Home / Prince Discography / Posthumous Releases /
Silver Tongue Prince single
Sony Legacy
singleIt’s one of my proudest moments to have written a song with him that he wanted to record.
Following Prince’s sessions creating his twenty-eighth studio album Musicology, a demo version of a new track, titled Silver Tongue debuted shortly after its recording, released as a WMA download exclusive from NPG Music Club on 13 July 2004. The lyrics to the track are by Nikka Costa, fulfilling a long-standing request from Prince to write a poem – to which he added vocals and the music.
Costa first met Prince in 2001 when she was invited to perform at Paisley Park for Prince: A Celebration. Having sent Prince the lyrics in early 2004, he recorded two versions of the song, at Paisley Park Studios: the original demo as released on npgmusicclub.com in July 2004, followed with a full studio version. The studio version remained unreleased until 2024 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Musicology album. Unable to find the track a suitable home on her 2005 project Can’tneverdidnothin’ Costa would not record her own version of Silver Tongue until after Prince’s death in 2016, which she included in her album Nikka & Strings: Underneath And In Between released on 2 June 2017, along with her cover of Nothing Compares 2 U.
Silver Tongue [Demo] was originally available from NPG Music Club as the virtual B-side to accompany Prince’s US promo single Call My Name issued to support Musicology. The album itself was released on Columbia Records on 19 April, significantly Prince’s first LP under a major label since Arista in 1999. Call My Name epitomised the accessibility of the main album. Despite not being an official single, the track entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 75 and remained in the chart for 18 weeks, becoming one of Prince’s most successful songs and also won him a Grammy. Otherwise unavailable in any other format, Silver Tongue would not receive a subsequent release until 24 May 2024 when the full studio version was published by Sony Legacy, mixed by Chris James – Prince’s sound engineer for Art Official Age, Plectrumelectrum and HITNRUN Phase Two, during 2013/14.
The studio version of Silver Tongue was the third and final track issued by The Prince Estate in commemoration of the album’s 20th anniversary, following United States Of Division and Magnificent the original album’s other virtual B-sides issued in 2004 to accompany its two retail singles Musicology and Cinnamon Girl – released in the US on 22 April and 28 September, 2004. The 2024 releases bring the three tracks to popular streaming platforms for the first time and therefore complete a gap in Prince’s online discography.
Performers
- Vocals / all instr.
- Prince
Data
- Producers
- Prince and Chris James
- Label
- NPG Records
- Distribution
- Sony Legacy
- Cover/Design
- Afshin Shahidi
- Released
- 2 years ago on 24 May 2024
- Running Time
- 4:23
- US Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Orig. Format
-
Tracklist
- Silver Tongue (4:23)
Silver Tongue single review
Fans don’t call Silver Tongue a gem without reason. This silky number is a co-effort by Nikka Costa (lyrics) and Prince (music). Chronologically, the track sits harmoniously between his One Nite Alone… piano album of 2002 and his most important album of the 00’s, 2004s Musicology. The track’s 2024 release is the full never before available studio version, a recording hailing from the Musicology sessions. The album hit number 3 both in the US and UK charts, delivering his first top ten LP in a decade and Prince’s commercial comeback after a long hiatus from radio. It’s not that he ever left the scene – we own copies of the river of output he issued since quitting Warner in 1996. But in the eyes of the wider public, Prince and chart success post The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, were strangers. This is enough reason that in 2024 two decades on makes the anniversary a celebratory event.
Prince experienced a few epochs throughout his forty years in the biz but none were as urgently needed than in 2004. Prince was timely more than anything and further showcases his genius to rise in the moment. Silver Tongue won’t be recognised for its part in the events of 2004 but for completists who have long lost their NPG Music Club Demo original this new addition will be gratefully received.
Silver Tongue is rated 4 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
Related releases
© Goldies Parade, 1998 – 2026 • Privacy