Back in 1984, Prince released his iconic soundtrack album Purple Rain and one of the phenomenal standouts from the album has to be "The Beautiful Ones," in my opinion. Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince, the song was recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles by Peggy Mac and David Leonard in early September 1983.
"The Beautiful Ones" is a haunting musical tale of emotional longing and unrequited love. Starting out as a slow falsetto ballad, with Prince's piano and organ-sounding synthesizers providing a lush backdrop, it gradually builds in volume and intensity, and by the end of the song, Prince is screaming out "Do you want him, or do you want me? 'Cause I want you." The song comes to a quiet close, with Prince's keyboards and drum solo serving as the closing instrumentation.
Never released as a single, Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" is one of my favorite joints from the 80s and you can take a second listen to it below.
