Summer In Stereo #86

Happy Birthday, Prince!

In honor of Prince's special day, HERC abandoned the usual random selection process for his Summer Song Review and selected the first of what will be several Prince tracks that will eventually show up before the 100 Days Of Summer are over: "U Got The Look (Long Look)". The song originally came out on March 1987's magnum opus Sign O The Times. Married exactly one week at the time, HERC asked his pregnant bride if they could spare $25 for the double-disc CD. Just as she has done nearly every time he's asked for anything since, she granted his request, and HERC dove headfirst into the sprawling album, ears first. "U Got The Look" opens the second disc in the set, and in July 1987, it was released as a single. An extended version of the song, nearly three minutes longer, could be found on the twelve-inch single. This was the Long Look. The song is about that instant animal attraction, love in its most primal state, and that burning yearning. It is the very definition of rock and roll, and like all good music, should be heard rather than talked about. I've heard it three times at the grocery store in the past six months or so.

George Michael fired the first shot in the Lusty Song of the Summer of 1987 battle with his slinky booty call "I Want Your Sex", released as a single a mere month before "U Got The Look". The song was summarily banned by the BBC and featured on the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II, both of which contributed greatly to its success. Michael ended up releasing the song in three parts: Rhythm One: Lust was the single version getting airplay; Rhythm Two: Brass In Love was originally the single's b-side while Rhythm Three: A Last Request showed up as yet another single's b-side and was a bonus track on the album Faith when it was released in October 1987. All three parts were stitched together into the Monogamy Mix on a twelve-inch single. In a small coincidence, both "I Want Your Sex" and "U Got The Look" peaked at #2 on the Hot 100.