''Prince'' is the second 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 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 ...

. It was released on October 19, 1979 by

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 ...

. The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. Overall, ''Prince'' was regarded as more diverse than '' For You'' (1978), and performed better critically and commercially. Reviewing in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it". ''Prince'' peaked at 22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number three on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart. The album contained three ''Billboard'' Hot Black Singles hits: "

Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" is the US follow-up single to Prince's first big hit, "I Wanna Be Your Lover". It is also Prince's first rock and roll-inspired single release. It did not make the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, although i ...

", "

Sexy Dancer "Sexy Dancer" was the follow-up single to Prince's self-titled second album in the UK. It was the first Prince single released outside the United States that was not released as a single stateside. The disco number has few lyrics but is not short ...

" and "

I Wanna Be Your Lover "I Wanna Be Your Lover" is a song by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 24, 1979, as the lead single from his second album, ''Prince''. The song was Prince's first major hit single in the United States, reaching number 11 ...

". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was Prince's first hit single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number eleven while also topping the ''Billboard'' Hot Black Singles. ''Prince'' was certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

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) four months after its release.

Background

The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. On the album credits, Prince thanks his bassist

André Cymone André Cymone (born Andre Simon Anderson; June 27, 1958) is an American bassist, songwriter and record producer. Cymone was a bass guitarist for Prince's touring band, pre-Revolution. Cymone began a solo career in 1981. His song, "The Dance El ...

and drummer

Bobby Z. Robert B. Rivkin (born January 9, 1956), better known by the stage name Bobby Z., is an American musician and record producer, most known as being the original drummer for Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1978 to 1986. Life and ca ...

as "heaven-sent helpers". Prince recorded the album in just a few weeks after Warner Bros. asked for a follow-up to his 1978 debut, '' For You''. Prince had used twice his initial recording advance on the album, and it had failed to generate a pop hit (although "

Soft and Wet "Soft and Wet" is a song performed by American musician Prince. It was his first solo single, released on June 7, 1978, his 20th birthday, from his debut album, '' For You''. The track contains drums, bass guitar and synthesizers. The lyrics wer ...

" became a No. 12 R&B hit). Displeased at his lack of success, Prince quickly recorded the follow-up.

2019

On October 19, 2019, Prince's estate released an acoustic demo version of " I Feel For You" as a single to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ''Prince'' album release.

Critical reception

Overall, the album was much more diverse and well-received than ''For You'', critically and commercially, selling three million copies. It is notable for containing standard R&B ballads performed by Prince, before he would go on to establish himself with sexual romps on later albums. The album was certified platinum and contained three R&B/dance hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover." "I Wanna Be Your Lover" sold over one million copies and received a gold disc, rushing to No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (becoming Prince's first hit single) and topped the R&B charts. In addition, it peaked at No. 41 in the United Kingdom (his first entry in the country) and reached number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Dance/Disco Singles chart. Prince performed both "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' on 26 January 1980. Overall, the success of this album geared Prince towards his next album, ''

Dirty Mind ''Dirty Mind'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on October 8, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records and produced entirely by Prince at his home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota e ...

'', which would be called a complete departure from his earlier sound. Reviewing in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981),

wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it—he's got a great line. 'I want to come inside you' is good enough, but (in a different song) the simple 'I'm physically attracted to you' sets new standards of 'naive,' winning candor. The vulnerable teen-macho falsetto idea is pretty good too. But he does leave something to be desired in the depth-of-feeling department—you know, soul."

Track listing

Singles

* "

" b/w "My Love is Forever" (US number 11, US R&B number 1, US Dance number 2, UK number 41) * "

" b/w "Baby" (US R&B number 13) * "

Still Waiting Still Waiting may refer to: * "Still Waiting" (Prince song) * "Still Waiting" (Sum 41 song) * "Still Waiting", a Tom Chaplin song from '' The Wave'' * "Still Waiting" (Uncanny X-Men song) * '' Still Waiting...'', a 2009 sequel to the film ''Wait ...

" b/w "Bambi" (US R&B number 65) * "

" b/w "Bambi"/"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" (''UK and Japan Only'' US Dance number 2)

Personnel

Information taken from the Prince Vault website. *

– lead vocals, backing vocals, all instrumentation, producer, arranger, remixer *

– backing vocals on "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" (uncredited) ;Technical * Gary Brandt – engineer * Mark Ettel – assistant engineer * Bob Mockler – remixer *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

– mastering (A&M) * Lynn Barron – album design (RIA Images) * George Chacon – album design (RIA Images) * Jurgen Reisch – photography (front cover) * Chris Callis – photography (back cover) * Terry Taylor – calligraphy

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

*
Prince
' 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 ...

{{Authority control 1979 albums Prince (musician) albums Albums produced by Prince (musician) Warner Records albums Albums recorded in a home studio