May 16, 1984 –
Prince’s single, (written at the behest of the director of the film, Purple Rain, Albert Magnoli, to cover a sequence in the film,) When Doves Cry became his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, on this date.
This was the second US chart-topper with a kind of bird in the title, following on the feathers of the 1975 disco hit Fly, Robin, Fly. (The novelty song Disco Duck by Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots hit #1 in 1976, but “duck” does not refer to a specific species.)
The Haus of Dcaligari 