"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own bluesy piano playing providing the only instrumental accompaniment. The song's first album appearance was on his 1993 compilation The Hits/The B-Sides. It was later included on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Girl 6. Prince also performs the song on his 2002 live album One Nite Alone... Live!. Artists who have covered the song include Stephanie Mills (1983) whose version reached No. 12 on the Billboard R&B chart, Joshua Redman (1998), and Alicia Keys (2001). Bilal recorded the song which appears on his 2001 single "Fast Lane". Roger Cicero recorded the song with Soulounge for the 2004 album Home; a live version by Cicero is included on his 2008 single "Alle Möbel verrückt". American Idol season 11 finalist Jessica Sanchez performed the song on the American Idols Live! Tour 2012.

Alicia Keys version

Recording and production

Alicia Keys recorded a cover of the song—retitled "How Come You Don't Call Me"—for her debut studio album Songs in A Minor (2001). She later told Billboard: "I had never heard [the original] before. They gave me a copy of the song on tape. I played it every day for three weeks. It is so raw and so truthful – I was just feeling it. It really came out well." Keys' cover of "How Come You Don't Call Me" was inspired by a long-term relationship with a partner, and was produced by Keys alongside Kerry Brothers, Jr. An official remix of the song, produced by the Neptunes, was included on the Remixed & Unplugged in A Minor reissue of Songs in A Minor in 2002. It features vocals from Justin Timberlake towards the end of the track.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "How Come You Don't Call Me" was directed by Little X. It contains references to Japanese popular culture, such as San-X's Buru Buru Dog and Cardcaptor Sakura's Kero-chan, besides Korean character Mashimaro. The video starts with Keys waking up in the morning, and following her daily routine throughout the video, ending with a performance on stage. The video ends with a phone call from her supposed "boyfriend" (portrayed by Mike Epps) making an excuse about why he hasn't called her, and she hangs up on him, laughing.

Critical reception

Mark Anthony Neal of PopMatters felt that the song was credible, but fell short from the original or Stephanie Mills' 1983 cover. Keys has said that Prince told her he loved her cover of the song.

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Charts

Release history