Prince co-write on Stand Back?

[welcomechris]

It seems like wherever I look, Prince is credited with Co-Writing "Stand Back". Is this true?

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by welcomechris

It seems like wherever I look, Prince is credited with Co-Writing "Stand Back". Is this true?

Technically, yes. He contributed a synth rhythm to the song.

[welcomechris]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

Technically, yes. He contributed a synth rhythm to the song.

I've never heard that. I heard he Played the synth and thats it

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by welcomechris

I've never heard that. I heard he Played the synth and thats it

Same thing.

He walked in the studio, added a syth part that wasn't there before by playing it himself, and left.

He did not co-write the song, but what he did, technically, could have earned him a writing credit if he had really wanted it badly enough.

[BlueDenimLamp]

Last I knew Prince still got 50% of Stevie's royalties because she used his "Little red Corvette" melody for "Stand Back"...There's a "Little Red Corvette" / "Stand Back" mash up that's floating around...

[welcomechris]

"By the way, Prince did come into the studio the night I called him and told him about the song, and he played incredible synthesizer on it...and then he just walked out of my life, and I didn't see him for a long time."

Doesn't sound like he wrote it

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by welcomechris

Doesn't sound like he wrote it

Well, if Stevie (insert one) borrowed, stole, used "Little Red Corvette" as the basis for "Stand Back", then it was probably a good idea to give him co-write credit from the beginning rather to drag through litigation for months and have to pay him all those royalties in back pay as well as other penalties & interest, which would come to a much larger sum than just giving him 50% songwriting credit.

[BlueDenimLamp]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Well, if Stevie (insert one) borrowed, stole, used "Little Red Corvette" as the basis for "Stand Back", then it was probably a good idea to give him co-write credit from the beginning rather to drag through litigation for months and have to pay him all those royalties in back pay as well as other penalties & interest, which would come to a much larger sum than just giving him 50% songwriting credit.

That's why she called him and told him she wrote a song based on "Little Red Corvette" she didn't want to go through another "Sara" legal battle...

[Jondalar]

He does not get songwriting royalties and credit for the song. He didn't want it. She offered.

[HoursAndHours]

Something like songwriting credit should be in public records, if anyone wants to look it up. I just think it's great that he played on it. She talks about it a little while introducing Stand Back in her VH1 Storytellers performance too.

[bombaysaffires]

He didn't just add a synth to a song she wrote.

She was listening to Little Red Corvette (in the car driving to her honeymoon, btw) and she basically just wrote lyrics over his music.

So he in fact wrote the music; she just put her melody and lyrics on top of it-- just like she does when say Mike Campbell or Sandy Stewart or whoever gives her a musical track. In those cases those people get half credit--they wrote the music (the chord progression, often the arrangement) and she wrote the lyrics. The Prince situation was no different. Except he'd already put his own melody and lyrics on it and had a hit song with it!

The previous poster is right-- he could have sued her a$$ over that.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by welcomechris

"By the way, Prince did come into the studio the night I called him and told him about the song, and he played incredible synthesizer on it...and then he just walked out of my life, and I didn't see him for a long time."

Doesn't sound like he wrote it

You are too caught up with semantics. Prince made up the part - he wasn't playing a part that was written by someone else. If you, on the spot, made up a bass line and it was included in someone's song, you too could be considered to have written that bass line. That is what happend with Prince - he invented a syth beat that wasn't in the song before, played it, and Stevie kept it in there. Thus, technically, he wrote part of the song.

He doesn't have ANY writing credit (look at your album), but it doesn't mean that he didn't contribute to the writing of the song.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

He didn't just add a synth to a song she wrote.

She was listening to Little Red Corvette (in the car driving to her honeymoon, btw) and she basically just wrote lyrics over his music.

So he in fact wrote the music; she just put her melody and lyrics on top of it-- just like she does when say Mike Campbell or Sandy Stewart or whoever gives her a musical track. In those cases those people get half credit--they wrote the music (the chord progression, often the arrangement) and she wrote the lyrics. The Prince situation was no different. Except he'd already put his own melody and lyrics on it and had a hit song with it!

The previous poster is right-- he could have sued her a$$ over that.

Stevie already discussed this a long time ago. She didn't steal anything. He did not want credit.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

Stevie already discussed this a long time ago. She didn't steal anything. He did not want credit.

doesn't change the fact-- he wrote the music to the song, not her. If she had not offered, and had he not been so generous, he could certainly have sued. It is theft. He just chose to be gracious about it.

And just because you write a bass line for a song, as in the example someone gave above, does NOT make you entitled to a songwriting credit. If that were the case Waddy would be cowriter of all Stevie's songs for his original guitar parts. You have to have contributed substantially to the song basics-- chord progression, lyrics, melody to be a writer. Of course if someone wants to be generous and give writing credits to everyone they could.. but then in Stevie's case every song would have a million co-writers.

When you are hired as a musician that's what you are hired to do-- to add an original part to the arrangement i.e. taking the chord progression of the writer and putting your twist to it.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

doesn't change the fact-- he wrote the music to the song, not her. If she had not offered, and had he not been so generous, he could certainly have sued. It is theft. He just chose to be gracious about it.

And just because you write a bass line for a song, as in the example someone gave above, does NOT make you entitled to a songwriting credit. If that were the case Waddy would be cowriter of all Stevie's songs for his original guitar parts. You have to have contributed substantially to the song basics-- chord progression, lyrics, melody to be a writer. Of course if someone wants to be generous and give writing credits to everyone they could.. but then in Stevie's case every song would have a million co-writers.

When you are hired as a musician that's what you are hired to do-- to add an original part to the arrangement i.e. taking the chord progression of the writer and putting your twist to it.

Except he didn't write the music for Stand Back. The instrumentation of Stand Back and Red Corvette are totally different. The lyrics for one can be hummed over the other because one is based on the other, that doesn't mean they are the same instrumentals, and it certainly doesn't mean that Prince wrote the music for the song. Quite a stretch, there.

If Prince had wanted writing credit, he could have got it, as could any musician who contributes an original part. It's all in the contract and the details agreed upon between the two parties. I never said it makes you entitled to songwriting credit - I said that technically, that musician has written a part of the song and could press for songwriting credit.