Diamonds and Pearls - Album Evolution

Album Evolution

One of the earliest songs that ended up on Diamonds and Pearls was "Live 4 Love", a track from 1989. The bulk of the material would be composed in 1990, however. A few songs evolved during Prince's Nude Tour in 1990, notably "The Flow", and "Schoolyard". Prince decided to place an emphasis on rap with this album, handing the reins over to Nude Tour dancer, Tony M. An early version of the album from November 1990 consisted of the following:

1. "The Flow"
2. "Daddy Pop"
3. "Diamonds and Pearls"
4. "Cream"
5. "Strollin'"
6. "Willing and Able"
7. "Violet the Organ Grinder"
8. "Walk Don't Walk"
9. "Horny Pony"
10. "Money Don't Matter 2 Nite"
11. "Something Funky (This House Comes)"
12. "Schoolyard"
13. "Live 4 Love"

Most of these songs went through minor to major revisions before being released, and four of them didn't make the cut at all. "The Flow" would be revised for the Love Symbol Album album. A later version of the album, closer to the actual release date was identical to the official album, but still had "Horny Pony" in the place of "Gett Off", a newly written track which ended up replacing "Horny Pony" at the last minute. In fact, "Horny Pony" still exists on the track listing, written in red over "Gett Off", and is mentioned in the lyrics to "Push".