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Musicology Prince album
Columbia Records
albumDon’t you miss the feeling music gave ya back in the day?
Recorded in sessions held at Metalworks Studios, Toronto and at Paisley Park Studios, Minnesota throughout 2003, Musicology became Prince’s most successful album of the decade. The album is a nostalgic celebration of old school funk, honouring the musicianship of James Brown and Earth, Wind & Fire. Musicology debuted in digital format, downloadable from Prince’s subscription platform npgmusicclub.com on 29 March 2004, three weeks ahead of its commercial release in physical format on 20 April under Columbia Records. Having tested various avenues in music to find the mainstream again; exploring R&B with Emancipation, returning to funk with Newpower Soul, then his most pop-centric album in a decade Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, and finally jazz funk fusion with The Rainbow Children, Musicology is significant in that it was considered to mark the commercial ‘comeback’ of Prince since his departure from Warner Bros Records back in 1996. It was also his first album under a major label in five years since Arista Records for Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic of 1999.
Prince celebrated the release of Musicology with a performance staged at New York’s Webster Hall on the night of its commercial issue, 20 April. This 40-minute show was filmed and subsequently aired on MTV and BET on April 28th as a special broadcast titled The Art Of Musicology. The footage captured at this show of Prince performing Dear Mr. Man was included as the enhanced B-side on the UK single Cinnamon Girl.
Prince’s touted comeback was not a matter of chance but the result of a concerted media supported effort. The release of Musicology coincided with Prince’s 15 March 2004 induction to the prestigious Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. During that ceremony, Prince joined by Tom Petty, Steve Winwood and Jeff Lynn covered While My Guitar Gently Weeps in a super band tribute to fellow inductee George Harrison. Prince’s unplanned 3-minute guitar solo stole the show and the footage became a viral hit. Promotion of the new album began on 12 February 2004 when Prince performed the track Reflection on the Tavis Smiley Show aired by PBS on the 19th, when significantly Prince was accompanied on acoustic guitar by Wendy Melvoin in what was their first public performance together since disbanding The Revolution in 1986. The confirmation of the new album followed on 24th February at a special press conference at the El Rey Theatre in Hollywood, during which Prince announced Musicology would be supported with a full scale US tour, which opened on March 27th. During the El Rey press conference, Prince confirmed he was in talks with the major records labels to have them all release the album as a united front. Naturally the majors were not on board with sharing the release and so Prince decided upon a novel approach to distribute it and give the album away at the concerts.
The success of Musicology was no doubt bolstered by the Musicology Live 2004ever Tour, one of the highest grossing concert runs of 2004. Taking a grassroots approach to distribute the music, the price of CD was absorbed into the ticket of the shows, which ran until 11 September 2004. Giving the album away at concerts did not sit comfortably with Columbia Records, the label distributing the wider retail release. The Columbia deal was brokered through an agreement with its CEO Don Ienner, a simple arrangement guaranteeing Prince retaining the creative control and ownership of his recordings. The commercial release followed on 20 April (19 April in the UK) at which point the tour was already in full swing. Retailing initially 100,000 copies, Musicology peaked on Billboard at number 3. With total sales rising to 632,000 over first five weeks, and eventually to near 3 million worldwide, Musicology is Prince’s best-selling album in decades. Under the existing rules of Soundscan, the outfit tracking music sales, it meant the 158,000 copies of Musicology handed to every attendee since its 20 April commercial release counted towards the total sales of the CD and qualified for the Billboard album chart. The strategy to give the album away at the concerts was hatched between Prince and his lawyer Londell McMillan prior to reaching the distribution deal with Columbia for the commercial release. Although this first of a kind method of distribution introduced his new album to the masses, it sparked concern in the industry that fans attending multiple shows and receiving multiple copies of the album throughout the run of the arena tour scheduled to play four nights a week until September made its charting unfair. It prompted Billboard to change its eligibility from 28 May by barring any subsequent releases included in the price of concert tickets from its charts, it would continue to allow the ultimately 400,000 units of Musicology handed out remain eligible. Despite the rule change numerous artists have adopted this distribution model since.
Coupled with a succession of high profile events and a resoundingly successful tour, and the album’s musical direction harking a clear return to the Prince of old, the commercial achievement of Musicology met also profound critical success. Its tracks Musicology and Call My Name each won Grammy awards in 2005 for vocal R&B performance, securing Prince’s first wins since Kiss in 1987. Musicology also gathered nominations for Best Male Pop Performance (for Cinnamon Girl), Best R&B Song (Call My Name) and Best R&B Album. At the AMAs Musicology was nominated for R&B Album. Musicology became the 25th highest selling album of 2004 and was certified double Platinum by RIAA on 31 January 2005 at achieving sales of 2 million. Musicology also charted within the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and UK – landing Gold certification in the latter on 14 May 2004.
