''Around the World in a Day'' is the seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American recording artist

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, and the second release where his backing band The Revolution is billed. It was released on April 22, 1985, by

Paisley Park Records Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. T ...

and

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. Departing somewhat from the commercial sound of his previous release, the massively successful '' Purple Rain'' (1984), the album instead saw Prince experimenting with

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

styles and more opulent textures. In compliance with Prince's wishes, the record company released the album with minimal publicity, withholding accompanying singles until almost a month after the album's release. ''Around the World in a Day'' was released to notably mixed reception among crossover audiences after the success of ''Purple Rain'', though it nonetheless sold relatively well and became Prince and the Revolution's second number-one album on the ''Billboard'' 200. Two of its four singles reached the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100: "

Raspberry Beret "Raspberry Beret" is a song written by American musician Prince and is the lead single from Prince & the Revolution's 1985 album ''Around the World in a Day''. Background The sound of the song expanded upon previous Prince arrangements, incorpor ...

" and " Pop Life". Following Prince's death, "Raspberry Beret" re-charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a top 40 hit, reaching number 33. ''Around the World in a Day'' was certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) on July 2, 1985.

Background

Recording for ''Around the World in a Day'' was begun in sessions dating back before that of '' Purple Rain''. Following six months of touring behind that bestselling album, Prince returned to recording. An initial inspiration for the album's sound came in the form of a demo, recorded by David Coleman, the brother of

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

band member Lisa Coleman, which would ultimately become the title track. The album pursued a dense,

style that made use of unconventional instruments and cryptic lyrics. Its sound and album cover painting by Doug Henders (artist) drew numerous comparisons to

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' album. Prince spoke in an interview about the album's cover art, its psychedelic sound, and the comparison: :"The influence wasn't the Beatles. They were great for what they did, but I don't know how that would hang today. The cover art came about because I thought people were tired of looking at me. Who wants another picture of him? I would only want so many pictures of my woman, then I would want the real thing. What would be a little more happening than just another picture would be if there was some way I could materialize in people's cribs when they play the record. I don't mind he album being called psychedelic because that was the only period in recent history that delivered songs and colors.

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, for example, would make you feel differently on each song."

Reception

Despite the muted promotion and the material on the album being overall not as radio-friendly as '' Purple Rain'', it still had two American top 10 hits, and went

. It was initially met with mixed critical reception. According to Prince, George Clinton was a fan of the album. In a positive retrospective review for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'',

Alan Light Alan Light (born August 4, 1966) is an American journalist who has been a rock critic for ''Rolling Stone'' and the editor-in-chief for ''Vibe,'' '' Spin,'' and ''Tracks''.http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2003/11/18/new_music ...

described the album as "a brave and deeply personal project, exploring sounds and ideas that were almost shocking coming from a pop icon at his peak."

Simon Price Simon Price (born 25 September 1967) is a British music journalist and author. He is known for his weekly review section in ''The Independent on Sunday'' and his book ''Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)''. Career Writer Pric ...

wrote for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' that the album "always sounds better than you think it will, when you revisit."

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

* "

" (#2 US, #4 US R&B, #25 UK) # "Raspberry Beret" # "She's Always in My Hair" (US) # "Hello" (UK) * "

Paisley Park Paisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album '' Purple Rain''. T ...

" (#18 UK) ''No US release'' # "Paisley Park" # "She's Always in My Hair" * " Pop Life" (#7 US, #8 US R&B, #60 UK) # "Pop Life" # "Hello" (US) # "Girl" (UK) * "

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

" (#46 US, #35 US R&B) ''No UK release'' # "America" # "Girl"

Certifications

References

External links

*
Around The World In A Day
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

*
Around The World In A Day
' at Prince Vault {{Authority control 1985 albums Prince (musician) albums Albums produced by Prince (musician) Paisley Park Records albums Warner Records albums Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders