1999 (Prince album)
1999 | ||||
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Studio album by Prince and the Revolution | ||||
Released | October 27, 1982 | |||
Recorded | January–August 1982 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 70:29 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Prince | |||
Prince chronology | ||||
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Singles from 1999 | ||||
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1999 is the fifth studio
1999 was Prince's first top 10 album on the
1999 received widespread acclaim from critics, and was seen as Prince's breakthrough album. On March 24, 1999, 1999 was certified
1999 has been ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time by several publications and organizations.
Composition
The album's opening title track, "1999", was also its first single and initially peaked at No. 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[14][15] It was subsequently re-released following the huge success of its follow-up single and 1999's second track, "Little Red Corvette", which peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (like other Prince songs, it again charted after his death, reaching No. 3).[16] Lisa Coleman - who sang on the album - recalled how Prince came up with "Little Red Corvette" after sleeping in her pink Mercury Montclair Maurauder.[17] Shortly after being reissued, "1999" hit No. 12, and subsequently became one of Prince's most recognizable compositions.[18] Its composition, and inclusion in the album, may have been originally prompted by a suggestion from the record company.[19]
The music videos for both "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" were significant as two of the first videos by a black artist to receive heavy rotation on the newly launched music video channel, MTV, after heated controversy over its failure to promote black performers.[20][21][22] The two tracks were later combined as a double A-side single in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 2. A subsequent single from the album and its third chronological track, the rockabilly-influenced "Delirious", still managed top ten status in the United States at No. 8, but a fourth, the double-sided single "Let's Pretend We're Married"/"Irresistible Bitch", got no further than No. 52.[23]
While "Little Red Corvette" helped Prince cross over to the wider rock audience,[24] the rest of 1999 retains the funk elements featured in previous albums and is dominated by the use of synthesizers and drum machines. The album is, however, notable within Prince's catalogue for its wide variety of themes in addition to the sexual imagery which had already become something of a trademark on his previous work.[25] "Automatic", extending to almost ten minutes, starts side three of the album with a prominent synthesizer melody and bondage-inspired lyrical imagery which, transplanted to the music video for the track (with a scene that depicted Prince being tied up and whipped by band-members Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones), had been deemed too sexual for MTV in 1983.[26]
"Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)", an ode to a harsh lover, is the centerpiece of a preoccupation with
Artwork
The album's cover features elements from the front cover of Prince's previous album, Controversy; namely the eyes and the "Rude Boy" pin in the "1999", the jacket studs in the "R" and the smile in the "P". The "I" in "Prince" contains the words "and the Revolution" written backwards (as "dna eht noituloveR"), both acknowledging his backing band and foreshadowing the next four years of his career.
Release
1999 was released on October 27, 1982, by
Remastered, Deluxe and Super Deluxe re-issues
The album was released as a Remastered, Deluxe and Super Deluxe edition on November 29, 2019. The most elaborate re-issue contains five CDs featuring previously-unreleased tracks, and a live DVD, with a total running time of 5 hours & 53 minutes.[31] It reached the top 20 of the charts in Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary.
Critical reception and legacy
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 100/100 (2019 edition)[32] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [33] |
Chicago Sun-Times | [34] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[35] |
The Guardian | [36] |
Pitchfork | 10/10[37] |
Rolling Stone | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [38] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10[39] |
The Village Voice | A−[3] |
1999 was well received by contemporary critics. Reviewing for Rolling Stone in December 1982, Michael Hill praised Prince for "working like a colorblind technician who's studied both Devo and Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, keeping the [1999's] songs constantly kinetic with an inventive series of shocks and surprises."[40] The Village Voice reviewer Robert Christgau was more reserved in his praise. While conceding that, "like every black pop auteur, Prince commands his own personal groove ... stretching his flat funk forcebeat onto two discs worth of deeply useful dance tracks", he also believed that the musician's only reliable subject remains race, leaving the critic with doubts about the messages behind the sex and apocalyptic songs.[3]
