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Musicology (album)
Encyclopedia
Musicology is the thirtieth studio album
by Prince
, released on April 20, 2004, which proved to be his most successful in years, reaching the Top 5 of the album charts in the U.S, UK, Germany, and many other countries.
Musicology was the first album in five years that Prince released through a major label (Sony Music) and, being partially recorded in Mississauga, Ontario
, was his first to be recorded outside Minneapolis in many years. Musicology is R&B themed as well.
At the end of the song "Musicology" snippets of "Kiss
", "Little Red Corvette
", "Sign o' the Times", "17 Days
" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend
" can be heard. At the time of release Prince was quoted as saying he wished the album to provide musical education to listeners.
, reaching the Top 5 in the US, UK and Germany and making a significant impression on charts around the world. It also proved to be well-received by music critics. The title track was only released as a single in Australia
, where it enjoyed moderate chart success and airplay. However it was also a hit on the US R&B charts through airplay. The album was certified platinum by Billboard in June 2004 and was certified double platinum in late January 2005.
Part of the album's chart success is due to concertgoers receiving a copy of Musicology, with the album cost included in the ticket price for the Musicology Tour. This prompted Billboard magazine and Nielsen SoundScan
to change its chart data methodology: For future album releases, Billboard says that customers "must be given an option to either add the CD to the ticket purchase or forgo the CD for a reduced ticket-only price."
") and Best R&B Vocal Performance—Male ("Call My Name
"), and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance—Male ("Cinnamon Girl
"), Best R&B Song (awarded to the songwriter) ("Call My Name"), and Best R&B Album (Musicology). Prince was chosen by Rolling Stone
magazine's readers as the best male performer and most welcome comeback.
," and the two singles, "Call My Name
" and "Cinnamon Girl
", were among them. The tour featured many of Prince's more famous tracks, such as "Little Red Corvette
," "Raspberry Beret
," "Kiss
," and "Purple Rain
." A copy of Musicology was included with every concert ticket sold.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
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...
, released on April 20, 2004, which proved to be his most successful in years, reaching the Top 5 of the album charts in the U.S, UK, Germany, and many other countries.
Musicology was the first album in five years that Prince released through a major label (Sony Music) and, being partially recorded in Mississauga, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, was his first to be recorded outside Minneapolis in many years. Musicology is R&B themed as well.
At the end of the song "Musicology" snippets of "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
", "Little Red Corvette
Little Red Corvette
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by the American musician Prince. Released as a single from the album 1999 in 1983, the song was his biggest hit at the time, and his first to reach top-10 status in the U.S., peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
", "Sign o' the Times", "17 Days
17 Days (song)
"17 Days " is one of the most famous of musician Prince's B-sides...
" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend
If I Was Your Girlfriend
"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was the second single off Prince's widely-acclaimed 1987 double album Sign “☮” the Times. While it is today considered one of his most notable songs, at the time of its release the song did not chart well in the U.S....
" can be heard. At the time of release Prince was quoted as saying he wished the album to provide musical education to listeners.
Chart success
Musicology quickly proved to be Prince's most successful album since Diamonds and PearlsDiamonds and Pearls
Diamonds and Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, released October 1, 1991, on Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. It is his first album to have The New Power Generation, his backing band at the time, receive co-billing...
, reaching the Top 5 in the US, UK and Germany and making a significant impression on charts around the world. It also proved to be well-received by music critics. The title track was only released as a single in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where it enjoyed moderate chart success and airplay. However it was also a hit on the US R&B charts through airplay. The album was certified platinum by Billboard in June 2004 and was certified double platinum in late January 2005.
Part of the album's chart success is due to concertgoers receiving a copy of Musicology, with the album cost included in the ticket price for the Musicology Tour. This prompted Billboard magazine and Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
to change its chart data methodology: For future album releases, Billboard says that customers "must be given an option to either add the CD to the ticket purchase or forgo the CD for a reduced ticket-only price."
Awards
Prince won two Grammy Awards, for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("MusicologyMusicology (song)
"Musicology" is a song by Prince, and title track from his 2004 album Musicology. The song is an obvious ode to James Brown's style of funk music popularized in the early 1970s. The song is also reminiscent of Prince's own "The Work, pt...
") and Best R&B Vocal Performance—Male ("Call My Name
Call My Name (Prince song)
"Call My Name" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2005....
"), and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance—Male ("Cinnamon Girl
Cinnamon Girl (Prince song)
"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. Besides the title, there is no connection to the song of the same name by Neil Young....
"), Best R&B Song (awarded to the songwriter) ("Call My Name"), and Best R&B Album (Musicology). Prince was chosen by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's readers as the best male performer and most welcome comeback.
