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Lovesexy
Warner Bros. Records
He had a dream in which he experienced a religious vision.
Released as one continuous track to ensure it was listened to as one body of work, rather than as separate tracks where one would be played more than another, Lovesexy is an evolution to Prince’s earlier experiment with Around The World In A Day for which he delayed the release of its first single, Raspberry Beret, by a whole month so to ensure people had listened to the entire album first.
Lovesexy began as a bit of a rush project. Written and recorded in haste during December 1987 to replace his suddenly withdrawn hip-hop venture The Black Album. Lovesexy was complete by the end of January 1988, and consequently is one of the fastest albums turned around from creation to retail in music history. It was also the first album to be recorded at Prince’s newly completed Paisley Park Studios, a sprawling $10m custom built studios and tour rehearsals facility built in the rural outskirts of Minneapolis.
Lovesexy sold 1 million copies in the US, but more importantly 1.6 million elsewhere – Prince’s first album to sell copies overseas than at home. The album is certified Gold by RIAA, and only one of its three singles, Alphabet St., managed to chart in America (Alphabet St. was also Prince’s first single to be issued on CD). Due to poor sales in the US, Prince centred the supporting Lovesexy Live tour in Europe, where the album enjoyed greater success; peaking at number 1 in the UK charts.

Cover story
The artwork for Lovesexy sparked as much interest as the music. Mimmiking The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the cover art pictures Prince reclining naked, with a lily stamen positioned above his groin. This prompted many retailers electing to conceal the artwork under black plastic wrapping (Wal-Mart refusing to sell it at all), deeming it too risqué to display in store.
Performers
- All Instruments
- Prince
- Drums
- Sheila E. Eye No and Alphabet St.
- Guitar
- Miko Weaver Eye No
- Keyboards
- Matt "Dr." Fink Eye No
- Bass Guitar
- Levi Seacer Jr. Eye No
- Saxophone
- Eric Leeds
- Trumpet
- Matthew Blistan "Atlanta Bliss"
Data
- Producer
- Prince
- Label
- Paisley Park Records
- Distribution
- Warner Bros. Records
- Cover/Design
- Jean Baptiste Mondino and Laura LiPuma
- Released
- 32 years, 9 months ago on 6 May 1988
- Running Time
- 45:07
- US Chart Peak
- 11
- UK Chart Peak
- 1
- Prince Album
- #10
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
- Eye No [feat. Ingrid Chavez] (5:47)
- Alphabet St. [feat. Cat Glover] (5:38) 1
- Glam Slam (5:04) 1
- Anna Stesia (4:56)
- Dance On (3:44)
- Lovesexy (5:48)
- When 2 R In Love (4:01)
- I Wish U Heaven (2:43) 1
- Positivity (7:15)
1 Released as singles.
Singles from Lovesexy

Alphabet St.
Paisley Park Records
- Released
- 15 April 1988
- US Chart Peak
- 8
- UK Chart Peak
- 9
- Formats
-
- Alphabet St. [Edit] (2:25)
- Alphabet St. [Cont.] (3:14)
![Alphabet St. [Maxi Single] single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)](https://goldiesparade.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/AlphabetSt.jpg)
Alphabet St. [Maxi Single]
Paisley Park Records
- Released
- 23 April 1988
- US Chart Peak
- 8
- UK Chart Peak
- 9
- Formats
-
- Alphabet St. (5:40)
- Alphabet St. (This Is Not Music, This Is A Trip) (7:48)

Glam Slam
Paisley Park Records
- Released
- 11 July 1988
- US Chart Peak
- -
- UK Chart Peak
- 29
- Formats
-
- Glam Slam [Edit] (3:28)
- Escape [Edit] (3:30)
![Glam Slam [Maxi Single] single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)](https://goldiesparade.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/glamslam-1.jpg)
Glam Slam [Maxi Single]
Paisley Park Records
- Released
- 11 July 1988
- US Chart Peak
- No Release
- UK Chart Peak
- 29
- Format
-
- Glam Slam [Edit] (3:28)
- Escape [Edit] (3:30)
- Glam Slam [Remix] (8:52)
![Glam Slam [Maxi Single] single from Lovesexy, Paisley Park Records (1988)](https://goldiesparade.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/glamslam-maxi.png)
Glam Slam [Maxi Single]
Paisley Park Records
- Released
- 16 July 1988
- US Chart Peak
- -
- UK Chart Peak
- 29
- Format
-
- Glam Slam [Remix] (8:52)
- Escape (Free Yo Mind From This Rat Race) (6:26)

I Wish U Heaven
Paisley Park Records
- Released
- 20 September 1988
- US Chart Peak
- -
- UK Chart Peak
- 24
- Formats
-
- I Wish U Heaven (Part 1, 2 & 3) (10:12)
- Scarlet Pussy [Prince as Camille, feat. Sheila E] (6:09)
Supporting tour
Lovesexy Tour
1988/9
- Lovesexy ’88 (Europe & USA)
69 shows from 8 July to 29 November, 1988 - Lovesexy ’89 (Japan)
8 shows from 1 to 13 February 1989
Lovesexy – review
Yes! My favorite Prince album of the 80s, because Prince obviously adapted to pressure as Lovesexy was a rush job to replace The Black Album pulled after Prince, and probably the record executives, got a bad case of cold feet over its negative slant; When 2 R In Love being the only track to survive The Black Album to end up on wholesome Lovesexy. The naughtiness is not entirely eradicated, in fact the new theme became spirituality, yet it was to be instead the cover, not the musical content of the album, that aroused a stir. Lovesexy offers first class sound. The mid-80s was a time which Prince could do no wrong and the public’s love affair with his music was the more stronger following this awesome collection. The only way is to listen to the album is right the way through (literally on the single tracked CD version) and only goes to demonstrate that all Prince’s albums are written as cohesive collections, than the disjointed drivel bands churn out today. Lovesexy treats the listener to a highly rewarding and uplifting journey, perfectly complementing the previous track with the next. Yet the album still offers diversity; the world beating pop of Alphabet St., the sweeping Glam Slam, to the pulsating Dance On, and the personification of divinity with Anna Stesia. Closing with Positivity, Lovesexy, coming off the back of abject negativity, crowns a halo to Prince’s astonishing repertoire.
Lovesexy is rated 5 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
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