The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Prince song)
Encyclopedia
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is a song by Prince
from his 1995 album The Gold Experience
It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. With the consent of Prince's usual record distributor Warner Bros. Records
, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" was released by NPG Records
and Edel Music
and independently distributed by Bellmark Records
, as a one-off single. The single was released in February 1994, and was shortly followed by an EP
of remix
es titled The Beautiful Experience
. The version that was released on The Gold Experience is a different mix of the song.
that serenades a beautiful woman, and was likely directed toward his soon to be fiancé Mayte Garcia, whom he later married on Valentine's Day, 1996. It is also claimed that Prince was inspired by actress Vanessa Marcil
. The song was played during the Miss America
pageant in 1994, but not in full. It was widely advertised in news and trade magazines that a new song from Prince would be premiered on the pageant. The ads had Prince sitting in a chair with a hat pulled down over his face, and Mayte standing next to his chair. The song was later released on February 24, 1994. It again later appeared on The Gold Experience
. The version on The Gold Experience is replayed. The drums are more crisp in the mix and there are slight instrumental changes. There are also added sound effects and instrumental breaks in the second version. The bridge is slightly more robust as well. The song is still based in light guitar
, keyboard
s and live drum
s. Although most of the song is sung in falsetto with Prince reaching some extremely high notes, the bridge has him using his regular voice as well as a lower baritone range in parts.
The song was a worldwide hit and established Prince's ability to succeed commercially under his new name, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
. It became his first (and to date, only) UK #1 single under any name as a performer. He did have two other UK #1s as a songwriter: the 1984 hit single "I Feel for You
" by Chaka Khan
and Sinéad O'Connor
's 1990 cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U
". It was also his first (and to date, only) #1 song in the Netherlands
.
UK 12"
. The B-side was a Spanish version of the song, "I Quieres Ser El Mas Bello De Este Mundo?". It was the same instrumental track with extra reverb, and her vocals, with a few slight ad-lib changes. It was released on Paisley Park Records
on June 7, 1995, Prince's birthday.
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...
from his 1995 album The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
It was his first release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol. With the consent of Prince's usual record distributor Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" was released by NPG Records
NPG Records
NPG Records is the current active record label owned by Prince, founded in 1993 to release his music after Paisley Park Records. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience. "NPG" is short for "New Power...
and Edel Music
Edel Music
-History:Edel Music was founded in 1986 by Michael Haentjes in Germany as a mail order record company selling mostly soundtracks. With artists such as Scooter, SASH!, Holly Johnson and many others, it became a very successful pop music label...
and independently distributed by Bellmark Records
Bellmark Records
Bellmark Records is a small U.S. independent record label, based on the west coast and is distributed by the independent DM Records Group. It was formed in the late 1980s by Al Bell, who was one of the driving forces behind the legendary Stax Records....
, as a one-off single. The single was released in February 1994, and was shortly followed by an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es titled The Beautiful Experience
The Beautiful Experience
- Promo :- Singles and Hot 100 chart placings :* "Staxowax"# "Staxowax" – 4:59# "Sexy Staxophone and Guitar" – 3:36* "Mustang Mix"# "Mustang Mix" – 6:19# "Mustang Instrumental" – 3:23- Chart performance :...
. The version that was released on The Gold Experience is a different mix of the song.
Development
The original track is a slow-grooving balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
that serenades a beautiful woman, and was likely directed toward his soon to be fiancé Mayte Garcia, whom he later married on Valentine's Day, 1996. It is also claimed that Prince was inspired by actress Vanessa Marcil
Vanessa Marcil
Vanessa Marcil is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Brenda Barrett Corinthos on General Hospital, Gina Kincaid on Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sam Marquez on Las Vegas....
. The song was played during the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
pageant in 1994, but not in full. It was widely advertised in news and trade magazines that a new song from Prince would be premiered on the pageant. The ads had Prince sitting in a chair with a hat pulled down over his face, and Mayte standing next to his chair. The song was later released on February 24, 1994. It again later appeared on The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience
The Gold Experience is the seventeenth studio album by Prince . It was released on September 26, 1995...
. The version on The Gold Experience is replayed. The drums are more crisp in the mix and there are slight instrumental changes. There are also added sound effects and instrumental breaks in the second version. The bridge is slightly more robust as well. The song is still based in light guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s and live drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s. Although most of the song is sung in falsetto with Prince reaching some extremely high notes, the bridge has him using his regular voice as well as a lower baritone range in parts.
The song was a worldwide hit and established Prince's ability to succeed commercially under his new name, peaking at #3 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 became his first (and to date, only) UK #1 single under any name as a performer. He did have two other UK #1s as a songwriter: the 1984 hit single "I Feel for You
I Feel for You
"I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. It became a hit single in 1984 for female R&B singer Chaka Khan, appearing on her album, which was also called I Feel for You...
" by Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
and Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
's 1990 cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U
Nothing Compares 2 U
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a pop song written by American recording artist Prince for one of his side-projects, The Family. However, it wasn't until Sinéad O'Connor recorded her version for the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got when it became a worldwide hit, topping charts in 15 countries,...
". It was also his first (and to date, only) #1 song in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Track listings
Single- "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (single edit) – 4:06
- "Beautiful" (single edit) – 3:54
UK 12"
- "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" – 4:07
- "Beautiful" – 3:57
- "Beautiful" (extended club version) – 6:25
- "Beautiful Beats" – 3:30
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. 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... |
3 |
| 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,... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 Rhythmic Airplay Chart The Rhythmic Airplay Chart is an airplay chart that is featured weekly in Billboard Magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on Rhythmic stations, whose playlist includes mostly hit-driven R&B/Hip-Hop, Rhythmic pop, and some Dance tracks... |
3 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
6 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
4 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
13 |
| 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 ... |
1 |
| ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
Mayte version
Prince's then-wife, Mayte, later recorded her own version called "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World". The song appears on her album Child of the SunChild of the Sun (album)
Child of the Sun is a pop/rock album by Mayte Garcia, released in 1995. It was produced by Prince when they were married, and released by NPG Records. The album was not very critically or commercially successful....
. The B-side was a Spanish version of the song, "I Quieres Ser El Mas Bello De Este Mundo?". It was the same instrumental track with extra reverb, and her vocals, with a few slight ad-lib changes. It was released on Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records
Paisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
on June 7, 1995, Prince's birthday.
Cover versions
- In 2003, pianist Alex BugnonAlex BugnonAlex Bugnon is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland.Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S...
covered the song on his album Southern Living.