Released October 5, 1982 Genre R&B | Format 7" single Length 7" edit: 4:42 | |
B-side "I Don't Wanna Leave You" Recorded Minneapolis, Minnesota, December 1981 | ||
"Gigolos Get Lonely Too" is the fifth track from The Time's six-song album, What Time Is It?. One of the first songs recorded for the album in December 1981, it was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris Day later adding his lead vocals.
The song is the album's only ballad, featuring a treated drum machine, as well as live drums. Keyboards and bass make up the remaining instrumentation with an understated guitar. As the title would imply, the song is about a gigolo who craves real love rather than meaningless sex. As the song fades out, there appears to be a spoken (one-sided) conversation, but as there was no extended version released, the full context is unknown. The single was backed with the album's closing track "I Don't Wanna Leave You".
Despite the single only reaching #77 on the R&B charts and not touching the pop charts, the track became a favorite amongst fans of The Time and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" is played at nearly all of their concerts. A live recording from 1998 was also included on Morris Day's 2004 release, It's About Time.