| 1999 | |||||
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| Studio album by Prince | |||||
| Released | October 27, 1982 | ||||
| Recorded | Sunset Sound and Minneapolis 1982 | ||||
| Genre | Pop, Rock, Funk | ||||
| Length | 70:10 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||||
| Producer | Prince | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Prince chronology | |||||
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1999 is Prince's fifth album, released October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 charts in the US (peaking at number 9) and becoming the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album in both US and worldwide. The next album, Purple Rain became his most successful. In 2003 the TV network VH1 placed 1999 forty-ninth in its list of the greatest albums of all time. The album placed thirtysix in Plásticos y Decibelios´ list The Greatest Albums of All Time. "1999 may be Prince's most influential album: its synth-and-drum machine-heavy arrangements codified the "Minneapolis sound" that loomed over mid-'80s R&B and pop, not to mention the next two decades' worth of electro, house, and techno," says the New Rolling Stone Album Guide.[1] The album was also part of Slant Magazine's list The 50 Most Essential Pop Albums.[2] The album was recently into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Contents |
History
Originally released on vinyl as a double LP (the first of a number of double sets from Prince), it was cut to a single vinyl edition in some countries with Brazil opting to issue it as two separate vinyl albums, 1999 and 1999 II.[3] The original compact disc version of the album was also cut, omitting "D.M.S.R.". The album's opening title track, 1999 was also the its first single which initially peaked at 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was later re-released, hitting number 12 on Billboard once interest in the album had caught fire with the release of its second single, Little Red Corvette, which peaked at Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and heralded Prince's rise to superstardom. The music video for the song was significant in itself as one of the first videos by a black artist to receive 'heavy rotation' airplay on the newly launched music video channel MTV. The two tracks were later combined as a double A-side single in the UK, peaking at number 2. A third single "Delirious" still managed top ten status in the US but a fourth, Let's Pretend We're Married got no further that number 52, with its smutty lyric, not for the first or last time, impeding daytime radio airplay. Whilst Little Red Corvette helped Prince cross over to the wider (white) rock audience, the rest of the album retains the elements of previous albums and is dominated by funk and synthesizer dance tracks. The album is, however, notable amongst Prince's catalogue for its wide variety of imagery and themes besides the sexual themes which had already become something of a trademark on previous albums. Automatic running at almost ten minutes, starts side 3 of the album with a cocktail of synthesizers and bawdy bondage-inspired lyrical imagery which, transplanted to the music video for the track (with a scene that depicted Prince being tied up and whipped by band-members Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones), was, in 1983, considered too hot for MTV. "Free" is a delicate piano ballad expressing patriotism, while "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)", an ode to a harsh lover, is the centerpiece of a preoccupation with Computer Age themes which will continue into future albums. This 'computer' theme is also reflected in the album's instrumentation, with Prince fully embracing the gadgetry and sounds of emergent electro-funk and 80s sequencing technology on tracks like "Let's Pretend We're Married" and "All the Critics Love U in New York" which widen his use of synthesizers and effects and prominently feature his noted uses of the Linn drum machine . The album's critical and commercial success secured Prince a place in the public psyche and marked the beginning of two years of intense activity which, via massively successful tours, hit singles and a Hollywood movie, would make Prince arguably the biggest musical star on the planet next to Michael Jackson. In 2003, the album was ranked number 163 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[4] The album's cover features elements from the front cover of Prince's previous album, Controversy; namely the eyes and the "Rude Boy" pin in the "1999", the jacket studs in the "R" and the smile in the "P". The "I" in Prince, in addition to being an obvious phallic symbol, also contains the words "and the Revolution" written backwards, both acknowledging his backing band and foreshadowing the next four years of his career.
Track listing
Double vinyl / CD
- "1999" – 6:22
- "Little Red Corvette" – 4:58
- "Delirious" – 3:56
- "Let's Pretend We're Married" – 7:21
- "D.M.S.R." – 8:17 (omitted from original CD due to time contraints)
- "Automatic" – 9:28
- "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" – 4:02
- "Free" – 5:08
- "Lady Cab Driver" – 8:19
- "All the Critics Love U in New York" – 5:59
- "International Lover" – 6:37
On cassette tape, "Free" was placed after "D.M.S.R." to end the first side, balancing out the lengths of both sides of the cassette.
Single vinyl
- "1999" – 6:22
- "Little Red Corvette" – 4:58
- "Delirious" – 3:56
- "Free" – 5:08
- "Let's Pretend We're Married" – 7:21
- "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" – 4:02
- "Lady Cab Driver" – 8:19
Singles and Hot 100 chart positions
- "1999" (#12 U.S., #4 R&B, #25 UK)
- "1999"
- "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" – 3:51 (B-side of "1999")
- "Little Red Corvette" (#6 U.S., #15 R&B, #54 UK)
- "Little Red Corvette"
- "All the Critics Love U In New York"
- "Delirious" (#8 U.S., #18 R&B)
- "Delirious"
- "Horny Toad"
- "Let's Pretend We're Married" (#52 U.S., #55 R&B)
- "Let's Pretend We're Married"
- "Irresistible Bitch"
- "Automatic" (AUS)
- "Automatic"
- "Something In the Water (Does Not Compute)"
Album credits
- Dez Dickerson: Co-lead vocal on "1999" and "Little Red Corvette", guitar solos on "Little Red Corvette"
- Wendy Melvoin: Background vocals on "Free"
- Lisa Coleman: Co-lead vocal on "1999" and "Little Red Corvette", background vocals on "Delirous", "D.M.S.R.", "Automatic" and "Free", handclaps on "D.M.S.R."
- J.J.: Co-lead vocal on "1999", background vocals on "Automatic" and Free", "lady cab driver" on "Lady Cab Driver"
- Vanity: Background vocals on "Free"
- Jamie, Carol, Peggy, Brown Mark, Poochie and "the Count": Background vocals and handclaps on "D.M.S.R."
- Prince: All other vocals and instruments
References
External links
1999 lyrics
