| The Ballad of Dorothy Parker | |
| Type: | song |
| Artist: | Prince |
| Album: | Sign o' the Times |
| Recorded: | March 13–15, 1986 |
| Studio: | Galpin Blvd. Home Studio |
| Genre: | R&B, soul, psychedelic funk[1] |
| Length: | 4:04 |
| Label: | |
| Producer: | Prince |
"The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" is a song written and performed by Prince. It is the fourth track on his 1987 double album Sign o' the Times,[2] and features a reference to one of Prince's favorite artists, Joni Mitchell. The track was planned to be the album's fifth and final single, but this never came to fruition and remains unreleased in that format.
Prior to the release of his album Parade, Prince had already begun recording music for his next project. One of the first things he worked on was this track, which was being recorded on newly installed equipment, according to Prince's engineer Susan Rogers:
Eventually, Rogers realized a fatal error which meant that the whole recording sounded like it was underwater:
The issue was resolved after the discovery that only half of the bipolar power supplies on the console was on, but it wasn't fixed for the track, retaining its "underwater" quality. Lyrically, the track mentions a waitress who offers him a bath, which retrospectively fits the recording's underwater sound.[3]
The track makes a reference to one of Prince's favorite artists, Joni Mitchell, by one of her songs. Midway through the song, the lyrics "...and it was Joni singing 'help me, I think I'm falling'..." reference Mitchell's biggest hit single, "Help Me". A few months after the track's recording, the two tried to collaborate on a track, with Prince sending her the track "Emotional Pump" to sing. Mitchell rejected the track, reasoning that the track was too risqué. Despite this, the two continued to praise each other's work, even after Prince's death.[4] [5]
Credits from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud[6] [7] [8] [9]