Prince (September 7, 2015) “This Could B Us” – Promo CD Single UK

A joyful, ecstatic ballad remix that reimagined a track from Art Official Age as the surprise lead single for HitNRun Phase One, “This Could B Us” was released just ten days before the album dropped, with a striking cover referencing the iconic Purple Rain motorcycle scene.

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: NPG Records / JBPR (promo)

Date: September 7, 2015 Catalogue: None (promo only) Format: Promo CD Single Country: United Kingdom Genre: Pop / Ballad / Funk

Style: Ecstatic ballad, remix

A-Side: “This Could B Us”

Written by: Prince (credited to Prince and Joshua Welton on HitNRun Phase One)

Produced by: Prince and Joshua Welton

B-Side: — (Single-track promo)

TRACK LIST

UK Promo CD Single (no catalogue number)

1. This Could B Us

LINKED RELEASES / VARIANTS 

Main Commercial – Digital / TIDAL (premiered for one week from 7 September 2015) Promo CD – UK (this release) Original version: “This Could Be Us” on Art Official Age (2014) Remix version: “This Could B Us” on HitNRun Phase One (2015)

PERSONNEL 

Prince – vocals, instruments, production Joshua Welton – co-writer, co-producer

THE STORY 

“This Could B Us” is a re-recorded and remixed version of the track originally released on Art Official Age in 2014. The new version was created specifically for HitNRun Phase One and released as its third single (and first following the album announcement). The striking cover art uses the famous motorcycle image of Prince and Apollonia from Purple Rain, directly referencing the meme that inspired the original song. Prince described it as a joyful ballad with ecstatic vocalizing. The track was first previewed via a 35-second snippet on 3rdEyeGirl’s Twitter in June 2014, but the full remix arrived as a surprise digital release in September 2015.

CONTEXT & NOTES 

The single was made available exclusively on TIDAL for one week starting 7 September 2015, ten days before HitNRun Phase One hit stores on 14 September. It was never performed live by Prince. The release formed part of Prince’s strategy of surprise drops and short-term exclusive streaming windows during this period.

RELATED MATERIAL 

Prince (2015) HitNRun Phase One Prince (2014) Art Official Age

For other relevant posts, see the tags at the foot of the page.

SOURCES 

Prince Vault, Discogs, JBPR promo notes, Minneapolis Star Tribune (June 2014) 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.