Prince - Prince 1979

 

Prince is the second studio album by the American musician Prince. It was released on October 19, 1979, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince. Overall, Prince was regarded as more diverse than For You (1978), and performed better critically and commercially. Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote: "This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it".^[3]

Prince peaked at 22 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Billboard R&B Chart. The album contained three Billboard Hot Black Singles hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was Prince's first hit single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number eleven while also topping the Billboard Hot Black Singles. Prince was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) four months after its release.

 

The album was written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince.^[5] On the album credits, Prince thanks his bassist André Cymone and drummer Bobby Z. as "heaven-sent helpers".^[6]

Prince recorded the album in five weeks,^[5] after Warner Bros. asked for a follow-up to his 1978 debut, For You. Prince had used twice his initial recording advance on that album, and it had failed to generate a pop hit (although "Soft and Wet" became a No. 12 R&B hit). Displeased at his lack of success, Prince quickly recorded the follow-up.