Retrospective appraisals have been even more favorable. According to
1999 has appeared on professional listings of the greatest albums. In 1989, Rolling Stone ranked 1999 16th on its list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.[11] In 2003, VH1 placed 1999 number 48 in its list of the 100 Greatest Albums.[44] The album was also part of Slant Magazine's list The 50 Most Essential Pop Albums[45] and the magazine listed the album at number 8 on its list of Best Albums of the 1980s.[46] In 2003, the album was ranked number 163 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It maintained the rating in a 2012 revised list,[47] and was re-ranked number 130 in 2020.[48] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[49] The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.[13]
Track listing
Original album
All tracks are written by Prince
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "1999" | 6:15 |
2. | "Little Red Corvette" | 5:03 |
3. | "Delirious" | 4:00 |
Total length: | 15:18 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
4. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" | 7:21 |
5. | "D.M.S.R." | 8:17 |
Total length: | 15:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
6. | "Automatic" | 9:28 |
7. | "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" | 4:02 |
8. | "Free" | 5:08 |
Total length: | 18:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
9. | "Lady Cab Driver" | 8:19 |
10. | "All the Critics Love U in New York" | 5:59 |
11. | "International Lover" | 6:37 |
Total length: | 20:55 |
Alternate formats
- Originally released on vinyl as a double LP (the first of a number of double sets from Prince), 1999 was cut to a single vinyl edition in some countries, omitting "D.M.S.R.", "Automatic", "All the Critics Love U in New York" and "International Lover"; this single LP was reissued as part of Record Store Day 2018.[51]
All tracks are written by Prince
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "1999" | 6:15 |
2. | "Little Red Corvette" | 5:03 |
3. | "Delirious" | 4:00 |
4. | "Free" | 5:08 |
Total length: | 20:26 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
5. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" | 7:21 |
6. | "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" | 4:02 |
7. | "Lady Cab Driver" | 8:19 |
Total length: | 19:42 |
Some countries in 1983, such as Brazil and Kenya, opted to issue the release as two separate vinyl albums, 1999 I and 1999 II.[52]
- The original compact discversion of the album was also cut, omitting "D.M.S.R." There is a notice on the back cover of the original compact disc pressing that reads "To enable the release of 1999 as a single compact disc, the song 'D.M.S.R.' has been omitted from the original LP edition." Later compact disc pressings (from a 1990 reissue onward) included the track.
- On the cassetterelease, "Free" was placed after "D.M.S.R." to end the first side, balancing out the lengths of both sides of the cassette.
Remastered, deluxe and super deluxe editions
The Remastered edition contains a remaster of the original album. The Deluxe edition contains the remaster and a bonus disc with all the single, maxi-single and promo mixes as well as the B-sides. The Super Deluxe edition contains four more discs: Two of them contain 24 previously unissued studio tracks, the third contains a complete live audio performance of the 1999 Tour recorded at the late show (the second of two that day) in Detroit, Michigan, on November 30, 1982, and a DVD with another complete, previously unreleased concert from the 1999 Tour, recorded in multi-cam live at the Houston Summit on December 29, 1982. The albums were also issued on vinyl in a 2 LP, 4 LP and 10 LP + DVD set.[53] The Super Deluxe edition and the Deluxe edition are both completely out of print physically.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "1999" | 6:14 |
2. | "Little Red Corvette" | 5:04 |
3. | "Delirious" | 4:00 |
4. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" | 7:20 |
5. | "D.M.S.R." | 8:18 |
6. | "Automatic" | 9:26 |
7. | "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" | 4:02 |
8. | "Free" | 5:07 |
9. | "Lady Cab Driver" | 8:17 |
10. | "All the Critics Love U in New York" | 5:58 |
11. | "International Lover" | 6:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "1999" (7" Stereo Edit) | 3:37 |
2. | "1999" (7" Mono Promo-Only Edit) | 3:35 |
3. | "Free" (Promo-Only Edit) | 4:36 |
4. | "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" ("1999" B-Side) | 3:55 |
5. | "Little Red Corvette" (7" Edit) | 3:08 |
6. | "All The Critics Love U In New York" (7" Edit) | 3:16 |
