Love Symbol | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 13, 1992 | |||
Recorded | September 11, 1990; December 1990; May 12, 1991; September 18, 1991 – March 1992; July 1992[ citation needed ] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 75:00 | |||
Label | Paisley Park, Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Prince and the New Power Generation | |||
Prince chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Love Symbol | ||||
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Love Symbol is the fourteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, [2] and the second of two that featured his backing band the New Power Generation. It was released on October 13,1992,by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. [3] It was originally conceived as a "fantasy rock soap opera" with various spoken segues throughout,and contains elements of R&B,funk,pop,rock,and soul. [4]
The official title of the album is an unpronounceable symbol depicted on its cover art,which Prince copyrighted under the title "Love Symbol #2",and adopted as his stage name from 1993 to 2000 to protest his treatment by Warner Bros. Records (which had refused to steadily release his back catalog of unreleased music,and trademarked his given name for promotional purposes). [5] [6] The release has been referred to under titles such as Love Symbol,Symbol Album,or Symbol. [2]
Its first two singles,"Sexy MF" and "My Name Is Prince",achieved modest success on the US pop chart,though both made the top ten in the United Kingdom. Conversely,the third single,"7",was not as successful in the United Kingdom,but was a top ten hit in the United States.
An early configuration of the album contained as many as eight segues,as well as an introduction setting the scene of Prince's self-proclaimed "rock opera". These helped to provide a narrative thread to the songs which when taken together explained the album's conceptual storyline:An Egyptian Princess (played by MaytéGarcia,in her debut on a Prince album) falls in love with a rock star (Prince) and entrusts him with a sacred religious artefact known as the Three Chains of Turin (colloquially referred to by Prince as the 3 Chains o' Gold) after escaping from seven assassins who had murdered her Father in cold blood in an attempt to obtain the priceless relic,as referenced in "7".
In a last-minute attempt to add an additional song:"I Wanna Melt with U",which contains several sampled elements also present in "7" (and which was originally considered as a non-album B-side for the "7" maxi single),Prince had to cut many of the segues in order for its inclusion and to fit within album length constraints. The few that remain are somewhat confusing without the connective tissue these excised segues had helped provide. The unreleased segues have long been available amongst fans in the years since,and it is likely that any future Super Deluxe Edition release of the album by the Paisley Park Estate will see them reinstated. [7]
On the released album,the segues featuring Kirstie Alley as reporter Vanessa Bartholomew are mostly kept intact. In these,she scrambles to salvage some sense of an interview with the elusive rock star (Prince) but fails at the first hurdle when he promptly hangs-up after she informs him he is being recorded. In a later segue,Prince toys with Vanessa and her line of increasingly intrusive questioning by being purposefully vague and responding with nonsensical answers for his own amusement. A few lines in which Vanessa enquires about the Three Chains of Turin was edited from the final sequence provided for mastering and release.
3 Chains o' Gold ,(a direct-to-video promotional film produced and directed by Prince),was eventually released in the Fall of 1994 even though filming for the project had been ongoing since 1991 and was completed in time with the intention of being a lavish visual companion piece to tie-in with its album counterpart upon release. Despite Prince’s protestations (after financing much of the project himself),Warner Bros Records nonetheless held it back. The film follows the sequence and narrative structure of the Love Symbol Album also containing a number of the excised segues originally intended for the album.
MaytéGarcia became Prince's wife on Valentine’s Day 1996 in a private ceremony held in Prince’s local childhood Church amongst a small gathering of family and friends. An informal Wedding party was thrown at Paisley Park Studios for the besotted newly-wed couple afterwards.
