Delirious (Prince song)

"Delirious" is a song by American musician Prince, from his 1982 album, 1999. It was the album's third single, and Prince's second Top 10 hit, reaching No. 8 in the US during the fall of 1983. The success of the single was boosted by the runaway success of the previous single, "Little Red Corvette", and also because DJs often played the first three album tracks in sequence, which just happened to be the order of the singles released from the album.

"Delirious"
U.S. 7-inch single
Single by Prince
from the album 1999
B-side"Horny Toad"
ReleasedAugust 17, 1983[1]
RecordedMay 9, 1982
StudioSunset Sound
GenreFunk rock
Length4:00 (Album Version)
2:39 (Single Version)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Prince
Producer(s)Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Little Red Corvette"
(1983)		 "Delirious"
(1983)		 "Let's Pretend We're Married"
(1983)
Prince (AUS) singles chronology
"Little Red Corvette"
(1983)		 "Delirious"
(1983)		 "Automatic"
(1983)

Background

"Delirious" is a standard 8-bar blues number that tells how Prince is being driven crazy by a beautiful woman. The song teases the listener with sexual metaphors, hidden enough[2] to avoid being censored. The track begins with a trademark Linn drum machine loop and a bit of synth bass before the keyboard hook introduces the song. A rubbery bass guitar gives the track a rockabilly feel, which Prince had experimented earlier on "Jack U Off" from Controversy. The track ends suddenly with the sound effect of a baby cooing. In live performances over the years, Prince would later add live horns to the song, making it into more of a swing number. The 7-inch single release of the song included a poster bag with a 1983 calendar and images of Prince.

The B-side to the track is "Horny Toad", which is very similar in rockabilly style and instrumentation. Some of the sexually charged lyrics were interpreted as sadistic at the time and were the source of some controversy. The track was included on The Hits/The B-Sides in 1993 and 1999 Deluxe and Super Deluxe edition in 2019.

Appearances in other media

Charts
Chart (1983) Peak
position
New Zealand Singles Chart 33
Canadian Singles Chart 27
US Billboard Hot 100 8
US Billboard Hot Black Singles[4] 18

References
  • Uptown: The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince: Nilsen Publishing 2004, ISBN 91-631-5482-X
  1. Uptown, 2004, p. 45
  2. "Girl you got to take me for a little ride up and down / In and out and around your lake". Genius. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  3. "Aaliyah feat. Timbaland's 'Are You That Somebody?' - Discover the Sample Source". Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 471.
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