"7" is a song by Prince

Prince (musician)

Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

 and The New Power Generation, from the 1992 Love Symbol Album. It features a sample of the 1967 Otis Redding

Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...

 and Carla Thomas

Carla Thomas

Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...

 duet, "Tramp".

Music video

The video was shot on February 27, 1992. It begins with Mayte whispering "imagine" in Prince's ear, in the position they are in on the single cover. A scene from 3 Chains o' Gold is shown as well. It features Mayte belly-dancing. The video set is pictured on the album cover, along with a still shot from the video. There are seven little girls wearing yellow belly-dancing outfits almost identical to Mayte's. There are seven little boys wearing black outfits and eyebands identical to Prince's. This video is also notable for Mayte dancing with a sword on her head, which she would later do in live performances.

Chart performance

The most successful single from the album in the U.S., "7" was most successful on the Top 40 Pop/Mainstream charts, where it earned a #3 placement, and coincidentally the single peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. It performed respectably on the Rhythmic charts (#19). However, it was less popular with R&B/Hip Hop radio, stalling at #61. In the Canadian RPM

RPM (magazine)

RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...

 charts the song peaked at #12.

The single performed well in the U.K., rising as high as #27, but falling short of the success of the previous two releases.

Track listings

7" single / CD single

1. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
2. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54

12" single

1. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
2. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
3. "7" (After 6 Long Version) – 5:15

12" maxi-single / CD maxi-single

1. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
2. "7" (After 6 Edit) – 4:20
3. "7" (After 6 Long Version) – 5:15
4. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
5. "7" (album edit) – 4:23
6. "2 Whom It May Concern" – 4:01

US CD promo single

1. "7" (album edit) – 4:23
2. "7" (After 6 Edit) – 4:20
3. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
4. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
5. "7" (After 6 Long Version) – 5:15
6. "7" (Mix 5 Long Version) – 4:56
7. "7" (Mix 5 Edit) - 4:06

Peak positions

Chart (1992/1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	7
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...	61
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	3
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	19
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	27
RPM Magazine (Canada) RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...	12

End of year charts

End of year chart (1993)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	52

Cover versions

• Norwegian artist Erlend Ropstad recorded a cover of the song for the 2008 tribute album Shockadelica - 50th Anniversary Tribute to the Artist Known as Prince.
• A cappella
  A cappella
  A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
  
   group Sixteen Feet from Swarthmore College
  Swarthmore College
  Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
  
  recorded an a cappella version of the song on the 1996 album Sasquatch.