Around the World in a Day
Around the World in a Day | ||||
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Studio album by Prince and the Revolution | ||||
Released | April 22, 1985 | |||
Recorded | February–December 1984 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 42:33 | |||
Warner Bros. | ||||
Producer | Prince | |||
Prince chronology | ||||
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Singles from Around the World in a Day | ||||
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Around the World in a Day
Around the World in a Day was released to mixed reception among crossover audiences after the success of Purple Rain, though it nonetheless sold relatively well and became Prince and the Revolution's second number-one album on the Billboard 200. Two of its four singles reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life". Following Prince's death, "Raspberry Beret" re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 as a top 40 hit, reaching number 33.[10] Around the World in a Day was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 2, 1985.
Background
Recording for Around the World in a Day was begun in sessions dating back before that of Purple Rain.[11] Following six months of touring behind that bestselling album, Prince returned to recording.[11] An initial inspiration for the album's sound came in the form of a demo, recorded by David Coleman, the brother of Revolution band member Lisa Coleman, which would ultimately become the title track.[11]
The album pursued a dense, psychedelic style that made use of unconventional instruments and cryptic lyrics.[11] Its sound and album cover painting by Doug Henders (artist) drew numerous comparisons to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.[4][9] Prince spoke in an interview about the album's sound and cover, denying inspiration from the Beatles:
"The influence wasn't the Beatles. They were great for what they did, but I don't know how that would hang today. The cover art came about because I thought people were tired of looking at me. Who wants another picture of him? I would only want so many pictures of my woman, then I would want the real thing. What would be a little more happening than just another picture would be if there was some way I could materialize in people's cribs when they play the record. I don't mind [the album being called psychedelic], because that was the only period in recent history that delivered songs and colors. Led Zeppelin, for example, would make you feel differently on each song."[12]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Blender | [14] |
Chicago Sun-Times | [15] |
Entertainment Weekly | C[16] |
The Guardian | [2] |
Mojo | [17] |
Pitchfork | 8.8/10[11] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [1] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 4/10[18] |
The Village Voice | B−[19] |
Despite the muted promotion and its less commercial sound, the album still had two American top 10 hits, and went
According to Prince, George Clinton was a fan of the album.[12]
Greg Tate of Spin wrote, "Perhaps it's inevitable, given a career built as much on calculated mindfucking as mindblowing music, that Prince would choose to follow the best album of his career with the most bewildering, if not the worst."[20]
In a positive retrospective review for Pitchfork, Alan Light described the album as "a brave and deeply personal project, exploring sounds and ideas that were almost shocking coming from a pop icon at his peak."[11] Simon Price wrote for The Guardian that the album "always sounds better than you think it will, when you revisit."[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Around the World in a Day" | Prince, John L. Nelson, David Coleman | 3:28 |
2. | "Paisley Park" | 4:42 | |
3. | "Condition of the Heart" | 6:48 | |
4. | "Raspberry Beret" | 3:33 | |
5. | "Tamborine" | 2:47 | |
Total length: | 21:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "America" | 3:42 | |
7. | "Pop Life" | 3:43 | |
8. | "The Ladder" | Prince, John L. Nelson | 5:29 |
9. | "Temptation" | 8:18 | |
Total length: | 19:12 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric and 12-string acoustic guitars, piano, Yamaha CP-80 electric grand piano, Yamaha DX7, Kurzweil K250, Ensoniq Mirage, Oberheim OB-8, Oberheim OB-Xa, Oberheim OB-SX, Oberheim OB-X, ARP Omni, bass guitar, drums, timpani/kettledrums, harmonica, police whistle, Linn LM-1, Simmons SDS-V, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, percussion
- David Coleman – cello (1, 4, 8), oud (1), finger cymbals (1), darbuka (1), backing vocals (1)
- Jonathan Melvoin – tambourine (1), backing vocals (1)
- Wendy Melvoin – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6–8), electric (6, 8) and acoustic guitars (1)
- Lisa Coleman – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 6–8), synthesizers (6, 8)
- Susannah Melvoin – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 8)
- Novi Novog – violin (2, 4)
- Bobby Z. – Simmons SDS-V (6, 8), Linn LM-1 (1, 8), backing vocals (1)
- Brown Mark – bass guitar (6, 8), backing vocals (8)
- Dr. Fink– synthesizers (6, 8), backing vocals (1)
- Brad Marsh – tambourine (6)
- Sheila E. – drums and Linn LM-1 (7)
- Eddie M. – saxophone (8, 9)
