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Come - album by Prince, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Come Prince • Warner Bros. Records • 1994
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1993

1994
Come

1994

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Come

Warner Bros. Records

album

“Prince: 1958-1993”

Come is the album with which Prince ‘killed’ off his former persona. The greyscale cover picture of Prince stood outside a cathedral sets the funereal tone symbolising the death of his relationship with Warner Bros Records due to their ownership and control of his music, as well as under protest at their closure of his label Paisley Park Records on 1 February 1994.

From now on, Warner only get old songs out of the vault.

Come was recorded over various sessions at Paisley Park throughout January 1993 to April 1994. This is with the exception of Race, the oldest and one of six songs on the album Prince originally created as the soundtrack for his Glam Slam Ulysses dance show, recorded at Record Plant studios in 1991. He reworked the track in May 1993 for Come.

The material was not as he said ‘old’. Come was delivered amid the backdrop of Prince’s dispute with Warner, having only the previous August signed a six album deal for the record-breaking sum of $100 million. Rattled by lower than expected sales with Prince and NPG’s Love Symbol Album in 1992, the first delivered under this arrangement, Come became Prince’s final LP released under the label both credited as ‘Prince’ and to comprise recently recorded material. Henceforth until 16 May 2000, Prince would be known as The Artist Formally Known As Prince for the duration of his contract. His very identity, he saw as a brand owned by Warner Bros, was declared to all intents and purposes dead. The album artwork duly displays the epitaph ‘Prince: 1958-1993’ having changed his name to the same unpronounceable title of NPG’s second album Prince Love Symbol on his birthday on 7 June 1993. Prince registered Prince Love Symbol as a trademark on 22 February 1994, establishing it a whole new identity not only for himself but as a totem for artistic freedom.

Come passed through many configurations as Prince hoped to coincide its release with The Gold Experience – an album he recorded simultaneously with Come. Prince envisioned a double release, issued on the same day, his thirty-sixth birthday, on 7 June 1994. The Gold Experience would be released by his newly formed independent label NPG Records, and Come to be issued under Warner Brothers, a double release marking his artistic transition from the old ‘Prince’ to the new – Prince Love Symbol. Seeing this as too much product for the market to handle, Warner flatly denied him that wish and even demanded that The Most Beautiful Girl In The World be transferred to Come. Warner viewed Come as too dark in tone to be commercial, but Prince refused to transfer the song. A late minute addition was hastily produced – the track Letitgo was an adequately radio friendly alternative to The Most Beautiful Girl In The World and became also the lead single. Highlighting Prince’s rising bitterness against Warner “Fourteen years and tears I’ve longed to sing my song,” Letitgo was recorded in March 1994 when Prince was named Prince Love Symbol. Its inclusion bumped Strays Of The World from the final configuration. Warner’s release of The Gold Experience was postponed indefinitely, an act Prince viewed as sacrilege and the final nail in the coffin with his relationship with the record company. Come was released on 15 August 1994 in the week after Letitgo. The single landed short of the top 30 in the US.

Billy Jack Bitch and Now that would eventually appear on The Gold Experience were recorded in the Come album sessions. Letitgo features backing vocals by Kathleen Bradford sister of NPG’s Kirk Johnson, who also appears on Emancipation. The Letitgo single was available as two separate versions: a three-track regular single that also reissued Alexa De Paris an instrumental Prince laid down with The Revolution in July 1985 at their Washington Avenue warehouse studio and originally B-side for Mountains in 1986; and the reissue of a Pope, an outtake from the Come album sessions and had been previously available on The Hits 2 a greatest hits compilation put out by Warner in September 1993 to recoup on the $100 million deal. Letitgo became a top-40 hit in both the US and UK. Its maxi single variant was a remix release comprising tracks by guest-producers Quincy Jones’s son Quincy Delight Jones III (“QD III”), Juan (“J-Swift”) Martinez-Luis, and Gerald (“G’ Bomb”) Baillergeau.

Come is Prince’s most sexually charged album since Dirty Mind. Aside from the title track and Orgasm, Pheromone – also intended for Glam Slam Ulysses – draws inspiration from Prince’s then recently concluded relationship with Carmen Electra, the show’s dance captain. The album is also highly introspective, with Papa and Letitgo. Indeed contrary to popular belief, Papa is not a reference to Prince’s relationship with his natural father John Lewis Nelson but recalls living with his stepdad Haywood Baker which had caused Prince to run away from home aged 12.

The initial configuration of Come featured two versions of the title track: the original funkier version of the song created in January 1993 as featured in the Beautiful Experience TV special. Prince rerecorded the track that April, altering the lyrics and adding horns and became the version issued in the album’s final iteration. A Come EP was subsequently considered, backed with a reimagined version of the track, titled 18 & Over and remixes of Dark and Space but this EP did not materialise as was replaced by the Space EP, including the remix. 18 & Over and Dark later resurfaced for the Crystal Ball compilation of 1998.

