Was “Kiss” the result of Bob Cavallo telling Prince that “Under the Cherry Moon” needed a hit song?
The question:
Bob Cavallo was part of Prince's management team from 1979 to ’89. According to an interview with Jon Bream in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Cavallo had to beg Prince to write a hit song for Under the Cherry Moon.
“When you said ‘Write a hit,’ he wrote a hit. This time it was ‘Kiss.’ ”
Is this a true story? It seems unlikely that Prince would take orders from his management team in such a way.
The answer:
No. Cavallo "misremembers".
In fact, the recording history of "Kiss" is well-documented and has been told numerous times. One of these stories can be read [on the MusicThing blog][1], and of particular interest is that page's November 2013 update at the bottom by Prince historian Duane Tudahl.
Click the link for the whole answer.
Sources used: