Ice Cream Castles
Encyclopedia
"Ice Cream Castles" is the opening track from The Time
's third album, Ice Cream Castle
. The track was one of the last songs recorded for the album, being cut in late January 1984, along with "My Drawers". The song was composed by Prince
and Morris Day
, Day provided lead vocals and Jesse Johnson
played guitar on the recording. Prince played all the other instruments.
"Ice Cream Castles" is a laid-back funk
-pop
offering with drums to the fore. The keyboards take an active role over a funky rhythm guitar and an understated organ solo is performed toward the end. The song is about an interracial relationship that devolves into chants and band cues in the mainly instrumental extension. The song's title is based on a lyric from Joni Mitchell
, one of Prince's favorite singers.
The funky elements of the song allowed it to do well on the R&B charts, reaching #11, but it didn't break the top 100 on the pop charts. Still, the song is occasionally still played in concert by The Time and a live recording from 1998 was also included on Morris Day's 2004 release, It's About Time
.
The single was backed with the minimalist funk jam "Tricky", featuring Day on drums and Prince on the bass and keyboards taking humorous jabs at a washed-up singer (in reality, his idol George Clinton
). The UK 12" single also included the earlier hit "Get It Up
", from The Time's debut album.
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
's third album, Ice Cream Castle
Ice Cream Castle
Ice Cream Castle is a 1984 album by The Time. Much like the two previous albums, the album consists of six tracks in the funk-pop or ballad genre and it was produced and arranged by Prince as "The Starr ★ Company"...
. The track was one of the last songs recorded for the album, being cut in late January 1984, along with "My Drawers". The song was composed by Prince
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...
and Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
, Day provided lead vocals and Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson (musician)
Jesse Woods Johnson is a musician best known as the guitarist in the original lineup of The Time....
played guitar on the recording. Prince played all the other instruments.
"Ice Cream Castles" is a laid-back funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
offering with drums to the fore. The keyboards take an active role over a funky rhythm guitar and an understated organ solo is performed toward the end. The song is about an interracial relationship that devolves into chants and band cues in the mainly instrumental extension. The song's title is based on a lyric from Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, one of Prince's favorite singers.
The funky elements of the song allowed it to do well on the R&B charts, reaching #11, but it didn't break the top 100 on the pop charts. Still, the song is occasionally still played in concert by The Time and a live recording from 1998 was also included on Morris Day's 2004 release, It's About Time
It's About Time (Morris Day album)
It's About Time, released in 2004, is the fourth and latest solo album to date by R&B singer Morris Day. Released 12 years after his previous album Guaranteed, It's About Time is somewhat a return to form for Day. With the exception of four new songs, the album consists of previous hits, recorded...
.
The single was backed with the minimalist funk jam "Tricky", featuring Day on drums and Prince on the bass and keyboards taking humorous jabs at a washed-up singer (in reality, his idol George Clinton
George Clinton (musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
). The UK 12" single also included the earlier hit "Get It Up
Get It Up
-TLC version:"Get It Up" was covered by girl group TLC for the Poetic Justice soundtrack becoming a minor hit for the group and was later included in TLC's greatest hits album, Now and Forever: The Hits. The video for TLC's "Get It Up" was shot in June 1993....
", from The Time's debut album.