Chart performance:
| Week | Position | Movement | Comments |
| 24-Aug-84 | 29 | New | |
| 31-Aug-84 | 28 | +1 | |
| 07-Sep-84 | 23 | +5 | Star rater |
| 14-Sep-84 | 20 | +3 | |
| 21-Sep-84 | 16 | +4 | Star rater |
| 28-Sep-84 | 15 | +1 | |
| 05-Oct-84 | 13 | +2 | |
| 12-Oct-84 | 12 | +1 | |
| 19-Oct-84 | 9 | +3 | |
| 26-Oct-84 | 7 | +2 | |
| 02-Nov-84 | 6 | +1* | Peak |
| 09-Nov-84 | 6 | 0 | Peak |
| 16-Nov-84 | 9 | -3 | |
| 23-Nov-84 | 14 | -5 | |
| 30-Nov-84 | 17 | -3 | |
| 07-Dec-84 | 21 | -4 | |
| 14-Dec-84 | 23 | -2 | |
| 21-Dec-84 | 25 | -2 | |
| 28-Dec-84 | 27 | -2 | |
| 04-Jan-85 | 27 | 0 |
* This was the 3rd song to see a record at that time 10 straight weeks moving up the charts. Men Without Hats’ ‘The Safety Dance’ was the first to manage this, followed the next week by the Eurythmics’ ‘Love Is A Stranger’. In total 9 songs would see such a run with Dire Straits’ ‘So Far Away’ being the only one to go on and see an 11th straight week with a climb.
Written by: Prince
Produced by: Prince
South African record label (unless otherwise stated): Warner Bros
| Hit number for artist | 1 |
| Peak position | 6 |
| Weeks | 20 |
| Biggest climber awards | 0 |
| Star rater climbs | 2 |
| Biggest faller awards | 0 |
| Top 20 points | 108 |
| Overall Top 20 points ranking | =1030 |
| Top 20 points ranking for the artist | 1 |
| Top 30 Points | 273 |
| Overall Top 30 points ranking | =773 |
| Top 30 points ranking for the artist | 1 |
Annual ranking:
| 1984 | =36 |
| 1985 | =131 |
Other chart success:
| Australia | 1 |
| Austria | 19 |
| Belgium | 6 |
| Canada | 1 |
| Finland | 4 |
| France | 32 |
| Germany | 16 |
| Ireland | 2 |
| Netherlands | 6 |
| New Zealand | 2 |
| Norway | 10 |
| Sweden | 18 |
| Switzerland | 17 |
| UK | 4 |
| US | 1 |
| Zimbabwe | 5 |
SA Radio charts:
| Capital 604 | 1 |
| Radio 5 | 4 |
| Radio 702 | 1 |
The song would be the top ranked single for 1984 in the US by Billboard magazine. It was written when the director of the film ‘Purple Rain’, in which Prince starred, asked him to come up with a song for a particular scene in the film. The next day he came back with 2 songs, one of which was ‘When Doves Cry’. Prince would play all the instruments on the track and perform all the vocals. He would also direct the music video for the track. The single would sell over 2 million units in the US. It would be the 700th song by an American act to make our charts. In 2016, the song would make it to 8 in the US and 26 in the UK following Prince’s death. A cover by American singer Ginuwine in 1997 would get to 10 in the UK.
Video:
Artist link: Prince
SA Singles Charts 