Warner Bros. Records pushed for "7" to be released as the album's first single. However,Prince pushed for "My Name Is Prince" to serve as lead single,as he felt that its hip-hop sound would appeal better to listeners that had enjoyed his previous album Diamonds and Pearls. [8] "Sexy MF" would ultimately serve as the album's lead single. [9]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Chicago Tribune | [10] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− [11] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [12] |
The Guardian | [13] |
Los Angeles Times | [14] |
Q | [15] |
Rolling Stone | [15] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10 [17] |
The Love Symbol Album was voted the 14th best record of 1992 in the Pazz &Jop,an annual poll of American critics nationwide,published by The Village Voice . [18] Robert Christgau,the poll's creator,later wrote of the album:"Designed to prove his utter inexhaustibility in the wake of Diamonds and Pearls,by some stroke of commerce his best-selling album since Purple Rain ,this absurdly designated 'rock soap opera' (is he serious? is he ever? is he ever not?) proves mainly that he's got the funk." [11]
All tracks written by Prince,except where noted;all tracks arranged and produced by Prince and The New Power Generation.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "My Name Is Prince" (Prince, Tony M.) | 6:36 |
2. | "Sexy MF" (Prince, Tony M., Levi Seacer, Jr.) | 5:25 |
3. | "Love 2 the 9's" | 5:45 |
4. | "The Morning Papers" | 3:57 |
5. | "The Max" | 4:30 |
6. | "Segue" | 0:21 |
7. | "Blue Light" | 4:38 |
8. | "I Wanna Melt with U" | 3:50 |
9. | "Sweet Baby" | 4:01 |
10. | "The Continental" | 5:31 |
11. | "Damn U" | 4:25 |
12. | "Arrogance" | 1:35 |
13. | "The Flow" (Prince, Tony M.) | 2:26 |
14. | "7" (Prince, Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin) | 5:13 |
15. | "And God Created Woman" | 3:18 |
16. | "3 Chains o' Gold" | 6:03 |
17. | "Segue" | 1:30 |
18. | "The Sacrifice of Victor" | 5:41 |
Every use of the pronoun "I" throughout the song titles and liner notes is represented by a stylized "👁" symbol. Prince fans commonly transliterate this symbol as "Eye".
Several editions of this album were released. Early pressings of the album featured an embossed gold love symbol on the jewel case, sometimes matte, sometimes glossy. Later editions feature it printed on the booklet or not present at all. A Special Limited Edition Gold Box CD was released with a purple love symbol engraved in the golden box. One boxed set came with a bonus "Sexy MF" CD single, another with a specially created CD single of "My Name Is Prince" mixes.
Below is the early version of the album with all the original segues. "The Sacrifice of Victor" is slightly longer on the early configuration.
Prince and The New Power Generation
Additional personnel
Chart (1992) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] | 1 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [20] | 1 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] | 6 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [22] | 8 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] | 5 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [24] | 4 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [25] | 10 |
Spanish Albums (AFYVE) [26] | 5 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [27] | 10 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] | 4 |
UK Albums (OCC) [29] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [30] | 5 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [31] | 8 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [32] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [33] | Gold | 25,000* |
France | — | 200,000 [34] |
Japan (RIAJ) [35] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [36] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [37] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [38] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [39] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Lovesexy is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. The album was released on May 10, 1988, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album was recorded in just seven weeks, from mid-December 1987 to late January 1988, at Prince's new Paisley Park Studios, after the cancellation of the infamous Black Album and most of the album is a solo effort from Prince, with a few exceptions. The lyrical themes of the record include positivity, self-improvement, spirituality, and God.
Emancipation is the nineteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on November 19, 1996, by NPG Records and EMI Records as a triple album. The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with Warner Bros. Records after 18 years, with which he had a contentious relationship. The album was Prince's third to be released that year, which made 1996 one of the most prolific years for material released by Prince.
Batman is the eleventh studio album by American recording artist Prince and the soundtrack album to the 1989 film Batman. It was released on June 20, 1989, by Warner Bros. Records. As a Warner Bros. stablemate, Prince's involvement in the soundtrack was designed to leverage the media company's contract-bound talent as well as fulfill the artist's need for a commercial revival. The result was yet another multi-platinum successful cross media enterprise by Warner Bros., in the vein of Purple Rain.
Diamonds and Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album produced several hit singles, including "Gett Off", "Cream", "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", "Insatiable", and the title track. Dancers Lori Werner and Robia LaMorte, known as "Diamond" and "Pearl" respectively, appeared on the holographic cover. Diamond and Pearl also appeared in the music videos for "Cream", "Strollin'", "Gett Off", and the title track, and also participated in Prince's Diamonds and Pearls Tour.
Come is the fifteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 16, 1994, by Warner Bros. Records. At the time of its release, Prince was in a public dispute with Warner Bros. A lack of promotion from the label and Prince himself resulted in Come under-performing on American record charts, stalling at No. 15, and becoming his first album since Controversy (1981) to not yield any top 10 singles in the US. However, it was more successful overseas, reaching the top 10 across Europe and topping the UK Albums Chart.
Graffiti Bridge is the twelfth studio album by American recording artist Prince and is the soundtrack album to the 1990 film of the same name. It was released on August 20, 1990, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records.
