Party Like It's 1999

"1999" is a song by American musician Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. Originally peaking at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, a mid-1983 re-release later reached number 12 in the US, while a January 1985 rerelease, a double A-side with "Little Red Corvette", later peaked at number 2 in the UK.

''Rolling Stone'' ranked "1999" number 339 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Following Prince's death, the song re-charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 41, later moving up to number 27, making it the fourth separate time the song had entered the Hot 100 and the third different decade in which the song re-charted (as after its two 1980s entries, it made the chart again on January 16, 1999 at number 40). As of April 30, 2016, it has sold 727,363 copies in the United States.

Background

The inspiration for the song came from a TV documentary Prince watched about Nostradamus. In the film, he predicted that a terror would fall upon the world in 1999. The next day at rehearsals, Prince discussed the documentary with his bandmates, where they imagined a huge party would be thrown knowing this terror was about to happen. As Lisa Coleman said, Prince came to the studio the next day, passing out song lyrics to the band, the song already fully written.

Recording

The album version of the song starts with a slowed-down voice stating "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I only want you to have some fun." Prince shares lead vocals on the track with members of his band the Revolution, namely Dez Dickerson, Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones. Originally conceived to be a three-part harmony, it was later decided to separate out the voices that started each verse. Distinct scratching and explosion noises heard in the track were to cover mistakes during recording of a good take.

Reception

''Billboard'' said that "the Apocalypse never sounded this danceable before."

Some music critics have suggested Phil Collins' 1985 song "Sussudio" sounds very similar to "1999". Collins confirmed this claim, and remembers listening to "1999" frequently while he was on tour with Genesis.

Re-release

In January 1985, "1999" was released as a 12" single in the US with "Little Red Corvette" as the B-side, and "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"/"D.M.S.R." in the UK. The single peaked at number 2 in its second week of release.

The song was re-recorded at the end of 1998 and was released the following year as " 1999 (The New Master)".

"1999" was re-released in the UK and the US in late 1998 to accompany the song's namesake year. It was released on 12" vinyl with the same track listing as the original 12" single: the album version, along with "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" and "D.M.S.R." A CD single was also issued with the same track listing, except the edit of "1999" was substituted for the album version. It was also re-released again towards the end of its namesake year. The original version re-charted within the top 40 of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December 1998, becoming Prince's last top 40 hit before his death in 2016.

Music video

The video, directed by Bruce Gowers, was shot during the last week of rehearsals for the 1999 Tour. It depicts Prince and his band during a live performance. Just in time to take his part after Lisa Coleman, Jill Jones and Dez Dickerson, Prince appears on the stage from above, gliding down on a fireman's pole, wearing a glittery purple long coat.

Something went wrong with shooting Dez's lead vocal line and the footage was actually re-shot by a local camera crew the afternoon prior to the first show of the 1999 Tour in Chattanooga on November 11, 1982.

MTV added the video to its rotation on December 16, 1982, at a time when African-American artists struggled to get airplay on the channel. The exposure gave instant credibility to Prince, and is credited with helping the album reach gold status the following month.

VH1 notably played this video continuously from midnight Eastern Time on December 31, 1998, to the next midnight on January 1, 1999.

Track listing

* 7"
# "1999"
# " How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"

* 12" UK
# "1999"
# "D.M.S.R."

* 12" West Germany
# "1999"
# "Let's Pretend We're Married"

* CD – 1998 re-release
# "1999"
# "Uptown"
# "Controversy"
# "Dirty Mind"
# "Sexuality"

* 12" – 1985 re-release
# "1999"
# "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"
# "D.M.S.R."

Personnel

Credits from Guitarcloud and Benoît Clerc
* Prince – lead vocals, ARP Omni-2, Oberheim OB-Xa, electric guitars, bass guitar, Linn LM-1, cymbals, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, tambourine, handclaps, cowbell
* Lisa Coleman – lead vocals
* Dez Dickerson – lead vocals
* Jill Jones – lead vocals
* Jesse Johnson – backing vocals (uncredited)
* Bobby Z. – Pearl SY-1 Syncussion (uncredited)

Charts

First release (1982)

US re-release (1983)

UK re-release (1985)

Worldwide re-release (1998/1999)

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

See also

*List of anti-war songs
* List of number-one dance singles of 1982 (U.S.)

Notes

References

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External links

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1982 songs
1982 singles
1999 singles
Prince (musician) songs
Apocalyptic music
Anti-war songs
Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers
Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)
Songs about dancing
Songs about nuclear war and weapons
Songs written by Prince (musician)
Warner Records singles