- Suzie Katayama – cello (4, 8)
- Sid Page – violin (7, 8)
- Marcy Dicterow-Vaj – violin (8) (as "Vaj")
- Denyse Buffum – viola (8)
- Laury Woods – viola (8)
- Tim Barr – stand-up bass (8)
- Annette Atkinson – stand-up bass (8)
- Taja Sevelle – backing vocals (8)
Production
- Prince – producer, arranger and engineer
- David Leonard – engineer (Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse and Capitol Records)
- Peggy McCreary – engineer (as "Peggy Mac", Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse and Sunset Sound)
- David Tickle – engineer (Mobile Audio)
- Susan Rogers – engineer (2)
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Laura LiPuma – design and assembly
- Doug Henders – cover painting
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Singles
- "Raspberry Beret" (#2 US, #4 US R&B, #25 UK)
- "Raspberry Beret"
- "She's Always in My Hair" (US)
- "Hello" (UK)
- "Paisley Park" (#18 UK) No US release
- "Paisley Park"
- "She's Always in My Hair"
- "Pop Life" (#7 US, #8 US R&B, #60 UK)
- "Pop Life"
- "Hello" (US)
- "Girl" (UK)
- "America" (#46 US, #35 US R&B) No UK release
- "America"
- "Girl"
Certifications
‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ)[38] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[40] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 4,300,000[41] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b c Price, Simon (April 22, 2016). "Prince: every album rated – and ranked". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (December 2, 2020). "The Number Ones: Prince & The Revolution's "Kiss". Stereogum. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
Prince had followed up Purple Rain with the psychedelic pop LP Around The World In A Day.
- ^ OCLC 1645522. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ISBN 9781598451405.
- ^ "Prince Biography". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ Hasted, Nick (April 22, 2016). "Prince: In appreciation of a virtuoso, enduring genius". The Independent. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Prince Official Discography: Around the World in a Day - Prince Studio Albums". Prince Discography Annotated. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Freeman, Kim (May 4, 1985). "Radio Is Mixed On Prince Album". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 18. New York. pp. 1, 72. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
- ^ "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Light, Alan (April 29, 2016). "Prince / The Revolution: Around the World in a Day". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ a b Karlen, Neal (September 12, 1985). "Prince Talks: The Silence Is Broken". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Around the World in a Day – Prince and the Revolution / Prince". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ Harris, Keith (June–July 2001). "Prince: Around the World in a Day". Blender. Vol. 1, no. 1. New York. Archived from the original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ Keller, Martin (April 4, 1993). "A Prince Discography". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ Browne, David; Sandow, Greg (September 21, 1990). "A decade of Prince albums". Entertainment Weekly. No. 32. New York. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (July 2016). "Pop Life". Mojo. No. 272. London. pp. 58–65.
- ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ Greg Tate (July 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 3. p. 30.
- ^ Prince and the Revolution (February 13, 2023). "Around The World In A Day". Prince Vault.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". Austrian Album Charts (in German). Hung Medien.
- ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 42, No. 15, June 22 1985".
- ^ a b "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Prince". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 204.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". charts.nz. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien.
- ^ "UK Albums Chart - April 28, 1985". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Billboard 200 - June 1, 1985". Billboard.
- ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - June 15, 1985". Billboard.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Prince & the Revolution – Around the World in a Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
- Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- ^ "1985: The Year in Music & Video – Top Pop Albums". Billboard. December 28, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ "1985: The Year in Music & Video – Top Black Albums". Billboard. December 28, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Prince – Around the World in a Day". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "British album certifications – Prince – Around the World in a Day". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Prince – Around the World in a Day". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Souza Filho, Otávio (December 20, 1992). "Prince: muito discos, poucas vendas". O Dia: 7. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
External links
- Around The World In A Day at Discogs
- Around The World In A Day at Prince Vault