"Insatiable" is a song by 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 ...

, from their 1991 album ''

Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his new backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. ...

''. It is a slow, simmering

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 ...

that often draws comparisons to 1989's "

Scandalous! "Scandalous" (modified to "Scandalous!" for single release) is the eighth track on Prince's soundtrack album ''Batman'' and was released as the album's fourth single, five months after the album was released. The music is attributed to Prince and ...

". 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 ...

was "I Love U in Me", which was originally the B-side to "

The Arms of Orion "The Arms of Orion" is a 1989 song by Prince and Sheena Easton. It was the third single to be taken from Prince's 1989 ''Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by a ...

". "Insatiable" was only released in the US as a 7" single, a 12" promo was sent only to Urban radio stations, and the track was not released to Pop radio stations. It performed well on the R&B chart, reaching number 3, but did not break the top 40 on the US Pop chart. Its single sales were moderate, and it received heavy airplay on Urban and UAC radio stations, but it did not make the Hot 100 Airplay (the R&B airplay chart did not appear until spring 1992).

Critical reception

In an retrospective review, Patrick Corcoran of Albumism wrote that "Insatiable" is "the kind of rich, lush

has dropped since day one, dripping in desire and barely concealed lust." He stated that "showcasing the best

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

since

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

's, it serves as a reminder of Prince’s vocal dexterity and prowess". Upon the single release,

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 ...

'' remarked that "

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 ...

" "has just barely risen to the top of the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and Prince has already unleashed another jewel from his ''

'' set." He also felt that on the song, "racy lyrics are balanced by a slow'n'grinding R&B instrumental foundation and acrobatic vocals. Overall, a highly sensual listening experience." 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 ...

'' said it "sounds like

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...

meets

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

." David Fricke from ''

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 ...

'' viewed it as a "sumptuous ballad". Scott Poulson-Bryant from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' described it as "gliding retro-

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 ...

ry".

Music video

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 ...

was produced to promote the single, directed by Randee St. Nicholas. It was published on Prince's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel in September 2017, and had generated more than 2.1 million views as of January 2023.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Music videos directed by Randee St. Nicholas Paisley Park Records singles Pop ballads Prince (musician) songs Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Songs written by Prince (musician) Soul ballads Warner Records singles