7. | "Lady Cab Driver" (7" Edit) | 5:06 |
8. | "Little Red Corvette" (Dance Remix Promo-Only Edit) | 4:34 |
9. | "Little Red Corvette" (Special Dance Mix) | 8:31 |
10. | "Delirious" (7" Edit) | 2:39 |
11. | "Horny Toad" ("Delirious" B-Side) | 2:13 |
12. | "Automatic" (7" Edit) | 3:40 |
13. | "Automatic" (Video Version) | 8:21 |
14. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" (7" Edit) | 3:45 |
15. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" (7" Mono Promo-Only Edit) | 3:44 |
16. | "Irresistible Bitch" ("Let's Pretend We're Married" B-Side) | 4:14 |
17. | "Let's Pretend We're Married" (Video Version) | 4:03 |
18. | "D.M.S.R." (Edit) | 5:06 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Feel U Up" | 6:42 |
2. | "Irresistible Bitch" | 4:39 |
3. | "Money Don't Grow on Trees" | 4:19 |
4. | "Vagina" | 3:28 |
5. | "Rearrange" | 6:11 |
6. | "Bold Generation" | 5:54 |
7. | "Colleen" | 5:30 |
8. | "International Lover" (Take 1, Live in Studio) | 7:20 |
9. | "Turn It Up" | 5:23 |
10. | "You're All I Want" | 3:00 |
11. | "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)" (Original Version) | 4:00 |
12. | "If It'll Make U Happy" | 4:12 |
13. | "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" (Take 2, Live in Studio) | 6:11 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Possessed" (1982 version) | 8:47 |
2. | "Delirious" (Full-Length) | 6:00 |
3. | "Purple Music" | 10:58 |
4. | "Yah, You Know" | 3:11 |
5. | " 4Ever ) | 4:23 |
6. | "No Call U" | 4:30 |
7. | "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got" | 2:40 |
8. | "Do Yourself a Favor" (written by Pepé Willie and Jesse Johnson) | 9:01 |
9. | "Don't Let Him Fool Ya" | 4:35 |
10. | "Teacher, Teacher" | 3:37 |
11. | "Lady Cab Driver / I Wanna Be Your Lover / Head / Little Red Corvette" (Tour Demo) | 7:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Controversy" | 5:41 |
2. | "Let's Work" | 5:27 |
3. | "Little Red Corvette" | 4:18 |
4. | "Do Me, Baby" | 7:18 |
5. | "Head" | 4:13 |
6. | "Uptown" | 2:55 |
7. | "Interlude" | 2:15 |
8. | "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" | 7:03 |
9. | "Automatic" | 7:02 |
10. | "International Lover" | 8:41 |
11. | "1999" | 10:25 |
12. | "D.M.S.R." | 8:03 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Controversy" | 5:01 |
2. | "Let's Work" | 5:24 |
3. | "Do Me, Baby" | 6:21 |
4. | "D.M.S.R." | 4:28 |
5. | "Interlude" | 3:35 |
6. | "Piano Improvisation" (Contains Elements of "With You") | 1:38 |
7. | "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" | 8:18 |
8. | "Lady Cab Driver" | 3:30 |
9. | "Automatic" | 5:47 |
10. | "International Lover" | 9:52 |
11. | "1999" | 8:09 |
12. | "Head" (Contains Elements of "Sexuality") | 5:54 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric guitars, ARP Omni-2, Oberheim OB-X, Oberheim OB-Xa, Oberheim OB-SX, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, piano, bass guitar, Linn LM-1, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, drums, handclaps, fingersnaps
- Lisa Coleman – co-lead vocals (1), backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 6, 8), handclaps (5)
- Dez Dickerson – co-lead vocals (1), electric guitar solos (2), backing vocals (2, 5), handclaps (5)
- Jill Jones – co-lead vocals (1), backing vocals (6, 8, 9)
- Jesse Johnson – backing vocals (1) (uncredited)
- Bobby Z. – Pearl SY-1 Syncussion (1, 5), cymbals (5) (uncredited)
- Brown Mark – backing vocals and handclaps (5)
- Jamie Shoop – backing vocals and handclaps (5)
- Carol McGovney – backing vocals and handclaps (5)
- Peggy McCreary – backing vocals and handclaps (5)
- Poochie – backing vocals and handclaps (5)
- The Count – backing vocals and handclaps (5)
- Vanity – backing vocals (8)
- Wendy Melvoin – backing vocals (8)
- Morris Day – possible drums (11)
Production
- Prince – producer and arranger
- Peggy McCreary – engineer
- Don Batts – assistant engineer
- Bernie Grundman – mastering (A&M Records)
While not performance credited for the studio recordings, band members Doctor Fink (keyboards), Bobby Z. (drums) and Brown Mark (bass) do appear in the music videos.
Singles
- "1999" (No. 12 US, No. 4 US R&B, No. 25 UK)
- "1999"
- "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"
- "Little Red Corvette" (No. 6 US, No. 15 US R&B, No. 54 UK)
- "Little Red Corvette"
- "All the Critics Love U in New York"
- "Delirious" (No. 8 US, No. 18 US R&B)
- "Delirious"
- "Horny Toad"
- "Automatic" (AUS)
- "Automatic"
- "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)"
- "Let's Pretend We're Married" (No. 52 US, No. 55 US R&B)
- "Let's Pretend We're Married"
- "Irresistible Bitch"
Charts
Weekly chartsOriginal version
2019 reissue
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[78] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[79] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[80] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[81] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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