Around the World in a Day

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Around the World in a Day
File:Prince Around.jpg
Studio album by Prince and The Revolution
Released April 22, 1985
Recorded January–December 1984
Studio Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse
(Eden Prairie, Minnesota)
Sunset Sound
(Hollywood, California)
Mobile Audio Studio
(outside St. Paul Civic Center Arena, St. Paul, Minnesota and Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, for "The Ladder")
Capitol Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length 42:33
Label Paisley Park, Warner Bros.
25286
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
Purple Rain
(1984)Purple Rain1984		 Around the World in a Day
(1985)		 Parade
(1986)Parade1986
Singles from Around the World in a Day
  1. "Raspberry Beret"
    Released: May 15, 1985
  2. "Paisley Park"
    Released: May 24, 1985 (UK only)
  3. "Pop Life"
    Released: July 10, 1985
  4. "America"
    Released: October 2, 1985

Around the World in a Day is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince and The Revolution. It was released on April 22, 1985 by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. In compliance with Prince's wishes, the record company released the album with minimal publicity, not even releasing an accompanying single until almost a full month after the album's release. Prince made the request because he preferred the public to first experience the record in its entirety rather than through any particular song.[4]

Background

The album overall was an important step in Prince's musical evolution, incorporating new instruments and musical styles. This, taken together with the psychedelic vibe that pervades much of the record, drew numerous comparisons to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album.[2][4] In an interview, Prince once spoke on the album's cover art, psychedelic vibe, and the Sgt. Pepper comparison:

"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."[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3.5/5 stars[6]
Blender 2/5 stars[7]
Robert Christgau B–[8]
Entertainment Weekly C[9]
The New York Times favorable[2]
Q 3/5 stars[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 2.5/5 stars[3]
Spin (4/10)[11]
Stylus Magazine favorable[1]
Yahoo! Music unfavorable[12]

Despite the low-key promotion and the material on the album being overall not as radio-friendly as Purple Rain, it still had two American top 10 hits, and went double platinum.

"I talked to George Clinton, a man who knows and has done so much for funk," Prince told Rolling Stone. "George told me how much he liked Around the World in a Day. You know how much more his words mean than those from some mamma-jamma wearing glasses and an alligator shirt behind a typewriter? . . . I've heard some people say I'm not talking about anything on this record. And what a lot of other people get wrong about the record is that I'm not trying to be this great visionary wizard. Paisley Park is in everybody's heart. It's not just something that I have the keys to. I was trying to say something about looking inside oneself to find perfection. Perfection is in everyone. Nobody's perfect, but they can be. We may never reach that, but it's better to strive than not."[13]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Prince except where indicated. 

Side one
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
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. "America"   Prince and The Revolution 3:42
7. "Pop Life"     3:43
8. "The Ladder"   Prince, John L. Nelson 5:29
9. "Temptation"     8:18

Personnel

[14]

  • Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted
  • David Coleman - cello, oud, fingercymbals, darbuka and background vocals on Around The World In A Day, cello on Raspberry Beret and The Ladder (interlude)
  • Jonathan Melvoin - tambourine and background vocals on Around The World In A Day, Pop Life
  • Wendy Melvoin - background vocals on Around The World In A Day, Paisley Park, Raspberry Beret, guitars and background vocals on America, Pop Life, The Ladder
  • Lisa Coleman - background vocals on Around The World In A Day, Paisley Park, Raspberry Beret, keyboards and background vocals on America, Pop Life, The Ladder
  • Susannah Melvoin - background vocals on Around The World In A Day, Raspberry Beret and The Ladder
  • Novi Novog - violin on Paisley Park and Raspberry Beret
  • Bobby Z. - drums and percussion on America, Pop Life, The Ladder
  • Brown Mark - bass guitar and background vocals on America, Pop Life, The Ladder
  • Dr. Fink - keyboards on America, Pop Life, The Ladder
  • Brad Marsh - tambourine on America
  • Sheila E. - drums on Pop Life
  • Eddie M. - saxophone on The Ladder and Temptation
  • Suzie Katayama - cello on Raspberry Beret and The Ladder (interlude)
  • Sid Page - violin on The Ladder (interlude)
  • Marcy Dicterow-Vaj - violin on The Ladder (interlude) (as "Vaj")
  • Denyse Buffum - viola on The Ladder (interlude)
  • Laury Woods - viola on The Ladder (interlude)
  • Tim Barr - stand-up bass on The Ladder (interlude)
  • Annette Atkinson - stand-up bass on The Ladder (interlude)
  • Taja Sevelle - background vocals on The Ladder (as "Taj")

Charts

Chart (1985) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 1
US Billboard R&B Albums 4
UK Albums Chart 5

Singles and Hot 100 chart placings

  1. "Raspberry Beret"
  2. "She's Always in My Hair" (US)
  3. "Hello" (UK)
  1. "Paisley Park"
  2. "She's Always in My Hair"
  1. "Pop Life"
  2. "Hello" (US)
  3. "Girl" (UK)
  • "America" (#46 US, #35 US R&B) No UK release
  1. "America"
  2. "Girl"

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ http://princetext.tripod.com/i_stone85.html
  6. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince & the Revolution: Around the World in a Day > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Blender review[dead link]
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ rollingstone.com/music/news/prince-talks-the-silence-is-broken-19850912
  14. ↑ http://www.princevault.com/index.php/Album:_Around_The_World_In_A_Day

External links

Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
June 1–21, 1985		 Succeeded by
Beverly Hills Cop (soundtrack) by Various artists
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