Around The World in a Day by Prince
When I first heard the music of the artist -Prince- I was 15 years old. As a youth, pop culture was one of my drugs of choice, and VH1's I Love the 70s, 80s, & 90s was constantly playing at home. Through my exposure to this television show, I became aware of the world of Prince. The first Prince songs on my iPod were the stereotypical classics, Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, and 1999. At 17, I was fully immersed in my parents’ record collections, and I was constantly spinning 1982's 1999 in its entirety, and 1985's Around the World in A Day. Prince a child prodigy began his career at 19. A talented multi-instrumentalist Prince produced, arranged, composed, and performed all the tracks on this Album. What Genius. My Love for Prince picked up steam in my 20s as the darker sides of the counterculture entered my purview. Let's say to put it mildly there were late nights spent listening to Dance. Music. Sex. Romance. On repeat. Luckily, when the dust cleared, I was still here in the land of the living. Prince's story is legendary and one that takes many interesting twists, turns, and features unique characters.
Around The World in a Day is Prince's seventh Album. Riding high from the commercial success of Purple Rain, Prince shied away from following up the release with more of the same to appease the record company. The Album opens with a banger, "Around The World in a Day," letting you know this will be a fun time for all. Prince was on a psychedelic spin, and the texture of the album is bizarre and varied. When the Album came out the wild style of the iconography on the cover drew comparisons to The Beatle's album art on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Prince denied this influence in an interview. The second song on the Album Paisley Park references Prince's home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The plans for the Paisley Park Mansion had freshly been designed in 1985. Critics also connected the sonic character of this track to the Beatles. Condition of the Heart is in stark contrast to the previous tracks on the Album taking the listener deep inwards following a meditative groove. The 4rth song Raspberry Beret is my and probably everyone’s favorite on the Album. This song is filled with whimsical light energy that rewards the listener with a damn good time. Tamborine is an odd psychedelic shuffle that features a line about staying home alone and playing a tambourine.. not the most sorrowful thing ever? The next track, America, is a new American anthem for the roaring mid 1980's. Pop Life, "What's the matter with your life?" is my favorite track on the back half of the album. Prince asks, "Is it poverty bringing you down?" “What you putting in your nose? Is that where all your money goes? The River of addiction flows”. Check out the 9 minute 12” version, it’s better than the Album version. The Ladder is a slow jam harkening back to the spiritual themes of early American Black Music "Everybody's looking 4 the ladder, Everybody wants salvation of the soul, The steps U take are no easy road, But the reward is great, 4 those who want 2 go". The Album Closes with "Temptation," a wild 8-minute track that follows one of Prince's main themes, the temptations of sex.
Peace & Love
Will
RIP PRINCE
