I Hate U
Encyclopedia
"I Hate U" is a song by Prince
from his 1995 album
The Gold Experience
. The track was the lead single in support of the album, released on September 12, 1995. "I Hate U" was nearly a solo effort from Prince, although he credited Minneapolis musician Ricky Peterson with co-production and arranging, as well as providing additional keyboards.
Beginning with crashing drum
s, the "NPG Operator" welcomes the listener to "The Hate Experience" (which Prince would later entitle the song's maxi-single), before leading into the first verse where Prince sings in delicate falsetto
about a cheating woman, whom he hates "like a day without sunshine". A church-like organ moves the song along, while a musical segment borrowed from "Baby" (a track from his 1978 album For You
) provides breaks throughout the track. After the second verse and chorus, the song enters a lengthy middle section which is sung/spoken in Prince's normal voice. This section is a "courtroom drama" where Prince submits his evidence of his cheating lover to a judge. When he asks the woman to state her name for the court, he interrupts her with a vocal reference from the album's previous track — "Billy Jack Bitch". Toward the end of the drama, he states that being without her is killing him emotionally and that he actually still loves her. After a final chorus, again using an impassioned falsetto, Prince launches into a brief but effective guitar solo
which climaxes and ends the song.
" from Emancipation
made the Top -40, but all of the singles from Emancipation were promotional in the U.S. so they were not allowed to chart on the Hot -100, only on the Hot -100 Airplay).
"I Hate U" was very successful on the charts. It peaked within the top -10 of the R&B/Hip-Hop & Rhythmic Charts and it reached #-12 on the Billboard Hot -100. Unlike the last two Prince singles, "I Hate U" was less successful on Mainstream/Top -40 radio as it didn't chart on the Billboard Top -40 Mainstream chart. It did however receive minor Mainstream/Top -40 airplay as it did chart it the lower Top -35 of the Mediabase / Radio+Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart. In the UK, "I Hate U" peaked at #-20.
(part of The New Power Generation) as the judge.
was an instrumental
"Quiet Night Mix" of "I Hate U" featuring long-time collaborator Eric Leeds
on saxophone
. A maxi single
on CD
and vinyl
included several remix
es of the track. The most notable was an extended remix which omitted the "courtroom drama" and featured Prince delivering much more personal lyrics. A rumor at the time was that the lyrics of this version referred to Carmen Electra
(whom Prince had worked with and dated for a time) after it was discovered that she "gave her body to" N.P.G. member Tony M.
"in the name of fun". Other versions of the song were various edits. The Japanese CD single was unique in that it included the album version of "Endorphinmachine" as an extra track.
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
from his 1995 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
. The track was the lead single in support of the album, released on September 12, 1995. "I Hate U" was nearly a solo effort from Prince, although he credited Minneapolis musician Ricky Peterson with co-production and arranging, as well as providing additional keyboards.
Beginning with crashing drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, the "NPG Operator" welcomes the listener to "The Hate Experience" (which Prince would later entitle the song's maxi-single), before leading into the first verse where Prince sings in delicate falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
about a cheating woman, whom he hates "like a day without sunshine". A church-like organ moves the song along, while a musical segment borrowed from "Baby" (a track from his 1978 album For You
For You (Prince album)
-Music:The album opens with the title track, an a cappella recording that states: "All of this and more is for you. With love, sincerity, and deepest care, my life with you I share." This would foreshadow Prince's career of speaking mostly through his music, rather than conventional interviews...
) provides breaks throughout the track. After the second verse and chorus, the song enters a lengthy middle section which is sung/spoken in Prince's normal voice. This section is a "courtroom drama" where Prince submits his evidence of his cheating lover to a judge. When he asks the woman to state her name for the court, he interrupts her with a vocal reference from the album's previous track — "Billy Jack Bitch". Toward the end of the drama, he states that being without her is killing him emotionally and that he actually still loves her. After a final chorus, again using an impassioned falsetto, Prince launches into a brief but effective guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
which climaxes and ends the song.
Chart performance
"I Hate U" is, to date, Prince's last original single to reach the U.S. Top -40. (His earlier hit, "-1999" did sneak back into the Top -40 in the song's namesake year, peaking at #-40, but this was a reissued single, not a new release and in -1996 "Betcha by Golly Wow!Betcha by Golly Wow!
Another cover version was released from Prince's 1996 album Emancipation. Prince had stated that he always wanted to release a cover version but his record company, Warner Bros. Records, had not permitted it...
" from Emancipation
Emancipation (album)
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by Prince . The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with whom he had a contentious relationship...
made the Top -40, but all of the singles from Emancipation were promotional in the U.S. so they were not allowed to chart on the Hot -100, only on the Hot -100 Airplay).
"I Hate U" was very successful on the charts. It peaked within the top -10 of the R&B/Hip-Hop & Rhythmic Charts and it reached #-12 on the Billboard Hot -100. Unlike the last two Prince singles, "I Hate U" was less successful on Mainstream/Top -40 radio as it didn't chart on the Billboard Top -40 Mainstream chart. It did however receive minor Mainstream/Top -40 airplay as it did chart it the lower Top -35 of the Mediabase / Radio+Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart. In the UK, "I Hate U" peaked at #-20.
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 9 |
| U.S. Radio+Records CHR/Pop Airplay | 36 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
20 |
Music video
There is an unreleased video circulating amongst Prince collectors of this single. It features Prince's then-fiancee Mayte Garcia, dancing in some shots and Prince telling Mayte off in the courtroom, and Michael BlandMichael Bland
Michael Bland is best known as a drummer for Prince starting in 1989. He was with Prince during The New Power Generation era and played with him live and on albums for 7 years....
(part of The New Power Generation) as the judge.
B-sides/remixes
The single's B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
was an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
"Quiet Night Mix" of "I Hate U" featuring long-time collaborator Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds
Eric Leeds is an American jazz and funk musician who plays the saxophone and other woodwind and brass instruments. He is best known for his work with Prince.- Biography :Leeds was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of a retailer...
on saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. A maxi single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
and vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
included several remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of the track. The most notable was an extended remix which omitted the "courtroom drama" and featured Prince delivering much more personal lyrics. A rumor at the time was that the lyrics of this version referred to Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
(whom Prince had worked with and dated for a time) after it was discovered that she "gave her body to" N.P.G. member Tony M.
Tony M.
Tony M. is a rapper best known as a member of Prince's band, The New Power Generation. Mosley began his association with Prince as an extra in the film Purple Rain. He can be seen dancing with Kirk Johnson and Damon Dickson during various performances at the First Avenue club...
"in the name of fun". Other versions of the song were various edits. The Japanese CD single was unique in that it included the album version of "Endorphinmachine" as an extra track.