The title track and first single was issued two days after the retail album. Considering Prince’s habit of issuing previously unreleased gems as B-sides in his past singles, the album’s main single Musicology comprised simply of edited versions of tracks already available on LP. The single consequently didn’t even make the Hot 100. Call My Name followed on 21 May, available as only a one-track promotional CD issued in the US, although not an official single its airplay on the radio gave it the traction to deliver Prince’s only second promo single since Hot Thing to chart in the Hot 100, at number 75. Unhappy with Columbia’s promotion of the album, Prince dropped its second retail single Cinnamon Girl under his own NPG Records on CD on 28 September 2004 in the US, two weeks after the closing show of his tour. This time, the single boasted enhanced content including the song’s promotional video. Columbia’s issuing of Cinnamon Girl was therefore a Europe only release, which came on 8 November bearing both footage and audio versions of the Webster Hall performance including the non-album track United States Of Division, meeting greater impression in the singles chart Cinnamon Girl peaked at number 43 in the UK.
The revolution is over
The sentiment that Musicology heralded Prince’s commercial comeback was coupled with 2004 already being a high profile year; Prince having opened the Grammy awards on 8 February, and his induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame commemorating what was the 20th anniversary of Purple Rain – events all aligning at the time the album came out. Having faltered on his previous ‘comeback’ record Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic with Arista which sold only 500,000 copies in 1999, Prince was keen to disparage suggestions Musicology was a reattempt relaunch himself into the commercial mainstream. But a comeback release it unarguably was. Musicology sold more certified copies than the combined total of Prince’s seven albums released since his departure from Warner Brothers in 1996. And his subsequent albums after Musicology (his first top-ten LP since The Gold Experience in 1995) would all land within the top 5 in the Billboard chart (1, 3, 2 and 5). Musicology was undeniably the kick start to the revival witnessed in his late career.
Famously unsentimental in his past, Prince’s return to bare bones and accessible music is owed to the circumstances the album was created. Enjoying this new phase in his life having relocated to Canada in 2002, the hometown of his second wife Manuella Testolini, Musicology largely comprises freshly written material, drawn on introspection in the approaching twilight of his career. This is save for the album’s oldest tracks, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life originating from 1996, and the ballad A Million Days created during the sessions for The Truth in May 1997. These and the remainder of the album were worked throughout 2003. For two months, Prince ensconced himself at Metalworks Studios, an unassuming facility in the suburb of Mississauga in the outreaches of Toronto, tracking and laying down the basis of the album in studio #6. Prince even had it fitted out with a whole new speaker system so to experience exactly how he envisioned the music to be played back by the listener. The final touches and mixing of Musicology continued back at Paisley Park later in the year and into early 2004.
Musicology was significantly Prince’s first largely solo project again – playing the majority of the instruments himself, which was not the case with his recent projects. Prince found it a cathartic experience creating this album of stripped back, uncomplicated tracks. Recording in Canada got him back to a basic sound he believed could not otherwise achieved had he created the album in America. Testolini would not be the muse Prince found in Mayte. Although Testolini’s sister Ornella Bonaccorsi gives the spoken outro to What Do U Want Me 2 Do? there is no anecdotal evidence Testolini is inspiration behind any of the tracks featured this album. Rather than bemoan the state of the music industry, Musicology is confirmation that Prince wanted to be noticed again, beyond his established fanbase. It is certainly the most significant release in his post Warner career.
Cover story
The artwork covering the retail issue of Musicology quite literally portrays Prince emerging from the shadows. This was a moment in which life would imitate art, as having spent much of his years as an independent artist the album saw Prince’s return to the music mainstream. The image is a shot by Prince’s photographer Afshin Shahidi. So pleased with the effect of shadow in the cover used in the One Nite Alone… Live! in 2002, Minneapolis based light-smith Jake Armour was re-enlisted to assist with 2004’s Musicology, producing striking results. The accompanying booklet is designed by Prince’s graphic artist Sam Jennings, adopting the style of a textbook.
2019 reissue
Following Prince’s death in 2016, Musicology was included in the inaugural batch of three albums to receive commercial reissue by Sony Legacy Recordings which issued these on 8 February 2019. The release also occasioned the album’s first pressing on vinyl – issued as purple coloured, double disc gatefold LP. It brought about the reentry of Musicology in the US Billboard 200, albeit tentatively at number 170.
