Maps of Music
Prince (1979)
Where the lyrics of Prince take you, and where it was really made.
Prince was made in five weeks as a rushed follow-up, yet it became the album that set up his breakthrough and sold three million copies.
View on the mapKey places
Alpha Studios, Burbank (1979)
Recording site Alpha Studios — Release credits give Alpha Studios in Burbank, California as the recording site. The pin sits on the studio coordinates from the candidate list. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood (1979)
Recording site Hollywood Sound — Release credits name Hollywood Sound Recorders in Hollywood, California as the mixing site. The pin marks the candidate coordinates for that studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Second studio album by the American musician Prince
- Released 19 October 1979 by Warner Bros. Records
- Written, arranged, composed, produced, and performed by Prince
- More diverse and better received than the 1978 debut For You, critically and commercially
- Three R&B and dance hits; "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was his first Billboard Hot 100 hit
Background
- Warner Bros. asked for a follow-up to For You
- For You used twice Prince's initial recording advance and produced no pop hit
- "Soft and Wet" reached number 12 on the R&B chart, but Prince was displeased with the lack of success
- Prince recorded the album in five weeks
- The album's success steered Prince toward his next album, Dirty Mind
Recording
- Credits thank bassist André Cymone and drummer Bobby Z. as helpers
- Recorded at Alpha Studios, Burbank, California
- Mixed at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California
- Mastered at A&M Records, Hollywood, California
Cover
- Front cover photography by Jurgen Reisch
- Back cover photography by Chris Callis
- Album design by Lynn Barron and George Chacon of RIA Images
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com
Tracklist
| 1 | I Wanna Be Your Lover | 5:50 |
| 2 | Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? | 3:49 |
| 3 | Sexy Dancer | 4:19 |
| 4 | When We’re Dancing Close and Slow | 5:24 |
| 5 | With You | 4:00 |
| 6 | Bambi | 4:23 |
| 7 | Still Waiting | 4:24 |
| 8 | I Feel for You | 3:24 |
| 9 | It’s Gonna Be Lonely | 5:28 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Prince Rogers Nelson, born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota; died April 21, 2016 at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
- Signed with Warner Bros. Records in 1977 at age 18; first album For You released April 7, 1978.
- Career spanned funk, rock, R&B and pop, with estimated sales over 100 million records.
Career
- Breakthrough with Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982).
- Purple Rain (1984) made him the first singer to hold the number-one film, album and single in the US at the same time.
- Sign o' the Times (1987) is widely considered his greatest work.
- Changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993, becoming known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince; reverted to Prince in 2000.
- Won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Robert Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981) praised the album
- Christgau predicted Prince would become a big star and said he deserved it
- The album was rated much more diverse and better received than For You
- Christgau also said Prince left something to be desired in depth of feeling, which he called soul
Reappraisal
- The album is notable for standard R&B ballads performed by Prince, before his later sexual-themed albums
- Seen as the step that led Prince to Dirty Mind, described as a complete departure from his earlier sound
Records
- Billboard 200: peaked at number 22
- Billboard R&B chart: peaked at number three
- "I Wanna Be Your Lover" reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot Black Singles chart
- Dance/Disco singles chart: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" reached number 2
- UK: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" reached number 41
- RIAA Platinum certification four months after release
- Sales of about three million copies
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- Warner Bros. requested a follow-up to For You, and Prince finished the record in five weeks
- For You had failed to produce a pop hit despite Prince using twice his initial recording advance
- In 2019 an acoustic demo of "I Feel for You" was released as a single for the album's 40th anniversary
- Credits thank bassist André Cymone and drummer Bobby Z. as helpers
- Prince's displeasure with For You's lack of success pushed him to record quickly
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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