Prince
An image of Prince without any clothing looking towards the camera.
Studio album by
Prince
ReleasedOctober 19, 1979
RecordedApril–June 1979
StudioAlpha Studios, Burbank, California. Mixed at Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California.
Genre
Length40:52
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPrince
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: April 1980 (non-US single)
  5. "Bambi"
    Released: September 27, 1980 (Belgium)

Prince is the second studio album by the American musician Prince. It was released on October 19, 1979 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. Overall, Prince was regarded as more diverse than For You (1978), and performed better critically and commercially. Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it".[3]

Prince peaked at 22 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Billboard R&B Chart. The album contained three Billboard Hot Black Singles hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was Prince's first hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eleven while also topping the Billboard Hot Black Singles. Prince was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) four months after its release.[4]

Background

The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. On the album credits, Prince thanks his bassist André Cymone and drummer Bobby Z. as "heaven-sent helpers".[5]

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 that 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.

2019

On October 19, 2019, Prince's estate released an acoustic demo version of "I Feel for You"[6] as a single to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Prince album release.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[7]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[8]
The Guardian[9]
MusicHound Rock4/5[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]
Smash Hits5/10[14]
Tom HullB+[15]

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 one million copies and received a gold 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.

Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it—he's got a great line. 'I want to come inside you' is good enough, but (in a different song) the simple 'I'm physically attracted to you' sets new standards of 'naive,' winning candor. The vulnerable teen-macho falsetto idea is pretty good too. But he does leave something to be desired in the depth-of-feeling department—you know, soul."[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Prince

Side one
No.TitleLength
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
Total length:19:19
Side two
No.TitleLength
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
Total length:21:25

Singles

Personnel

Technical

  • Gary Brandt – engineer
  • Mark Ettel – assistant engineer
  • Bob Mockler – remixer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering (A&M)
  • Lynn Barron – album design (RIA Images)
  • George Chacon – album design (RIA Images)
  • Jurgen Reisch – photography (front cover)
  • Chris Callis – photography (back cover)
  • Terry Taylor – calligraphy

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Prince
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 1,700,000[24]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Prince > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2023. ...he indulges in every one of his fascinations...modernizing the soul of Prince...
  3. 1 2 3 Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: P". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Prince (1979). Prince (Album credits).
  6. ↑ "Prince Estate Releases Acoustic Demo of 'I Feel for You'". Rolling Stone.
  7. ↑ Blender review Archived August 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Browne, David (September 21, 1990). "Purple Products". Entertainment Weekly. No. 32. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  9. ↑ Price, Simon (April 22, 2016). "Prince: every album rated – and ranked". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Prince CD Album". cduniverse.com. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  12. ↑ Holden, Stephen (April 3, 1980). "Prince: Prince". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  13. ↑ Hoard, Christian David; Brackett, Nathan (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4, revised ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  14. ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits. No. February 7–20. p. 31.
  15. ↑ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Rock (1970s)". tomhull.com. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – For You". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – Prince". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1980". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1980". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  22. ↑ "British album certifications – Prince – Prince". British Phonographic Industry.
  23. ↑ "American album certifications – Prince – Prince". Recording Industry Association of America.
  24. ↑ Souza Filho, Otávio (December 20, 1992). "Prince: muito discos, poucas vendas". O Dia: 7. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
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