1999 (Prince album)

1999
Studio album by
Prince and the Revolution
ReleasedOctober 27, 1982 (1982-10-27)
RecordedJanuary–August 1982
Studio
Genre
Length70:29
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerPrince
Prince chronology
Controversy
(1981) 		1999
(1982) 		Purple Rain
(1984)
Singles from 1999
  1. "1999"
    Released: September 24, 1982
  2. "Little Red Corvette"
    Released: February 9, 1983
  3. "Delirious"
    Released: August 17, 1983
  4. "Automatic"
    Released: August 1983 (non-US single)
  5. "Let's Pretend We're Married"
    Released: November 23, 1983

1999 is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter and musician Prince, released on October 27, 1982, by Warner Bros. Records. It became his first album to be recorded with his band the Revolution. 1999's critical and commercial success propelled Prince to a place in the public psyche and marked the beginning of two years of heightened fame via his following releases.[9]

1999 was Prince's first top 10 album on the Billboard 200, charting at number nine upon release, and was fifth in the Billboard Year-End Albums of 1983. "1999", a protest against nuclear proliferation, was a Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit, peaking at number 12. It has since become one of Prince's most recognizable compositions. "Delirious" reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Little Red Corvette" peaked at number six, becoming Prince's highest charting US single at the time. "International Lover" was also nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 26th Grammy Awards, which was Prince's first Grammy Award nomination.

1999 received widespread acclaim from critics, and was seen as Prince's breakthrough album. On March 24, 1999, 1999 was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Following Prince's death in 2016, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 and peaked at number seven, besting its original performance on the chart thirty-three years earlier. A re-release and remaster of the album, including 35 previously unreleased recordings, was released in November 2019.[10]

1999 has been ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time by several publications and organizations.[11] The music videos for both "1999" and "Little Red Corvette" received heavy rotation on MTV, making Prince one of the first black artists to be prominently featured on the television channel.[12] According to the Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), "1999 may be Prince's most influential album: Its synth-and-drum machine-heavy arrangements codified the Minneapolis sound that loomed over mid-'80s R&B and pop, not to mention the next two decades' worth of electro, house, and techno."[9] It is also included on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2008, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[13]

  1. ^ Nathan Brackett; Christian David Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 655. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Erlewine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Christgau was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kory Grow (November 26, 2019). "Prince's '1999' Box Set Contains Incredible Alternate Universe of Unreleased Songs". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ Format Team (April 21, 2016). "A Visual Celebration of Prince Through His Album Covers". Format. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 25, 2023. ...1999 remains a high-water mark of nuclear new wave madness...
  8. ^ de Visé, Daniel. "Thirteen New Wave Album Classics". AllMusic. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference RSguide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Prince estate to reissue '1999' along with 35 previously unreleased songs".
  11. ^ "163 | 1999 – Prince". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  12. ^ "Prince '1999' Reissue to Feature 35 Unheard Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  13. ^ "News Release: 2008 Grammy Hall of Fame Inductees Announced" (PDF). grammy.com. The Recording Academy. December 19, 2007. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2008.