"Diamonds and Pearls" is the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may al ...

of American musician

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 New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as The NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for h ...

's 1991 album. The song is an upbeat

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, given a rock edge with guitar and heavy drumming. It also features the vocals of NPG member

Rosie Gaines Rosie Gaines (born Rosemary Gaines; June 26, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Pittsburg, California. Gaines is a former band member of Prince's group, The New Power Generation. She duetted with singer Prince on th ...

. The ballad is an expression of love and not lust, as is the theme on some of the other singles from the album. It was a top 10 hit, reaching number three in the US and the top spot on the R&B chart. The pearls in the accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

come from Connie Parente, a Los Angeles jewelry collector and designer. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

is a mix of excerpts of other ''Diamonds and Pearls'' tracks, which serves to promote the album. There was no extended version of the song released. The UK B-side included some of the mixes on the "

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

. The repeated lyric "''If I gave you diamonds and pearls, would you be a happy boy or a girl?''" echoes the lyrics "''I'll buy you diamonds and pearls only if you're good girl''" from Prince's 1982 song, "

International Lover "International Lover" is a song by American musician Prince from the album ''1999''. It was the song for which he received his first Grammy Award nomination. Details "International Lover" was the final song on the ''1999'' double album. "Internat ...

Critical reception

Patrick Corcoran from Albumism stated that the song's "fairy tale fanfares, sizeable doses of pomp and the delicious interplay between Gaines' and

's voices serve up an undeniably touching

that delicately and deftly walks the line between sweet and saccharine."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called it a "drippy mainstream ballad" and a "terrific" pop single. Mike Diver for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

described it as a "brilliant ballad" in his 2010 review.

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote that it is a "soft and soulful lullaby that should keep momentum building at top 40. Once again, Rosie Gaines' vocal support is a true delight." Randy Clark and Bryan DeVaney from '' Cashbox'' said it is "actually a soulful R&B ballad-gone-mad with der-Prince's guitar work and production." They noted that Gaines is "sounding quite like she needs her own record, something she will no doubt get from her close-knit pals at Paisley." Diane Rufer and Ron Fell from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' stated that Gaines "absolutely nails her part." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "The melody of this mellow ballad and title track of his new album rings a bell for

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

fanatics. It recalls

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

's famous tune

Summer (The First Time) "Summer (The First Time)" is a song by American singer Bobby Goldsboro, recorded for his album of the same name and released as a single in June 1973. It was written by Bobby Goldsboro, Ashley Abram and Timmy Tappan, and produced by Goldsboro and ...

, as recorded by

Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and Soul music, soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified Music recording certification, gold ...

on her classic '' Caught Up'' album." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

'' called it a "mushy mess". Jeff Weiss from ''

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 ...

'' said it's a "twinkling locket-pop ballad", and "one of those songs they'll play at weddings until we stop using diamond engagement rings and the ocean runs out of

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

s." He added, "It's Prince at his best". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' described it as a "sultry ballad", that "intricately wedded the singer's love of glitz and glamour with a distinct, ever-evolving pop-R&B sensibility." Tom Doyle from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' viewed it as "smaltzy over-the-top-balladeering".

Chart performance

"Diamonds and Pearls" was very successful stateside, receiving massive airplay and peaking at number 2 on the Hot 100 Airplay, and number 11 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (it was on the decline when the chart first appeared in April 1992). It was a moderate hit in the UK, peaking at number 25.

Track listings

* UK 7-inch #"Diamonds and Pearls" (LP version) – 4:45 #"Q in Doubt" – 4:00 * US 7-inch and Japan CD #"Diamonds and Pearls" (edit) – 4:20 #"X-cerpts from the Songs: Thunder, Daddy Pop, Strollin', Money Don't Matter 2 Night, Push, Live 4 Love" – 5:04 * UK 12-inch #"Diamonds and Pearls" (LP version) – 4:45 #"Do Your Dance" (Housebangers) – 4:23 #"

" (N.P.G. mix) – 4:54 #"Things Have Gotta Change" (Tony M. Rap) – 3:57 * UK CD #"Diamonds and Pearls" (LP version) – 4:45 #"2 the Wire" (Creamy Instrumental) – 3:13 #"Do Your Dance" (KC's Remix) – 5:58

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control Prince (musician) songs 1990s ballads 1991 singles 1991 songs Contemporary R&B ballads Paisley Park Records singles Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Songs written by Prince (musician) Warner Records singles