3121

3121 (pronounced "thirty-one twenty-one") is the thirty-first studio album by American musician Prince. It was released on March 21, 2006 (or, on 3/21). 3121 was released by NPG Records and distributed, under a "one-album deal", by Universal Music.

For other uses, see 3121 (disambiguation).

3121
Studio album by
Prince
ReleasedMarch 21, 2006
RecordedNovember 2004 – early 2006[1]
Studio3121 and Paisley Park
Genre
Length53:42
LabelNPG, Universal
ProducerPrince
Prince chronology
Musicology
(2004)		 3121
(2006)		 Ultimate Prince
(2006)
Singles from 3121
  1. "Te Amo Corazón"
    Released: December 20, 2005
  2. "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed"
    Released: January 2006
  3. "Black Sweat"
    Released: February 7, 2006
  4. "Fury"
    Released: June 27, 2006
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
NewsdayA[7]
Pitchfork6.0/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
SpinB[10]
Stylus MagazineA−[11]
The Village VoiceA−[12]

3121 reinforced Prince's big comeback after the critical success of Musicology (2004). It is the only Prince album ever to debut at number one (during his lifetime) on the Billboard 200, with over 180,000 copies sold in its first week.[13] It knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot, and became Prince's first number one album since Batman in 1989.[14] Eventually it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[15]

Album information

The album's first single, "Te Amo Corazón", was released in the United States on December 13, 2005; the second single, "Black Sweat", was released on February 2, 2006.[16] The record is one of the first to utilize the autotune effect.

The album title refers to Prince's rental home at 3121 Antelo Rd, Los Angeles. [17] Later homes rented by Prince were colloquially referred to as "3121", including a home owned by professional basketball player Carlos Boozer.[18]

Album sessions started in November 2004 with the recording of the song "3121" at Paisley Park with Michael Bland and Sonny T.[19]

A limited number of albums included "purple tickets", whose finders were flown in from Europe, Asia, Mexico and the US to attend a semi-private performance (along with a long list of celebrities) at Prince's home in Los Angeles.[20]

Tickets for the Earth tour in 2007 in London's O2 arena were priced at £31.21, echoing the title of this album.[21]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Prince

3121 track listing
No.TitleLength
1."3121"4:31
2."Lolita"4:06
3."Te Amo Corazón"3:35
4."Black Sweat"3:12
5."Incense and Candles"4:04
6."Love"5:45
7."Satisfied"2:50
8."Fury"4:02
9."The Word"4:11
10."Beautiful, Loved and Blessed" (featuring Támar)5:43
11."The Dance"5:20
12."Get On the Boat"6:18

Personnel
  • Michael Bland (on "3121"), Cora Coleman Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón," "Get On the Boat") – drums
  • Sonny T (on "3121"), Joshua Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón," "Get On the Boat") – bass
  • Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer and Ray – horn section
  • Herbert Urena, Ricky Salas (on "Te Amo Corazón"), Sheila E. (on "Get On the Boat") – percussion
  • Clare Fischer – string arrangements
  • The New Power Generation (shouts), Támar (and co-lead on "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed") – additional and backing vocals
  • Prince – all other instruments and voices

Technical

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for 3121
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Album: 3121 - Prince Vault".
  2. "3121 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: 3121 > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  4. Catucci, Nick (March 21, 2006). "The purple sex machine comes to reclaim pop prominence". Blender. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  5. Fiore, Raymond (March 20, 2006). "3121 (2006): Prince". Entertainment Weekly. Time. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  6. Cromelin, Richard (March 19, 2006). "The doves can stop crying now". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  7. Gamboa, Glenn (March 20, 2006). "Backstage Pass: Prince, "3121"". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  8. Tangari, Joe (March 20, 2006). "Prince: 3121". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  9. Christgau, Robert (April 6, 2006). "Prince's New Sensation". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  10. Hermes, Will (May 2, 2006). "Prince: 3121". Spin. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  11. Inskeep, Thomas (March 31, 2006). "Prince: 3121". Stylus. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  12. Christgau, Robert (May 2, 2006). "Consumer Guide: Dear Mr. President". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 2, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  13. Jason Draper (November 2016). Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition. Book Sales. pp. 173–. ISBN 978-0-7858-3497-7.
  14. Orloff, Brian (March 29, 2006). "Prince's "3121" Tops the Chart". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  15. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  16. "3121". Prince Vault. August 22, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  17. Matt Thorne (October 2, 2012). Prince. Faber & Faber. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-0-571-27326-3.
  18. Richardson, Brenda. "For $30 Million, The Los Angeles Mansion That Prince Painted Purple Could Be Yours". Forbes.
  19. Amendola, Billy (August 2008). "Michael Bland Interview". Modern Drummer.
  20. Jason Draper (November 2016). Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition. Book Sales. pp. 171–. ISBN 978-0-7858-3497-7.
  21. "Prince 21 Nights at the O2 in London - 10 years on from the greatest show on Planet Earth". August 3, 2017.
  22. "Australiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  23. "Austriancharts.at – Prince – 3121" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  24. "Ultratop.be – Prince – 3121" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Prince – 3121" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  26. "Danishcharts.dk – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  27. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – 3121" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  28. "Prince: 3121" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  29. "Lescharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – 3121" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  31. "Italiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  32. "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  33. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
  34. "Spanishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  35. "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  36. "Swisscharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  37. "Prince | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  38. "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  39. "Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  40. "Jaaroverzichten 2006". Ultratop. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  41. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  42. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2006" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  43. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  44. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  45. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  46. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  47. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Prince; '3121')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  48. "British album certifications – Prince – 3121". British Phonographic Industry.
  49. "American album certifications – Prince – 3121". Recording Industry Association of America.
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