – 3:40 |
1989 BACK-TO-BACK HITS REISSUE
SIDE A | DOUBLE A-SIDE |
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man (Fade) – 3:39 | Alphabet St. (Edit) – 2:25 |
US Catalogue: 7-21858 | Cassette: 4-21858 |
SOURCES Discogs, 45 World, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts, Prince Vault, Sleeveographia2, RockfilesUK.
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