Suffering from his unwillingness to promote it, Come retailed only 500,000 units in the US. Peaking at 15 on the Billboard 200 Come registered Prince’s lowest selling LP since Dirty Mind in 1980. In the US Come certified Gold by RIAA on 18 October 1994. Buoyed by Prince’s sell-out stadium shows across Europe with Act II Tour the previous summer, Come enjoyed better fortune overseas and in the UK debuted in the chart at number 1 on 27 August 1994, notching up Prince’s fifth LP to top the UK chart, with sales mounting 100,000. Showing the signs of their frustration with Prince, Warner’s marketing was unusually frank despite bearly two years previously signing a record-breaking album deal: “This is the new Prince album. This is not a greatest hits album. Prince isn’t Prince anymore. This is new music. Yeah, it’s confusing.” The press at the time remarked Come would be forgotten within a year, that the distraction caused by a identity crisis had overshadowed Prince’s music. Yet decades later Come ranks amongst Prince’s most popular releases.

The album’s oddity Orgasm was produced in 1993 and is comprised of samples from two much earlier songs; the vocal tracking is moans from an unreleased song named Vibrator performed by Denise “Vanity” Matthews, captured at Prince’s Kiowa Trail home studio in 1983 during sessions for the aborted second album for Vanity 6. The instrumentation is entirely guitar feedback lifted from the outro from Prince’s 1981 closing track Private Joy from Controversy LP.

The LP’s second supporting single Space is broadly considered the crown jewel in all Prince’s maxi singles. Given its limited release, Space managed to peak at 71 in the R&B singles but failed to make the Hot 100. Unlike Letitgo, Prince produced all five remixes of Space and its chart positioning belies the quality of the single’s tracks. Notable in that Prince sings each version with different lyrics its tracks are unique songs in their own right, if not superior than the album cut.

The acapella Solo is a poem Prince commissioned in 1993 from playwright David Henry Hwang having seen his play M.Butterfly in 1988. The poem was to be intended for another stage production Prince was mulling at the time but on receiving it, Prince developed the poem into a song and so Hwang receives co-writing credit on the Come album sleeve.

Prince | Come 1993
Photography by Terry Gydesen

Cover story

The front and rear of the album’s sleeve are photos shot by Minnesota photographer Terry Gydesen, of Prince stood at the gates of Gaudi’s iconic La Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona. The shot was captured at 4:30am before the arrival of tourists. It is the only outdoor shot ever to appear on any of Prince’s album covers. Contrary to appearances in the published pictures, the suit Prince wears in the photo is actually pink. The cover images form part of a wider series of black and white photos Gydesen shot of Prince in 1993 while on the road for Act I Tour, published in Prince’s first official book release The Sacrifice Of Victor, released to accompany the album. The picture of Prince “dead” on a floor came out of a spontaneous moment, exhausted after a 45 minute jam he went backstage and sprawled out on the floor.

When Come was reissued on CD under Sony Legacy on 4 February 2022, the inlay spine contained an interesting typo, giving Prince’s birth year as 1953 than 1958. Warner Records reissued the CD on 16 September 2022 with the inlay bearing the correct date. The vinyl reissue followed on 28 July 2023.

Performers

Vocals / all Instr
Prince
Drums
Michael Bland Space, Papa and Dark
Keyboards
Tommy Barbarella Space and Dark
Ricky Peterson Letitgo
Morris Hayes Space and Dark
Bass Guitar
Sonny Thompson Space, Papa and Dark
Programming
Eric "Statik" Anest Space
Flute
Eric Leeds Letitgo
Trombone
Michael B. Nelson Come, Race, Dark and Letitgo
Trumpet
Steve Strand Come, Race, Dark and Letitgo
Dave Jensen Come, Race, Dark and Letitgo
Baritone sax
Kathy Jensen Come, Race, Dark and Letitgo
Tenor sax
Brian Gallagher Come, Race, Dark and Letitgo

Data

Producer
Prince
Label
Warner Bros. Records
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records
Cover/Design
Terry Gydesen and J.C. Munson
Released
32 years ago on 15 August 1994
Reissued
4 February 2022
Running Time
48:45
US Chart Peak
15
US R&B Peak
2
UK Chart Peak
1
Prince Album
#15
Orig. Formats

Tracklist

  1. Come (11:13) 2
  2. Space (4:28) 2
  3. Pheromone (5:08) 2
  4. Loose! (3:27) 2
  5. Papa (2:48)
  6. Race [feat. Mayte] (4:28) 2
  7. Dark (6:10) 2
  8. Solo (3:48) 1
  9. Letitgo [feat. Kathleen Bradford] (5:33)
  10. Orgasm [feat. Vanity] (1:39)

Released as a single

1 Cowritten with David Henry Hwang.
2 Originally produced for the 1993 stage show Glam Slam Ulysses.

Singles from Come

Letitgo, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Letitgo

Warner Bros. Records

Released
9 August 1994
Distribution
Warner Bros. Records / WEA Records
US Chart Peak
31
UK Chart Peak
30
Cover/Art
Terry Gydesen and J.C. Munson
Formats
  1. Letitgo [Edit] [feat. Kathleen Bradford] (4:15)
  2. Solo (3:48)

Also available as a 7" picture disc.

