Prince wrote a song about Donald Trump in the 1990s, and you should probably drop everything and listen to it
As the world wakes up to face the grim prospect of its first Prince-less day in nearly six decades, people everywhere have been taking stock of not just the Purple One’s own prolific musical output, but the veritable galaxy of stars he mentored and wrote for (sometimes secretly) as well.
It’s no secret that Morris Day outfit The Time (these days calling themselves “The Original 7ven”) was put together by Prince as a creative outlet for the burgeoning superstar, as he began his ascent in the music industry. With much of their work written, recorded, and coordinated by Prince, The Time never achieved the level of success their royal benefactor did, but nonetheless were responsible for some of the funkiest, funniest, music of the ’80s and early ’90s.
And nestled in their catalog is this: A Prince-penned Donald Trump jam, entitled simply “Donald Trump (Black Version)”
Donald Trump (black version), maybe that’s what you need.
A man that fulfills your every wish, your every dream.
Donald Trump (black version), come on take a chance.
A 1990s love affair, the real romance.
Citing Prince biographer Matt Thorne, Buzzfeed’s Megan Apper writes that the song was originally written by Prince for an unreleased album by The Time entitled Corporate World. It was then added to the band’s 1990 release, Pandemonium, itself something of an tie-in to Graffiti Bridge, the poorly-received sequel to Prince’s seminal Purple Rain.
Coupled with a sex-funk groove and smooth sax licks, images of anyone—including Donald Trump—may very well have been enough to inspire some serious boot-knocking back in the early ’90s. I doubt it has the same effect today.