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by American recording artist Prince, who was at the time going by the unpronounceable "Love Symbol". Released on November 9, 1999, by NPG Records and Arista Records, the album was issued shortly after the release of The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999). It includes several guest appearances, including by Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Sheryl Crow; Prince also completed a cover of Crow's 1996 single "Everyday Is a Winding Road". A pop and R&B album, it departs from the soul genre found on Prince's previous efforts.
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was credited to his stage name at the time, an unpronounceable symbol, also known as the "Love Symbol".
The Hits/The B-Sides is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It was released on September 10, 1993, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is a comprehensive three-disc set consisting of many of his hit singles and fan favorites.
Girl 6 is the soundtrack album to the Spike Lee film of the same name. All songs were written by Prince. It was released on March 19, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. The album consists of mostly previously released songs from Prince and related artists such as the Family, Vanity 6, and the New Power Generation. The three previously unreleased tracks are "She Spoke 2 Me", "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" and "Girl 6", which was newly recorded for the soundtrack.
Newpower Soul is the third and final studio album by the New Power Generation, but is considered a de facto Prince album. The album was announced as a "Prince" album in a press release issued by his publicist, but mere days later his official website at the time claimed those were mere rumors.
Exodus is the second studio album by the New Power Generation. Although the track listing boasts 21 tracks, many of them are narrative segues, leaving only nine actual songs. Of those, one is an instrumental. The album spawned three singles, however only one was released in the United States.
"Cream" is a song by American singer-songwriter Prince and his backing band the New Power Generation, released in September 1991 by Paisley Park and Warner as the second single from Prince's 13th studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). In a 2004 MTV special, Prince joked that he wrote the song while looking at himself in the mirror. "Cream" became Prince's fifth and last number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying at the top for two weeks. The song entered the top 10 in 15 other countries worldwide, peaking within the top three in Australia, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland. Its music video was directed by Rebecca Blake.
"Thunder" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, from their 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls. It was issued as a limited, individually numbered 12-inch single picture disc in the UK and Ireland only, and the edited version was available only on the promotional single.
"Sexy MF" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, released as a single from their 1992 album Love Symbol. The music and most of the lyrics were composed by Prince, while Levi Seacer Jr. came up with the chorus and the song's title. Tony M. also delivers a rap, which he wrote. The song and its refrain "You sexy motherfucker" caused some controversy, and edited versions were produced for radio, the music video and the US version of the album. The song was recorded in Paisley Park's Studio A in December 1991.
"My Name Is Prince" is a song by American musician Prince and his backing band the New Power Generation, released in September 1992 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros. as the second single from their 1992 Love Symbol album. The song is about Prince himself and his musical prowess. The rap sequence is performed by NPG member Tony M. The intro to the song features vocal samples from Prince's earlier songs "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Partyup", and "Controversy". Its music video was directed by Parris Patton and featured Kirstie Alley and Lauren Green.
"7" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, from their 1992 Love Symbol Album. It was released in late 1992 as the third single from the album, and became the most successful in the United States. It features a sample of the 1967 Lowell Fulsom song "Tramp" and is composed of heavy drums and bass in an acoustic style. It has a distinct Middle Eastern style of music, and a Hindu reincarnation theme, and an opera-like chorus which features Prince's multi-tracked vocals. The lyrics have religious and apocalyptic themes. The song is ambiguous and can be interpreted in many ways, as the "7" mentioned in the chorus could be the song referring to the Seven Deadly Sins or the seven Archon of Gnosticism or the seven names of God in the Old Testament. The song received positive reviews and peaked within the top forty of many of its major markets.
"The Morning Papers" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation from their 1992 album Love Symbol. It was released as the fourth worldwide single from the album in March 1993; the B-side is "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls. The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from Love Symbol.
"Damn U" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, released in November 1992 as the fourth single from his fourteenth studio album, Love Symbol (1992). It is a slow-grooving romantic R&B ballad, featuring strings and violin. Prince sings of a woman who affects him greatly emotionally, and uses the term "damn u" as an expression of surprise at the woman's power over him. His vocal range shifts throughout the song from very high falsetto to his deeper lower baritone. The B-side was "2 Whom It May Concern", which was also available on the maxi single for "7". Its music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas.
The Beautiful Experience is an EP by American musician Prince, his second commercial release under the symbolic moniker. The EP contained seven mixes of the song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" in various formats, some with completely new vocals and/or instrumentation. Of particular note is the "Mustang Mix", in which Prince uses his normal singing voice and additional lyrics to give the song a sexual edge. The maxi-single also spawned two singles, "Staxowax" and "Mustang Mix", which were sold commercially in shops to support it.