Performers
- Vocals / all Instr
- Prince
- Drums
- John Blackwell The Marrying Kind, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life, On The Couch and Dear Mr. Man
- Bass Guitar
- Rhonda Smith Dear Mr. Man
- Keyboards
- Renato Neto Dear Mr. Man
- Alto Sax
- Maceo Parker The Marrying Kind, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life and On The Couch
- Saxophone
- Candy Dulfer Life O' The Party, The Marrying Kind, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life, On The Couch and Dear Mr. Man
- Maceo Parker If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life, On The Couch and Dear Mr. Man
- Trombone
- Greg Boyer The Marrying Kind, If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life and On The Couch
- Shaker
- Sheila E Dear Mr. Man
- Orchestration
- Clare Fischer Call My Name
Data
- Producer
- Prince
- Label
- NPG Records
- Distribution
- Columbia Records
- Cover/Design
- Afshin Shahidi, Sam Jennings and Jeremy Gavin
- Released
- 22 years ago on 20 April 2004
- Reissued
- 8 February 2019
- Running Time
- 47:26
- US Chart Peak
- 3
- US R&B Peak
- 3
- UK Chart Peak
- 3
- Prince Album
- #28
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
- Musicology (4:23)
- Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance (4:45)
- A Million Days (3:49)
- Life O' The Party [feat. Chance Howard and Candy Dulfer] (5:14)
- Call My Name [feat. Stokey Williams, Chance Howard and Kip Blackshire] (3:56)
- Cinnamon Girl [feat. Candy Dulfer, Rhonda Smith and Chance Howard] (3:56)
- What Do U Want Me 2 Do? [spoken outro Ornella Bonaccorsi] (4:14)
- The Marrying Kind (2:49)
- If Eye Was The Man In Ur Life (3:08)
- On The Couch (3:33)
- Dear Mr. Man (3:14)
- Reflection (3:03)
- Musicology [Video] (4:57) 1
Released as a single
1 Enhanced content.
Singles from Musicology
Musicology
NPG Records
- Released
- 22 April 2004
- Distribution
- Columbia Records
- US Chart Peak
- 120
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Cover/Art
- Jeremy Gavin
- Format
-
- Musicology (4:36)
- On The Couch (3:33)
- Magnificent [virtual B-side] (4:30)
Cinnamon Girl
NPG Records
- Released
- 28 September 2004
- Distribution
- NPG Records
- US Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- UK Chart Peak
- No release
- Cover/Art
- Samuel Jennings
- Format
-
- Cinnamon Girl [feat. Candy Dulfer, Rhonda Smith and Chance Howard] (3:56)
- Cinnamon Girl [Video] [enhanced content] (4:04)
- Cinnamon Girl: XPOSED [Making of the video] [enhanced content] (5:15)
- United States Of Division [virtual B-side] (6:18)
Cinnamon Girl
NPG Records
- Released
- 8 November 2004
- Distribution
- Columbia Records
- US Chart Peak
- No release
- UK Chart Peak
- 43
- Cover/Art
- Sheryl Nields
- Format
-
- Cinnamon Girl [feat. Candy Dulfer, Rhonda Smith and Chance Howard] (3:56)
- Dear Mr. Man [Live at Webster Hall, 20 April 2004] (4:14)
- United States Of Division [feat. Candy Dulfer and Rhonda Smith] (6:18)
- Dear Mr. Man [Live at Webster Hall] [Video] [enhanced content] (4:14)
Supporting tour
Musicology album review
After a run of pleasant but hardly accessible albums N.E.W.S, Xpectation and One Nite Alone… it was fair to say Prince was heading down a rut. Even his One Nite Alone Tour was billed, albeit it never officially, his farewell shows. Then something happened, Musicology arrived to much needed surprise both to fans’ and more so Prince since it turned out to be his most successful album and tour since Diamonds And Pearls of 1991/2; be that chance or design he sure needed it. “Music comes before the ‘ology” explained Prince about the album he intended as an education in music – schools in for Musicology.
In Musicology we see a more chilled out Prince succumbing to his long awaited return to commercialism and interest in charts, rewarding fans with a much awaited ‘proper’ more familiar sounding Prince album. Full of radio-friendly tunes having found his voice again since the instrumental mishits of the two preceding albums. Musicology heralds Prince’s commercial reawakening and wider audience appeal from which made his name in the ’80s and dedicated the 90’s trying to disassociate his name. It is clear Prince ached to be played on the radio again. Musicology is catchy and the tracks are commercially consumable four minutes apiece. Although not artful as The Rainbow Children (this is intentional) Musicology is equally inspired and more importantly his ‘comeback’ album (although Prince himself never attested that fact). For someone who despised nostalgia Musicology is a backward looking album rekindling the music of yesteryear. His disinterest in listening to the radio sees that his answer for remaining relevant to current music trends is to draw upon the past. That’s not a negative, as it showed Prince was more accepting of his legacy if he was no longer pioneering music. Still Musicology offers plenty of outstanding moments with A Million Days, Call My Name, Cinnamon Girl, The Marrying Kind and Dear Mr. Man all making truly enjoyable listening. Prince’s song craft of course never left him.
The surprisingly down-to-earth Musicology hits its stride perfectly but does it give a musical ‘ology’? No. It is more commercial than conceptual – Prince’s ‘break glass in case of emergency’ album since Paisley Park still has bills to pay. If only all studying was as enjoyable; Life O’ The Party springs to life with repeated listening, underlining the quality of the overall work. After 10 years in chart abyss Prince discovered that radio friendly tunes did not have to come at the price of undermining creative freedom. Musicology is Prince’s love letter to “back in the day”, ex-bandmate reunifications, simple melodies and a good taste of the Prince of old. He once said money and art don’t mix. Perhaps Musicology is proof it can.
Musicology is rated 4 out of 5 by Goldies Parade.
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