Planet Earth (Prince album)

Last updated

Planet Earth
PlanetearthPRINCE.jpg
Studio album by
Prince
ReleasedJuly 15, 2007
RecordedNovember 2004 – early 2007 [1]
Genre
Length45:00
Label NPG, Columbia
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
Ultimate Prince
(2006)		Planet Earth
(2007)		 Indigo Nights
(2008)
Singles from Planet Earth
  1. "Guitar"
    Released: July 9, 2007
  2. "Chelsea Rodgers"
    Released: August 6, 2007
  3. "Somewhere Here on Earth"
    Released: September 2007
  4. "The One U Wanna C"
    Released: 2007

Planet Earth is the thirty-second studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on July 15, 2007, by NPG Records and distributed, in the UK, as a free covermount with The Mail on Sunday national newspaper. This was followed by the album's worldwide distribution. It features contributions from his newest protégée Bria Valente and former New Power Generation members Marva King, Sonny T., and Michael Bland, as well as Sheila E. and former Revolution members Wendy & Lisa. [2] The CD package's liner notes credit the album to Prince & The New Power Generation. The album debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 96,000 copies in its first week.

Contents

Release and promotion

On June 27, 2007, "Future Baby Mama" was leaked to the Internet via an American online radio station. The first single, "Guitar", was distributed in partnership with Verizon Wireless. [3] During the week of September 3, 2007, Prince flew to Prague, and then Spain to film a music video for "Somewhere Here on Earth". The clip was released but it has only been played on the TV channel BET.

Initially, Prince came to an agreement with Columbia Records to distribute the record worldwide. Prince and Columbia had previously teamed up for the release of his Musicology album in 2004. [4] However, Prince's management struck a deal with The Mail on Sunday to release Planet Earth as a free covermount CD with the July 15, 2007, edition of the paper. This move brought much criticism from UK record stores, which resulted in Columbia refusing to distribute the album in the UK, though its release in the rest of the world remained unaffected. [5]

Giving away albums for free was not new for Prince. In 2004, he gave free copies of Musicology to all concert goers during the tour of the same name. [6] Similarly, the Planet Earth album was given away with tickets to his 2007 concerts in London. As a result of the decision by Sony BMG to not distribute the album in the UK, record store chain HMV announced it would stock the July 15, 2007, edition of The Mail on Sunday in lieu of the CD, admitting that "selling the Mail on Sunday next week will be the only way to make the Prince album available to our customers, which, ultimately, has to be our overriding concern". [7] On July 10, 2007, several days before the official UK release through The Mail on Sunday, a low quality version (recorded from a stream) of Planet Earth was leaked onto the Internet. [8] Prince forwent $4.6 million in licensing fees, but the promotion paid off with his subsequent sold out 21-show concert run at London's O2 Arena, earning him a gross of $23.4 million, and thus an $18.8 million profit. [9]

Singles

"Guitar" was the first single from Planet Earth. This song was number 39 on Rolling Stone 's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The music video for the song, featuring his current dancers "The Twinz" premiered on the Verizon website. It was directed and written by Milos Twilight, and produced by Prince and Milos Twilight, through Umania Digital Studios and Twilight Films. [10]

"Chelsea Rodgers" was the second single released from the album, and was released worldwide on August 6, 2007. The B-side is album track "Mr. Goodnight". A video was made using footage of the band's performance at London Fashion Week. It premièred on October 28, 2007.

"Somewhere Here on Earth" was the third single to be released. On the week of September 3, 2007, Prince flew to Prague, and then Spain to film a music video for the song. [11] The video was produced and written by Milos Twilight, Umania Digital Studios and Twilight Films. [12] The full music video premiered on BET on February 12, 2008.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 65/100 [13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The A.V. Club B [15]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [16]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [17]
NME 6/10 [18]
Pitchfork 4.8/10 [19]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [20]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [23]

The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number three with 96,000 units sold in its first week, less than half of both Musicology and 3121 . [24] As of April 2015, the album has sold about 278,000 copies in the US, with almost no promotion, with the exception of the Verizon Wireless ad for "Guitar". Although not released as a single, "Future Baby Mama" gathered radio airplay on American R&B radio and charted within the top 40 of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song won Prince his last Grammy Award, for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 2008 Grammy Awards.

Planet Earth received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, it holds an average score of 65 out of 100, based on reviews by professional critics. [13] Veteran critic Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention, [20] indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure". [25] Writing for MSN Music , he cited "Guitar" and "The One U Wanna C" as highlights and summarized the album with the remark, "Viva Las Vegas and later for Viagra – but not never". [26]

Track listing

All songs written and produced by Prince.

