"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" | ||||||||||
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Single by Prince | ||||||||||
from the album The Hits/The B-Sides | ||||||||||
A-side |
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Released | September 24, 1982 (original) November 3, 1998 (re-release) |
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Recorded | Sunset Sound, April 26, 1982 | |||||||||
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Length | 3:50 | |||||||||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||||||||
Writer(s) | Prince | |||||||||
Producer(s) | Prince | |||||||||
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"How Come You Don't Call Me" | ||||
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Single by Alicia Keys | ||||
from the album Songs in A Minor | ||||
Released | June 4, 2002 | |||
Format | Digital download, CD single, 12" maxi single | |||
Recorded | 1998; KrucialKeys Studios (New York City, New York) |
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Genre | R&B, soul | |||
Length | 3:57 (album version) 3:31 (radio edit) |
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Label | J | |||
Writer(s) | Prince | |||
Producer(s) | Alicia Keys, Kerry "Krucial" Brothers | |||
Alicia Keys singles chronology | ||||
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"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own bluesy piano playing providing the only instrumental accompaniment. The song's first album appearance was on his 1993 compilation The Hits/The B-Sides. It was later included on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Girl 6. Prince also performs the song on his 2002 live album One Nite Alone... Live!.
Artists who have covered the song include Stephanie Mills (1983), Joshua Redman (1998), and Alicia Keys (2001). Bilal recorded the song which appears on his 2001 single "Fast Lane". Roger Cicero recorded the song with Soulounge for the 2004 album Home; a live version by Cicero is included on his 2008 single "Alle Möbel verrückt". American Idol season 11 finalist Jessica Sanchez performed the song on the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2012.
Keys recorded a cover of the song—retitled "How Come You Don't Call Me"—for her debut album, Songs in A Minor (2001). It was released as the album's third and final U.S. single and became a moderate chart success, reaching the top thirty in Australia, the United Kingdom, and on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She told Billboard Magazine, "I had never heard [the original] before. They gave me a copy of the song on tape. I played it every day for three weeks. It is so raw and so truthful – I was just feeling it. It really came out well."