Tour
Prince toured North America from 27 March - 9 September to promote Musicology. The tour was often billed as the Musicology Live2004ever Tour, or more commonly, the Musicology Tour. The tour earned 87.4 million dollars and was attended by 1.47 million fans Although the tour promoted Musicology, only a select few tracks from the album were played during the concerts. The title track, "MusicologyMusicology (song)
"Musicology" is a song by Prince, and title track from his 2004 album Musicology. The song is an obvious ode to James Brown's style of funk music popularized in the early 1970s. The song is also reminiscent of Prince's own "The Work, pt...
," and the two singles, "Call My Name
Call My Name (Prince song)
"Call My Name" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2005....
" and "Cinnamon Girl
Cinnamon Girl (Prince song)
"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. Besides the title, there is no connection to the song of the same name by Neil Young....
", were among them. The tour featured many of Prince's more famous tracks, such as "Little Red Corvette
Little Red Corvette
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by the American musician Prince. Released as a single from the album 1999 in 1983, the song was his biggest hit at the time, and his first to reach top-10 status in the U.S., peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
," "Raspberry Beret
Raspberry Beret
"Raspberry Beret" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. It was the first U.S. single from their 1985 album, Around the World in a Day. The sound was different from any previous Prince track, incorporating Middle Eastern finger cymbals, stringed instruments, and even a harmonica on the extended...
," "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
," and "Purple Rain
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...
." A copy of Musicology was included with every concert ticket sold.
Track listing
All tracks were written by Prince.- "MusicologyMusicology (song)"Musicology" is a song by Prince, and title track from his 2004 album Musicology. The song is an obvious ode to James Brown's style of funk music popularized in the early 1970s. The song is also reminiscent of Prince's own "The Work, pt...
" – 4:26 - "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance" – 4:46
- "A Million Days" – 3:50
- "Life o' the Party" – 4:29
- "Call My NameCall My Name (Prince song)"Call My Name" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2005....
" – 5:15 - "Cinnamon GirlCinnamon Girl (Prince song)"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. Besides the title, there is no connection to the song of the same name by Neil Young....
" – 3:56 - "What Do U Want Me 2 Do?" – 4:15
- "The Marrying Kind" – 2:49
- "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" – 3:09
- "On the Couch" – 3:33
- "Dear Mr. Man" – 4:14
- "Reflection" – 3:04
Personnel
- Prince- all vocals and instruments except as indicated
- Candy DulferCandy DulferCandy Dulfer is a Dutch smooth jazz alto saxophonist who began playing at the age of six. She founded her band, Funky Stuff, when she was fourteen years old. Her debut album Saxuality received a Grammy Award nomination. Dulfer has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and one compilation...
- vocals on "Life 'O' the Party" and "Cinnamon Girl", saxphone on "Life 'O' the Party", horns on "The Marrying Kind", "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life", and "On the Couch" - Chance Howard- vocals on "Life 'O' the Party", "Call My Name", and "Cinnamon Girl"
- Stokley- vocals on "Call My Name"
- Kip Blackshire- vocals on "Call My Name"
- Clare Fischer- strings on "Call My Name"
- Rhonda Smith- vocals on "Cinnamon Girl", bass on "Dear Mr. Man"
- John Blackwell- drums on "The Marrying Kind", "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life", "On the Couch", and "Dear Mr. Man"
- Maceo ParkerMaceo ParkerMaceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
- horns on "The Marrying Kind", "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life", and "On the Couch" - Greg Boyer- horns on "The Marrying Kind", "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life", and "On the Couch"
- Ornella Bonaccorsi- Italian speech on "What Do U Want Me 2 Do?"
- Sheila E.Sheila E.Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
- shaker on "Dear Mr. Man" - Renato Neto- fender rhodes on "Dear Mr. Man"
Hot 100 positions
- "MusicologyMusicology (song)"Musicology" is a song by Prince, and title track from his 2004 album Musicology. The song is an obvious ode to James Brown's style of funk music popularized in the early 1970s. The song is also reminiscent of Prince's own "The Work, pt...
" (#125 Bubbling UnderBubbling Under Hot 100 SinglesThe Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
, #3 R&B) - "Call My NameCall My Name (Prince song)"Call My Name" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2005....
" (#75) - "Cinnamon GirlCinnamon Girl (Prince song)"Cinnamon Girl" is a song by Prince, from his 2004 album Musicology. Besides the title, there is no connection to the song of the same name by Neil Young....
" (UK)
External links
- Album review at New YorkNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
- Album Review From Metacritic