Planet Earth track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Planet Earth"5:51
2."Guitar"3:45
3."Somewhere Here on Earth"5:45
4."The One U Wanna C"4:29
5."Future Baby Mama"4:47
6."Mr. Goodnight"4:26
7."All the Midnights in the World"2:21
8."Chelsea Rodgers"5:41
9."Lion of Judah"4:10
10."Resolution"3:40

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Planet Earth
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [47] Gold15,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for Planet Earth
CountryDate
United KingdomJuly 15, 2007
GermanyJuly 20, 2007
United StatesJuly 24, 2007

Related Research Articles

<i>Musicology</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Prince

Musicology is the twenty-eighth studio album by American recording artist Prince. The album was given to concertgoers at his Musicology Tour, from March 27 to September 9, 2004, in North America. A digital release followed two days after his tour started on March 29, 2004. The physical retail version was released on April 19, 2004 (Europe) and April 20, 2004 (US) by NPG Records and distributed by Columbia Records. Musicology was the first album in five years that Prince released through a major label and, being partially recorded in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, was his first to be recorded outside Minneapolis in many years. Musicology is R&B-themed.

<i>1999</i> (Prince album) 1982 studio album by Prince and the Revolution

1999 is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and musician Prince, released on October 27, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. It became his first album to be recorded with his band the Revolution. 1999's critical and commercial success propelled Prince to a place in the public psyche and marked the beginning of two years of heightened fame via his following releases.

<i>Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some</i> 1994 greatest hits album by Cyndi Lauper

Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some is a greatest hits album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released in the UK on August 22, 1994, and in the US on July 18, 1995, through Epic Records. It contains a collection of singles from the singer's first four studio albums. It also contains three new songs: "(Hey Now) Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "I'm Gonna Be Strong" and "Come On Home", all of which were released as singles. To promote the record, the singer embarked on a worldwide tour. A video album was simultaneously released and contained music videos of fourteen songs.

<i>Out of Exile</i> 2005 studio album by Audioslave

Out of Exile is the second studio album by American rock supergroup Audioslave, released on May 23, 2005, internationally, and a day later in the United States, through Epic Records and Interscope Records. It is the band's only album to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned the singles "Be Yourself", "Your Time Has Come", "Doesn't Remind Me", and "Out of Exile"; "Doesn't Remind Me" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 48th Grammy Awards.

<i>Diamonds and Pearls</i> 1991 studio album by Prince and the New Power Generation

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.

<i>The Rainbow Children</i> 2001 studio album by Prince

The Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on November 20, 2001, by NPG Records and Redline Entertainment. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year. It is the first album released outside of the NPG Music Club to be released under the name of Prince again, as he had reverted to his previous stage name from his symbolic moniker a year earlier. It was released on double vinyl with a glossy color booklet, and was not available on vinyl again until the Legacy release in 2020.

<i>Chaos and Disorder</i> 1996 studio album by Prince

Chaos and Disorder is the eighteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on July 9, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached number 26 in the United States—his poorest performance with an album of new material since his debut album For You—and number 14 in the United Kingdom. Prince refused to promote the album, still engaged in his fight against his Warner Bros. contract, and it was released simply to fulfill his contractual obligations. The inlay sleeve carries the message: "Originally intended 4 private use only, this compilation serves as the last original material recorded by 4 warner brothers records - may you live 2 see the dawn".

<i>The Cookbook</i> 2005 studio album by Missy Elliott

The Cookbook is the sixth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released on July 4, 2005, by The Goldmind Inc. and Atlantic Records in Germany and the United Kingdom, and on July 5 in the United States and Japan. To date, it is her final long play studio effort.

<i>The Gold Experience</i> 1995 studio album by Prince

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".

<i>The Hits/The B-Sides</i> 1993 box set by Prince

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.

<i>3121</i> 2006 studio album by Prince

3121 is the thirty-first studio album by American musician Prince. Released on March 21, 2006 (3/21) by NPG Records and distributed, under a "one-album deal", by Universal Music, the album reinforced Prince's big comeback after the critical success of Musicology (2004). The only Prince album ever to debut atop the Billboard 200 during his lifetime, with over 180,000 copies sold in its first week, it knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot and became Prince's first number one album since Batman in 1989, eventually being certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Icky Thump</i> 2007 studio album by The White Stripes

Icky Thump is the sixth and final studio album by American rock duo The White Stripes, released through Warner Bros. and Third Man Records in June 2007, with XL Recordings handling the United Kingdom release. Its first release came on June 15, 2007, in Germany, with the release for the rest of Europe occurring on June 18 and the rest of the world on June 19.

<i>Double Up</i> (R. Kelly album) 2007 studio album by R. Kelly

Double Up is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter R. Kelly. It was released by Jive Records on May 29, 2007 in the United States, with distribution handled by Zomba Label Group. The album features the contributions with guest appearances and also the productions, which was handled by R. Kelly, along with Swizz Beatz, The Runners, Snoop Dogg, Khao, Nelly, Chamillionaire and Polow da Don.

