Prince's Sign O' the Times is one of our most requested albums at You'll Hear It. But, there is a certain window of millennial that doesn't really "get" Prince. If that’s you, this episode is your on ramp into his music.

We start with Prince's earliest albums, tracing his incredible run from 1978 through to 1986. By the time we hit 1987 (around the time our dear mid-millennials were born), you can hear exactly why Sign O’ the Times has become so beloved by critics and music-lovers alike.

If you’re already a Prince fan (like us!), get comfy. Put on your purple rain coat. We talk through the influences we hear all over this music: James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Parliament, Earth, Wind & Fire. We share our apex moments from Sign O’ the Times. And yes… we’ve got a few quibble bits too.

We'll be taking a short break in January, and returning with more great episodes in February 2026. We'll be dropping a few special episodes in the meantime, so keep an eye on the feed.

00:00 - Intro Jam: "U Got the Look"
02:10 - Welcome + New at Open Studio
03:50 - Coming Up Next Season
05:10 - How We Make Decisions for the Show
08:35 - Why "Sign O' the Times"?
11:35 - "Soft and Wet" from For You (1978)
14:50 - "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from Prince (1979)
17:50 - "Head" from Dirty Mind (1980)
19:15 - "Controversy" from Controversy (1981)
22:35 - "1999" from 1999 (1982)
25:15 - "Purple Rain" from Purple Rain (1984)
28:40 - "Raspberry Beret" from Around the World in a Day (1985)
29:45 - "Kiss" from Parade (1986)
40:20 - "Sign O' the Times"
45:40 - "Housequake"
47:20 - "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker"
51:50 - "Starfish and Coffee"
53:05 - "Slow Love"
55:20 - "Hot Thing"
57:10 - "U Got the Look"
59:25 - Miles on Prince
1:02:25 - "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
1:04:00 - "Strange Relationship"
1:05:20 - "The Cross"
1:08:00 - "Adore"
1:09:50 - Apex Moments
1:14:55 - Categories
1:19:35 - Snobometer
1:23:55 - Coming Up on YHI
1:24:20 - Outro Jam: "U Got the Look"

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"Sign o' the Times" – Prince

You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians