Prince (album)

Prince
Studio album by Prince
Released October 19, 1979
Recorded April–June 1979
Studio Alpha Studios, Burbank, California
Genre R&B, funk,[1] pop rock
Length 40:52
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
For You
(1978)		 Prince
(1979)		 Dirty Mind
(1980)
Singles from Prince
  1. "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
    Released: August 24, 1979
  2. "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?"
    Released: January 23, 1980
  3. "Still Waiting"
    Released: March 25, 1980
  4. "Sexy Dancer"
    Released: 1980 (non-US single)
  5. "Bambi"
    Released: 1980 (non-US single)

Prince is the eponymous second studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on October 19, 1979 by Warner Bros. Records.

Background

The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince, with the only known contribution from another person being "some vocal harmony" added by close friend/bassist André Cymone on "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?".[2]

Prince recorded the album in just a few weeks after Warner Bros. asked for a follow-up to his 1978 debut, For You. Prince had used twice his initial recording advance on the album, and it had failed to generate a pop hit (although "Soft and Wet" became a No. 12 R&B hit). Displeased at his lack of success, Prince quickly recorded the follow-up.

Critical reception

Overall, the album was much more diverse and well-received than For You, critically and commercially, selling three million copies. It is notable for containing standard R&B ballads performed by Prince, before he would go on to establish himself with sexual romps on later albums. The album was certified platinum and contained three R&B/dance hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" sold over two million copies and received a platinum disc, rushing to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 (becoming Prince's first hit single) and topped the R&B charts. In addition, it peaked at No. 41 in the United Kingdom (his first entry in the country) and reached number 2 on the Billboard Dance/Disco Singles chart. Prince performed both "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" on American Bandstand on 26 January 1980. Overall, the success of this album geared Prince towards his next album, Dirty Mind, which would be called a complete departure from his earlier sound.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[3]
Robert ChristgauB+[4]
Entertainment WeeklyB–[5]
MusicHound4/5[6]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
Smash Hits5/10[10]

Track listing

All tracks written by Prince. 

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "I Wanna Be Your Lover"   5:49
2. "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?"   3:49
3. "Sexy Dancer"   4:18
4. "When We're Dancing Close and Slow"   5:23
Side two
No. Title Length
5. "With You"   4:00
6. "Bambi"   4:22
7. "Still Waiting"   4:12
8. "I Feel for You"   3:24
9. "It's Gonna Be Lonely"   5:27

Singles

Charts

Chart (1979) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 22
Chart (2016) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[11] 190
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 92
US Billboard 200[13] 52

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. 1 2 "Prince > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Album: Prince - Prince Vault". princevault.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  3. ↑ Blender review Archived August 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Prince". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Browne, David (21 September 1990). "Purple Products". Entertainment Weekly. No. #32. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  6. ↑ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 897. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  7. ↑ "Prince CD Album". cduniverse.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Holden, Stephen (3 April 1980). "Prince: Prince". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Hoard, Christian David; Brackett, Nathan (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4, revised ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits. No. February 7–20. p. 31.
  11. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – For You". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – Prince". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ "British album certifications – Prince – Prince". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Prince in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  15. ↑ "American album certifications – Prince – Prince". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Studio albums
Live albums
Remix albums
Compilation albums
The NPG albums
The NPG Orchestra albums
Madhouse albums
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