“17 Days” is one of Prince’s best known b-sides. It originally appeared on the flipside of the “When Doves Cry” single.

The song, about the misery felt after the end of a relationship, is notable for its polyrhythmic drums loops and psychedelic guitar line.

It was originally composed and demoed for a Vanity 6 sophomore album, but when that band broke up, Prince re-recorded the song and kept it for himself. Like “When Doves Cry,” the track was performed almost entirely by Prince alone– bandmates Wendy & Lisa provide backing vocals; Brenda Bennet provides harmony vocals on the final verse, a remnant of the Vanity 6 sessions. Despite this, he credited the track to Prince & The Revolution, the first piece of commercially released music with that attribution.

Despite its b-side status, it received significant airplay on R&B radio and was played enough in clubs to make it onto the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Its inclusion on 1993’s The Hits/The B-Sides only bolstered its reputation.