Album: Diamonds and Pearls (1991)

Charted: 15 1

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• A playfully sexual song, this was Prince's last #1 hit. The lyrics are very suggestive, but tame compared to Prince's previous single "Gett Off," which had more trouble getting pop airplay. He probably didn't put too much effort into the words ("You got the horn so why don't you blow it... You're filthy cute and baby you know it"), as it is the distinctive track that made this song stand out.
• In the liner notes to Prince's The Hits/The B-Sides compilation, it states that this song was "reputedly written while standing in front of a mirror."
• "'Cream' was done while we were in Europe," Tony Mosely of The New Power Generation told Billboard magazine. "When we're on the road, [Prince] will book studios and we'll go in and jam. And that was a vibe that the band, Levi Seacer Jr., Sonny Thompson, and everybody else came up with. The message is, keep striving, keep pushing, and it will happen - perseverance."
• Diamonds and Pearls was credited to "Prince and The New Power Generation," which became his backing band on various projects. Much of his material with The New Power Generation has more of an urban/funk sound.
• "Kiss" director Rebecca Blake opens the video with Prince and his crew strutting through a crowded train station before hitting the stage to perform the song. They hang around the station for a bit first, making lots of references to the song title, with Prince licking whipped cream off a girl's fingers.
  
  Blake tried, and failed, to incorporate street jive into the dialog. "We found out that it that the street jive in Minneapolis was totally different than in LA," she recalled in a Golden Age of Music Video interview. "So we then met with the New Power Generation, they were like, 'What's up? We don't talk like that.' And we have to rewrite everything based on the new viewpoint. And there was a lot of improvisation, like for example, there was a barbershop scene which was totally improvised, and there was a restaurant scene that was pretty much improvised. I just kept blocking and moving the camera, and so it's feeding lines to people. I think Prince had actually loved that. He really loved that stuff. And some of them–some of the things were pretty funny and I thought, 'Oh God, it's funny but I don't know, maybe it's offensive.' And Prince was like, 'No, no, no. I love it. Let's get to work that.' So that was good."

Comments: 6

• Neil from MaltaThe song "Cream" is 1 of the best of the late Prince especially the ladies at the cafe b4 they catch the train in the dresses when they're dancing in the hall with those high heel shoes/corsets n stockings.
• Alexandra from 55109You must be super down under if you think that anything “destroyed” Prince’s career. I came here to tell you that you’re wrong. He was alive and well and putting on concerts and shows and collaborating and buying records until he died. Our entire city grieved, and we still celebrate him.
• Melinda from AustraliaThis is a pretty dirty song. I think when we figured out the lyrics it shocked a lot of people. But then again he’d been shocking people a bit for a while. The overtly sexual behaviour of the chicks on stage. And Madonna started being extremely kinda sexual around this time too, with her filthy book, called Sex. On 1 hand this much more free attitude and images regarding sex in videos was a bit of a breakthrough. But it was also an era that had become to disapprove of sexploitation, of women...a post feminist era. So.. Prince’s chicks onstage in lingerie was looked down on abit. And a bit outdated and a bit wrong. And Madonna lost a lot of fans for her shift to sexualised stuff too. Further, Prince liked to completely design his own clothes. And the public just didn’t get it his fashion. He then went on to have a huge legal case against his record company. Which ultimately led him to do a stupid thing and insist that his name Prince was no longer to be allowed to be used In the media,(in the UK in particular) on his recordings , anything. He insisted on being referred to as a symbol he designed. Gettin the picture? So he couldn’t be actually talked about. Those who remember this happening probably recall as I do that this destroyed his career. It confused his fans. And I myself started to wonder if he was nuts. I know now the legal wrangle was over his creative control over his songs. Cream is one of my favourites. Cause it was brave and cheeky.
• Don from B G, KyThe two main female dancers were called Diamond and Pearl. They are dancers Lori Elle and Robia LaMorte. They are in 4 Prince videos.
• Dana from Monrovia, MdNo, this song was written about himself mostly. Prince said in an interview that he was looking in the mirror when he wrote this song.
• Chris from San Bernardino, Ca"Cream" is pretty much a Prince-ly take on T-Rex's "Bang A Gong". Even the lyrics are similar in places. "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" had the lyric "You're dirty sweet and you're my girl", while 'Cream' had the lyric "You're filthy cute and baby, you know it". It's also rumored that Prince isn't singing about a woman, but about himself, especially in the lyrics "Ure so cool/Everything u do is success/Make the rules/Then break them all cuz u are the best" (Prince was well known for "breaking the rules' of the pop game at the time).
  

More Songfacts:

Empire State of MindJay-Z

Jay-Z was going to ask Mary J. Blige to duet on "Empire State of Mind," but he decided on Alicia Keys when he heard the piano stabs on the track.

I Will SurviveGloria Gaynor

There was only one Grammy ever given for Best Disco Recording. It went to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

Let's Stay TogetherAl Green

Al Green wrote the lyrics for “Let's Stay Together” in five minutes after Willie Mitchell gave him a rough mix of a tune that he and drummer Al Jackson had developed.

Cum On Feel The NoizeSlade

"Cum On Feel The Noise" was originally recorded by the British glam band Slade in 1973. Quiet Riot had their first hit with the song when they recorded it in 1983.

The UnforgivenMetallica

On Metallica's "The Unforgiven," James Hetfield modeled his vocals on Chris Isaak

Foxy LadyJimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix opened for The Monkees on their 1967 tour, and it did not go well. The young, mostly female crowd shouted "Davy" when Hendrix sang the word "Lady" in "Foxy Lady" in honor of who they came to see: Monkees lead singer Davy Jones.

Editor's Picks

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.