S.S.T. Prince single

Columbia Records

single

There’s a quiet storm, and it never felt like this before.

S.S.T. is a single comprised of two tracks specially written and performed by Prince, recorded at Paisley Park Studios on 2 September 2005 in benefit of the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. S.S.T. was first available for download from npgmusicclub.com the next day, 3 September. The CD issue of the single followed on 25 October that year, released under Columbia Records, containing the second track, the funky instrumental Brand New Orleans.

S.S.T. has a double meaning although both are connected. SST is foremost the acronym for Sea Surface Temperature used to measure hurricanes. And because it also fits Sade’s Sweetest Taboo – the hit single from her 1985 album Promise – Sade’s track was played by many news stations in the aftermath of the disaster. Prince therefore named his track after the acronym. 

Hurricane Katrina remains the seventh most powerful cyclone ever recorded and one of the most deadly, claiming the lives of at least 1,833 people and left 140,000 homeless. The Category 5 storm formed over the Bahamas on 23 August 2005 and struck Louisiana on the 29th, flooding 80% of New Orleans and inflicted $125 billion of damage. The proceeds from the single were donated to the disaster relief fund. It is unknown how much money Prince’s involvement raised. S.S.T. fell short of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 111 in the singles chart.

Performers

Vox / All instr.

Prince

Data

Producer

Prince

Label

NPG Records

Distribution

Columbia Records

Released

20 years ago on 25 October 2005

Running Time

10:16

US Chart Peak

111

UK Chart Peak

Did not chart

Orig. Formats

Tracklist

1. S.S.T. (3:39)
2. Brand New Orleans (6:37)

S.S.T. single review

Prince’s second benefit single following 4 The Tears In Your Eyes for LiveAid in 1985, he wrote and produced S.S.T. as a benefit single in aid of the Katrina Relief Fund, the most devastating hurricane in US history which struck landfall at New Orleans. Being so rushed out it the track was not a full blown affair, just quite simple, restrained. Prince was not wishing to make a big deal of it, only to contribute in a manner he saw able which to raise funds for those whose homes were destroyed.

The single is essentially one song of two parts, the first S.S.T. is a midtempo ballad which winds down to a jam. The jam forms the B-Side Brand New Orleans which continues and develops into an extended funk instrumental of the main song. Released both on CD and digitally within 24 hours of recording, it got little airplay at the time, falling short of the Billboard Hot 100 at 111, shameful considering it was for a good cause.

S.S.T. is rated 3 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.