The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (Prince song)

"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
Single by Prince
from the album The Beautiful Experience and The Gold Experience
B-side
  • "Beautiful"
  • "Beautiful" (Extended Club Mix by Simon Harris) (UK 12")
  • "Beautiful Beats" (UK 12")
Released February 24, 1994
Format 7" single
12" single
Cassette single
CD single
Recorded Paisley Park Studios September 20, 1993; Late January 1994
Genre
Length 4:07 (single edit)
4:37 (original mix)
4:25 (Gold Experience version)
Label NPG, Bellmark, Edel
Songwriter(s) Prince
Producer(s) Prince, Ricky Peterson
Prince singles chronology
"Peach"
(1993)		 "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
(1994)		 "Pope"
(1994)
Music video
«The Most Beautiful Girl in The World» on YouTube
Prince (UK) singles chronology
"Controversy"
(1993) Controversy1993		 "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"
(1994) The Most Beautiful Girl in the World1994		 "Letitgo"
(1994) Letitgo1994

"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is the lead single from the 1994 EP The Beautiful Experience by Prince (The Artist Formerly Known As Prince), and his 1995 album The Gold Experience. In his singles chronology, it was his third major release since changing his stage name to "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince" or "TAFKAP." In his albums chronology, it along with the EP was his second release after changing his name. With the consent of Prince's usual record distributor Warner Bros. Records, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" was released by NPG Records and Edel Music, and independently distributed by Bellmark Records, under the control and guidance of Music of Life, as a one-off single, topping five different charts.

The single was released in February 1994 in the United Kingdom, and remains Prince's only number one single in the UK Singles Chart,[1] and was shortly followed by an EP of remixes titled The Beautiful Experience that also charted on #18 in the chart in the United Kingdom. The version that was released on The Gold Experience is a different mix of the song.

Development

The original track is a slow-grooving ballad that serenades a beautiful woman, his soon-to-be fiancé, Mayte Garcia. The song was played during the Miss USA pageant in 1994, but not in full. It was widely advertised in news and trade magazines that a new song from Prince would be premiered at the pageant. The ads had Prince sitting in a chair with a hat pulled down over his face, and Garcia standing next to his chair. The song was officially released on February 24, 1994. It later appeared on The Gold Experience.

The version on The Gold Experience is remixed. The drums are more crisp in the mix, and there are slight instrumental changes. There are also added sound effects and instrumental breaks in the second version. The bridge is slightly more robust as well. The song is still based in light guitar, keyboards and live drums. Although most of the song is sung in falsetto with Prince reaching some extremely high notes, the final bridge has him using his regular voice as well as a lower baritone range in one small segment.

The song was a worldwide hit and established Prince's ability to succeed commercially under his new name, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold by the RIAA and sold 700,000 copies domestically.[2][3] However, the song was his last top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 during his lifetime.[4]

It became his first and only United Kingdom No. 1 single under any name as a performer.[1] He did have two other United Kingdom number ones as a songwriter: the 1984 hit single "I Feel for You" covered by Chaka Khan and Sinéad O'Connor's 1990 cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U". Prince danced to his own song "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" after the World Music Awards at an after show event with Kylie Minogue in 1994.

Track listings

Single
  1. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (single edit) – 4:06
  2. "Beautiful" (single edit) – 3:54
United Kingdom 12"
  1. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" – 4:07
  2. "Beautiful" – 3:57
  3. "Beautiful" (extended club mix by Simon Harris) – 6:25

Charts

Mayte version

Mayte Garcia later recorded her own version called "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World". The song appears on her album Child of the Sun. It has the same instrumental backing track with extra reverb, and her vocals, with a few slight ad-lib changes. It was released by NPG Records.

Cover versions

Bibliography

  • Uptown: The Vault – The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince: Nilsen Publishing 2004, ISBN 91-631-5482-X

References

  1. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 565. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ↑ "American certifications – Prince – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". Recording Industry Association of America.
  3. ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 1994". Billboard. BPI Communications. 107 (3): 57. January 21, 1995. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ↑ Trust, Gary (2016-05-02). "Desiigner Holds Off Drake Atop Hot 100, Prince & Beyonce Hit Top 10". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  5. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2491." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. May 7, 1994. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.04.1994 - 13.04.1994)" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir - Tónlist. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  13. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  14. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1994" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". VG-lista. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  20. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Symbol – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Prince – Chart History: The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Prince – Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Prince – Chart History: Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Prince – Chart History: Rhythmic Top 40". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  28. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  29. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 Hits for 1994". Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Southern Living". Narada.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Southern Living Alex Bugnon". JazzTimes.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
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