<i>Cross</i> (Justice album) 2007 studio album by Justice

Cross is the debut studio album by French electronic music duo Justice, first released on 11 June 2007 through Ed Banger Records and Because Music. Recorded during 2005 and 2006 in Paris, Cross was composed as an "opera-disco" album. It features many samples and "microsamples" throughout, with about 400 albums being used as sampled material. These include samples from Prince, Britney Spears and Madonna. The song "D.A.N.C.E." is a tribute to Michael Jackson. French musician Mehdi Pinson appears on "DVNO", and vocalist Uffie appears on "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy". The album was supported by the singles "Waters of Nazareth", "D.A.N.C.E.", "DVNO", "Phantom Pt. II", and "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy". A controversial music video was also released for "Stress".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitar (song)</span> 2007 single by Prince

"Guitar" is the first single from Prince's 2007 album Planet Earth. This song was number 39 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

<i>Growing Pains</i> (Mary J. Blige album) 2007 studio album by Mary J. Blige

Growing Pains is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. An R&B album that was released on December 18, 2007, by Geffen Records, it debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 629,000 copies in its first week, and reached number one in January 2008. Growing Pains was ranked number 29 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007 and was eventually certified Platinum by RIAA.

<i>Ego Trippin</i> 2008 studio album by Snoop Dogg

Ego Trippin' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on March 11, 2008 by Doggystyle Records and Geffen Records. The album debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 137,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics.

<i>...Earth to the Dandy Warhols...</i> 2008 studio album by The Dandy Warhols

...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Dandy Warhols. It was recorded in 2008 and released on May 19, 2008, the first album released on their self-founded Beat the World Records label after leaving Capitol Records in 2007.

<i>The Twilight Saga: New Moon</i> (soundtrack) 2009 soundtrack albums

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is the official soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The score for The Twilight Saga: New Moon was composed by Alexandre Desplat while the rest of the soundtrack was chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who also produced the Twilight soundtrack. The New Moon – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album was released on October 16, 2009 by Patsavas' Chop Shop label, in conjunction with Atlantic Records.

<i>The Suburbs</i> 2010 studio album by Arcade Fire

The Suburbs is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 3, 2010. Coinciding with its announcement, the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing the title track and "Month of May". The album debuted at No. 1 on the Irish Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the US Billboard 200 chart, and the Canadian Albums Chart. It won Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards, Best International Album at the 2011 BRIT Awards, Album of the Year at the 2011 Juno Awards, and the 2011 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album. Two weeks after winning Grammy's Album of the Year, the album jumped from No. 52 to No. 12 on the Billboard 200, the album's highest ranking since August 2010.

References

  1. ↑ "Album: Planet Earth - Prince Vault".
  2. ↑ "Columbia Snaps Up Prince's 'Planet Earth'". Billboard.com. June 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Prince Reunites With Wendy & Lisa!". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Prince Album Drama". Yahoo! Music. June 28, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Prince Free Album Causes BMG U.K. to Pull Distribution". singersroom.com. June 30, 2007. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007.
  6. ↑ Brook, Stephen (July 9, 2007). "HMV defends about-face over Prince giveaway". The Guardian . London. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Planet Earth". Prince Vault. June 22, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  8. ↑ O'Reilly, Terry (April 20, 2013). "Loss Leaders: How Companies Profit By Losing Money". CBC Radio: Under the Influence. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  9. ↑ Prince: Guitar (Video 2007) , retrieved September 8, 2017
  10. ↑ "Expo40p14-15Prince" (PDF). fuji.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2008.
  11. ↑ Prince: Somewhere Here on Earth (Video 2007) , retrieved September 7, 2017
  12. 1 2 "Planet Earth Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  13. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: Planet Earth > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  14. ↑ Hyden, Steven (July 31, 2007). "Prince: Planet Earth". The A.V. Club . Chicago. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ Willman, Chris (July 23, 2007). "Planet Earth (2007): Prince". Entertainment Weekly . No. #945. ISSN   1049-0434 . Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  16. ↑ Powers, Ann (July 24, 2007). "It's worth a visit to Prince's 'Planet'". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035. OCLC   3638237 . Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  17. ↑ Martin, Dan (August 6, 2007). "Prince: Planet Earth". NME . IPC Media. ISSN   0028-6362 . Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  18. ↑ Wolk, Douglas (July 23, 2007). "Prince: Planet Earth". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  19. 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "CG: Prince". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  20. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (August 1, 2007). "Planet Earth". Rolling Stone . ISSN   0035-791X . Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  21. ↑ Henderson, Eric (July 24, 2007). "Prince: Planet Earth". Slant Magazine . Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  22. ↑ Light, Alan (September 2007). "The Ruler's Back". Spin : 121. ISSN   0886-3032 . Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  23. ↑ Hasty, Katy (August 1, 2007). "'NOW 25' Fends Off 'Hairspray,' Prince To Remain No. 1". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  24. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG 90s: Key to Icons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  25. ↑ Christgau, Robert (October 2007). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music . Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – Planet Earth" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – Planet Earth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – Planet Earth" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Albums : Top 100". Jam! . July 29, 2007. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – Planet Earth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Prince: Planet Earth" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – Planet Earth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – Planet Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  43. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2007". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2007". hitparade.ch. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  46. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Plaent Earth')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.