3121 (pronounced "thirty-one twenty-one") 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,[13] it knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot and became Prince's first number one album since Batman in 1989,[14] eventually being certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[15]
| 3121 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 21, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | November 2004 – early 2006[1] | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:42 | |||
| Label | NPG, Universal | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from 3121 | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[5] |
| Los Angeles Times | [6] |
| Newsday | A[7] |
| Pitchfork | 6.0/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Spin | B[10] |
| Stylus Magazine | A−[11] |
| The Village Voice | A−[12] |
Album information
The album's first single, "Te Amo Corazón", was released in the United States on December 13, 2005; the second single, "Black Sweat", was released on February 2, 2006.[16]
The album title refers to Prince's rental home at 3121 Antelo Rd, Los Angeles. [17] Later homes rented by Prince were colloquially referred to as "3121", including a home owned by professional basketball player Carlos Boozer.[18]
Album sessions started in November 2004 with the recording of the song "3121" at Paisley Park with Michael Bland and Sonny T.[19]
A limited number of albums included "purple tickets", whose finders were flown in from Europe, Asia, Mexico and the US to attend a semi-private performance (along with a long list of celebrities) at Prince's home in Los Angeles.[20]
Tickets for the Earth tour in 2007 in London's O2 arena were priced at £31.21, echoing the title of this album.[21]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "3121" | 4:31 |
| 2. | "Lolita" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Te Amo Corazón" | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Black Sweat" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Incense and Candles" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Love" | 5:45 |
| 7. | "Satisfied" | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Fury" | 4:02 |
| 9. | "The Word" | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" (featuring Támar) | 5:43 |
| 11. | "The Dance" | 5:20 |
| 12. | "Get On the Boat" | 6:18 |
All tracks are written by Prince
Personnel
- Michael Bland (on "3121"), Cora Coleman Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón," "Get On the Boat") – drums
- Sonny T (on "3121"), Joshua Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón," "Get On the Boat") – bass
- Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer and Ray – horn section
- Herbert Urena, Ricky Salas (on "Te Amo Corazón"), Sheila E. (on "Get On the Boat") – percussion
- Clare Fischer – string arrangements
- The New Power Generation (shouts), Támar (and co-lead on "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed") – additional and backing vocals
- Prince – all other instruments and voices
Technical
- Produced by Prince
- Photo: Afshin Shahidi
- Designer: Sam Jennings
- Recorded at Paisley Park Studios and 3121
- Engineered by Ian Boxill, L. Stu Young
- Assisted by Lisa Chamblee Hampton
- Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
References
External links
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