Prince (September 24, 2020) – "Sign O’ The Times" b/w "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)" Single: Germany

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Sep 24, 2020

3 min read

Released on September 24, 2020, this special 7" vinyl single was issued as a covermount with the German edition of Rolling Stone magazine. The release was created as part of the promotional campaign surrounding the reissue and Super Deluxe Edition of Sign O’ The Times.

The single paired the title track "Sign O’ The Times" with "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)", an archival recording from the Dream Factory era that remained unreleased for decades. Its inclusion introduced a wider audience to one of the most discussed vault recordings associated with Prince’s mid-1980s creative period while simultaneously promoting the expanded Sign O’ The Times project.

The release was issued exclusively as a 7" vinyl single accompanying the German edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

Unlike a standard commercial single release, the record functioned as a promotional covermount tied directly to the marketing campaign for the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition. The single combined a previously released classic Prince recording with a historically significant vault track that had only recently been made publicly available in 2020.

RELEASE HISTORY

On September 24, 2020, "Sign O’ The Times" b/w "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)" was released as a 7" vinyl covermount with the German edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

Earlier in 2020, "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)" had been issued digitally on streaming platforms on June 25, while "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 2)" followed on August 13. Both recordings subsequently appeared on the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition, with Version 1 included on Vault Tracks Part 1 and Version 2 included on Vault Tracks Part 2.

PERSONNEL

Prince — vocals, instruments

Wendy Melvoin — guitar, background vocals

Lisa Coleman — organ, background vocals

Eric Leeds — saxophone

Atlanta Bliss — trumpet

Susannah Melvoin — background vocals

Personnel listed for "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)".

PRINCE SINGLES CHRONOLOGY

"Hot Summer" (2020)

"Sign O’ The Times" / "Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)" (2020)

"Little Red Corvette" / "1999" (2021)

NOTES

"Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)" originated from a recording session held on March 14, 1986, at Prince’s Galpin Blvd Home Studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Additional work on the recording took place on April 15, 1986, while Prince was in France filming additional scenes for Under The Cherry Moon. During this session, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Susannah Melvoin and Eric Leeds contributed further recordings at the Galpin Blvd studio.

Although absent from a late-April 1986 configuration of Dream Factory, the song later appeared on both the June 3, 1986 and July 18, 1986 configurations of the project.

A completely new version of the song was recorded on October 7, 1986, at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. This later recording was intended for possible use by Taja Sevelle.

In March 1987, a cassette containing "Witness 4 The Prosecution", "Chocolate" and "Movie Star" was given to Miles Davis. While Davis later performed "Movie Star" live, no studio recordings of these songs were produced by him.

Between 1998 and 1999, the original version of the track was considered for inclusion on the proposed Roadhouse Garden album, a planned collection of Prince and the Revolution-era material. The project ultimately remained unreleased.

In September 2020, both the original recording and the later re-recorded version finally received official release as part of the Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition.

TRACKLIST TABLE (ALL FORMATS)

Format	Country	Side	Title
7" Vinyl Covermount (Rolling Stone Magazine)	Germany	A	Sign O’ The Times
7" Vinyl Covermount (Rolling Stone Magazine)	Germany	B	Witness 4 The Prosecution (Version 1)

SOURCES Discogs, 45 World, Wikipedia, BBC Official Charts, Prince Vault, Sleeveographia2

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