Morris Day & The Time - Jungle Love - (Purple Rain) - HQ Audio )))
"
Jungle Love" is a song from
The Time's third
album,
Ice Cream Castle. The track was one of the first songs recorded for the album, being cut in late
March 1983 during
Prince's 1999 tour. "Jungle Love" was also one of the first
Time tracks to involve other members of the band in
the creation of the song.
Morris Day and
Jesse Johnson both contributed to writing the song. Day provided lead vocals and
Johnson played guitar on the recording.
Prince played all the other instruments.
Morris E. Day (born
December 13,
1957) is an
American musician, composer, and actor
. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. In high school, Day was in a band with Prince and
André Cymone and the trio formed an early band managed by Day's mother called "
Grand Central," later renamed "
Champagne."
Later, Prince embarked on a solo career but retained Cymone for his backing band. The two began to plan a side group that would focus more on
R&B;, while Prince would continue to explore various musical styles. The Time was composed of 4 members from an earlier funk group called "
Flyte Tyme," but the lead singer had not been chosen.
Charles Alexander Cobb, of
Saint Paul, was considered but he turned it down. Sue Ann Carwell was auditioned; and
Alexander O'Neal nearly became The Time's lead singer, but dropped out due to payment negotiations. Day, who was now in a band called "
Enterprise", allowed Prince to have a song called "Partyup" for his
Dirty Mind album, and Prince would soon return the favor by giving Day the job of lead singer. Day would suggest guitarist Jesse Johnson, who completed the band's ensemble.
The Time's most prolific and visible period came in
1984, when Day played the antagonist to Prince in his feature films
Purple Rain and
Graffiti Bridge, which helped establish Day's playboy stage presence. Typically escorted by his valet, "
Jerome" (Jerome Benton), Day won fans with his exaggerated vanity ("
Jerome bring me my mirror!") and strutting bravado ("
Ain't nobody bad like me!"), acting as a comic foil to Prince's romantic, sensitive lead. This persona was further exploited for comic effect on The Time's records, on songs such as "
Chili Sauce" and "If the Kid Can't
Make You Come" from the album Ice Cream Castle.
That album, the group's most popular, is best remembered for the infectious
singles "Jungle Love" and the
Rufus Thomas influenced, "
The Bird." With their palpable pop energy and catchy choruses, both songs were hits on both urban and pop radio.
With the breakup of The Time in 1984, Day began his solo career. In
1985, Day released his solo debut
Color of Success. The album featured the singles "
The Oak Tree" as well as the title track and the quiet storm ballad "
Don't Wait For Me".