Letitgo, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Letitgo

Warner Bros. Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
9 August 1994
Distribution
WEA Records
US Chart Peak
No Release
UK Chart Peak
30
Cover/Art
Terry Gydesen and J.C. Munson
Formats
  1. Letitgo [Edit] [feat. Kathleen Bradford] (4:15)
  2. Solo (3:48)
  3. Alexa De Paris [Extended] [feat. The Revolution] (4:54)
  4. Pope [feat. Mayte] (3:28)
Letitgo EP, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Letitgo EP

Warner Bros. Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
27 September 1994
US Chart Peak
No Release
UK Chart Peak
Did not chart
Cover/Art
Terry Gydesen and J.C. Munson
Formats
  1. Letitgo [Caviar Radio Edit] [remix by QD III. Rap by Young Soldier Of Time] (4:59)
  2. Letitgo [Cavi' Street Edit] [remix by QD III. Rap by Young Soldier Of Time] (5:02)
  3. Letitgo [Instrumental] [remix by QD III] (5:02)
  4. Letitgo [On The Cool-Out Tip Radio Radio Edit] [remix by Gerald "G Bomb" Baillergeau] (4:34)
  5. (-) [Sherm Stick Edit] [remix by J-Sw!ft] (5:42)
  6. Letitgo [feat. Kathleen Bradford] (5:33)
Letitgo EP, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Letitgo EP

Warner Bros. Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
27 September 1994
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
No Release
Cover/Art
Terry Gydesen and J.C. Munson
Formats
  1. Letitgo [Caviar Radio Edit] [remix by QD III. Rap by Young Soldier Of Time] (4:59)
  2. Letitgo [Cavi' Street Edit] [remix by QD III. Rap by Young Soldier Of Time] (5:02)
  3. Letitgo [Instrumental] [remix by QD III] (5:02)
  4. Letitgo [On The Cool-Out Tip Radio Radio Edit] [remix by Gerald "G Bomb" Baillergeau] (4:34)
  5. Letitgo [Sherm Stick Edit] [remix by J-Sw!ft] (5:42)
  6. (-) [Sherm Stick Edit] [remix by J-Sw!ft] (5:42)
  7. Letitgo [Original Radio Edit] [feat. Kathleen Bradford] (4:15)
  8. Letitgo [feat. Kathleen Bradford] (5:33)
Space, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Space

Warner Bros. Records

Released
1 November 1994
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
No Release
Cover/Art
J.C. Munson
Formats
  1. Space [Universal Love Radio Remix] (3:58)
  2. Space (4:28)
Space EP, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Space EP

Warner Bros. Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
1 November 1994
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
No Release
Cover/Art
J.C. Munson
Format
  1. Space [Universal Love Radio Remix] (3:58)
  2. Space [Universal Love Remix] (6:10)
  3. Space [Funky Stuff Remix] (5:41)
  4. Space [Acoustic Remix] (4:41)
  5. Space [Funky Stuff Dub] (4:48)
Space EP, single from Come, Warner Bros. Records (1994)

Space EP

Warner Bros. Records

12"/Maxi-Single


Released
1 November 1994
US Chart Peak
Did not chart
UK Chart Peak
No Release
Cover/Art
J.C. Munson
Format
  1. Space [Universal Love Remix] (6:10)
  2. Space [Funky Stuff Remix] (5:41)
  3. Space [Funky Stuff Dub] (4:48)
  4. Space [Acoustic Remix] (4:41)
  5. Space (4:28)

Supporting tour

Act II Tour

Act II Tour

1993

  • 27 shows from 26 July to 7 September, 1993

Come album review

Judge the quality of an album by the amount of times it is played. And this I play a lot. Come is the ‘Prince is dead. Long live Prince Love Symbol‘ album and that of the single-word titles, well, he did cheat with Letitgo but appreciate his vision. Prince lets slip a personal secret that oral sex with him clears ten minutes, and with the title track you live every second of it. He thumps through Pheromone, soars with Space and bites with Loose! showcasing his prowess with dance music, Prince never one to not master new genres. Come has great range, from the delicious bass line of Race and the grinding Come the LP peaks at the voyeuristic Pheromone, right down even to the much overlooked yet masterful Solo. Prince laments his past with Papa and Dark – the latter topping out the album with utmost class worthy of any Prince classic.

The radio friendly tunes are found in Space and Letitgo and no surprising they were also the LP’s only singles; the remixes, particularly Universal Love Remix, are among his very best. Belying the gusto of the album, the funereal outlook of the cover reveals the gloom in his relationship with Warner Brothers which caused Prince to kill off his birth name in 1993. Unfortunately for Prince Love Symbol the inharmonious wake of Prince’s ‘death’ was to linger three more years. Anyone who tells you Prince’s 90’s output was no match for the 80’s, tell them to think again.

Come is rated 5 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.

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