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Around the World in a Day

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Around the World in a Day
Studio album by
Prince and the Revolution
ReleasedApril 22, 1985
RecordedFebruary–December 1984
Studio
Genre
Length42:33
LabelPaisley Park, Warner Bros.
ProducerPrince
Prince chronology
Purple Rain
(1984) 		Around the World in a Day
(1985) 		Parade
(1986)
Singles from Around the World in a Day
  1. "Raspberry Beret"
    Released: May 15, 1985
  2. "Paisley Park"
    Released: May 24, 1985 (EU)
  3. "Pop Life"
    Released: July 15, 1985[8]
  4. "America"
    Released: October 2, 1985
  5. "Around the World in a Day"
    Released: 1985 (GER Promo)

Around the World in a Day[9] is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the third release on which his backing band the Revolution is billed. It was released on April 22, 1985, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. Departing somewhat from the commercial sound of his previous release, the massively successful Purple Rain (1984), the album instead saw Prince experimenting with psychedelic styles and more opulent textures. In compliance with Prince's wishes, the record company released the album with minimal publicity, withholding accompanying singles until almost a month after the album's release.[10]

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.[11] Around the World in a Day was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 2, 1985.

Background

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Recording for Around the World in a Day was begun in sessions dating back before that of Purple Rain.[12] Following six months of touring behind that bestselling album, Prince returned to recording.[12] 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.[12]

The album pursued a dense, psychedelic style that made use of unconventional instruments and cryptic lyrics.[12] 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][10] 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."[13]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Blender[15]
Chicago Sun-Times[16]
Entertainment WeeklyC[17]
The Guardian[2]
Mojo[18]
Pitchfork8.8/10[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[1]
Spin Alternative Record Guide4/10[19]
The Village VoiceB−[20]

Despite the muted promotion and its less commercial sound, the album still had two American top 10 hits, and went double platinum. Initial critical reception was mixed, but retrospective reviews are positive.

According to Prince, George Clinton was a fan of the album.[13]

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."[21]

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."[12] Simon Price wrote for The Guardian that the album "always sounds better than you think it will, when you revisit."[2]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted

Side one[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Around the World in a Day"Prince, John L. Nelson, David Coleman3:28
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
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."America" 3:42
7."Pop Life" 3:43
8."The Ladder"Prince, John L. Nelson5:29
9."Temptation" 8:18
Total length:19:12

Personnel

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Musicians

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Production

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  • 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

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Singles

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  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"

Certifications

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Certifications for Around the World in a Day
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[41] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 4,300,000[42]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Matos, Michaelangelo (2004). "Prince". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 654–657. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^ a b c Price, Simon (April 22, 2016). "Prince: every album rated – and ranked". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b Palmer, Robert (April 22, 1985). "Records: Prince's 'Around the World'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  5. ^ Aretha, David (2012). Awesome African-American Rock and Soul Musicians. Enslow Publishers. ISBN 9781598451405.
  6. ^ "Prince Biography". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  7. ^ Hasted, Nick (April 22, 2016). "Prince: In appreciation of a virtuoso, enduring genius". The Independent. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  8. ^ "FMQB" (PDF). p. 32.
  9. ^ "Prince Official Discography: Around the World in a Day - Prince Studio Albums". Prince Discography Annotated. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b Karlen, Neal (September 12, 1985). "Prince Talks: The Silence Is Broken". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  14. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Around the World in a Day – Prince and the Revolution / Prince". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Keller, Martin (April 4, 1993). "A Prince Discography". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  17. ^ Browne, David; Sandow, Greg (September 21, 1990). "A decade of Prince albums". Entertainment Weekly. No. 32. New York. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
  18. ^ Eccleston, Danny (July 2016). "Pop Life". Mojo. No. 272. London. pp. 58–65.
  19. ^ Weisbard, Eric (1995). "Prince". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. New York: Vintage Books. pp. 311–313. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  20. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 30, 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  21. ^ Greg Tate (July 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 3. p. 30.
  22. ^ Prince and the Revolution (February 13, 2023). "Around The World In A Day". Prince Vault.
  23. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  24. ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". Austrian Album Charts (in German). Hung Medien.
  25. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 42, No. 15, June 22 1985".
  26. ^ a b "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". charts.nz. Hung Medien.
  29. ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien.
  30. ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Prince & The Revolution - Around the World in a Day". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "UK Albums Chart - April 28, 1985". UK Albums Chart. Official Charts Company.
  33. ^ "Billboard 200 - June 1, 1985". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - June 15, 1985". Billboard.
  35. ^ "Lescharts.com – Prince & the Revolution – Around the World in a Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  36. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1985 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  37. ^ "1985: The Year in Music & Video – Top Pop Albums". Billboard. December 28, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  38. ^ "1985: The Year in Music & Video – Top Black Albums". Billboard. December 28, 1985. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  39. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Prince – Around the World in a Day". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  40. ^ "British album certifications – Prince – Around the World in a Day". British Phonographic Industry.
  41. ^ "American album certifications – Prince – Around the World in a Day". Recording Industry Association of America.
  42. ^ Souza Filho, Otávio (December 20, 1992). "Prince: muito discos, poucas vendas". O Dia: 7. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
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