Prince (album)

Prince
Studio album by Prince
Released October 19, 1979
Recorded April–June 1979 at Alpha Studios, Burbank, California
Genre R&B, pop, rock, funk, disco
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 second studio album by Prince, released on October 19, 1979. It was a quickly written album in reaction to his debut For You. It took seven weeks to complete. The album needed to have hits and sell well to make up for the blown budget on his first release. Worries were stifled with the success of the lead single "I Wanna Be Your Lover", which reached #1 on the R&B chart and nearly broke the top 10 on the pop chart.

Music

"I Wanna Be Your Lover" opens the album, followed by the guitar-based rock and roll number "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" The minimalist disco funk number "Sexy Dancer" comes next, featuring a piano solo and screams by Prince. The pace is slowed down by the romantic, dreamy ballad, "When We're Dancing Close and Slow".

Side two opens with another ballad, "With You". The song was later given to protege Jill Jones for her eponymous 1987 album. "Bambi" follows, full of blazing electric guitar. Once again, the pace slows with the ballad "Still Waiting", stating Prince is not too young to know what love is. "I Feel for You" was notably later recorded by Chaka Khan, and helped revitalize her career. The album closes with a final ballad "It's Gonna Be Lonely".

Overall, Prince is more diverse, and was more well-received than For You, reaching #3 on the R&B charts, and reached gold status, but Prince's cult following did not begin until his next album, Dirty Mind.

Prince also toured as the opening act for Rick James in support of the album.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Blender [2]
Robert Christgau (B+) [3]
Entertainment Weekly (B-) [4]
Q [5]
Rolling Stone (favorable) [6]
Rolling Stone [7]

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Prince.

Side one

  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

  1. "With You" – 4:00
  2. "Bambi" – 4:22
  3. "Still Waiting" – 4:12
  4. "I Feel for You" – 3:24
  5. "It's Gonna Be Lonely" – 5:27

References

  1. ^ "Prince > Review" at Allmusic. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. ^ Blender review
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Prince". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=prince. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  4. ^ Browne, David (21 September 1990). "Purple Products". Entertainment Weekly (#32). ISSN 1049-0434. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318219,00.html. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  5. ^ "Prince (CD)". tower.com. http://www.tower.com/prince-cd/wapi/106710474. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  6. ^ Holden, Stephen (3 April 1980). "Prince: Prince". Rolling Stone (Wenner Media). ISSN 0035-791X. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/prince/albums/album/260305/review/5945921/prince. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  7. ^ Hoard, Christian David; Brackett, Nathan (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4, revised ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698.