3121

3121 (pronounced "thirty-one twenty-one") is the thirty-first studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on March 21, 2006. 3121 was released by NPG Records and distributed, under a "1-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
Metacritic(69/100)[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[4]
Robert ChristgauA−[5]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
The New York Timesfavorable[8]
NewsdayA[9]
Pitchfork Media(6.2/10)[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
SpinB[12]
StylusA−[13]
Village Voicefavorable[14]

3121 reinforced Prince's big comeback after the release of critical success of Musicology (2004). It became the first Prince album ever to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, with over 180,000 copies sold in its first week. It knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot, and became Prince's first number one album since Batman in 1989.[15] Eventually it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[16]

Album information

The album's first single, "Te Amo Corazón", was released in the United States on December 13, 2005, and debuted at number 20 on the VH1 countdown; the second single, "Black Sweat", was released on February 2, 2006.[17]

The album title refers to Prince's rental home at 3121 Antelo Rd, Los Angeles. Even before it was formally rented, he had begun recording the title song with lyrics "3121, gonna be so much fun".

Later homes rented by Prince were colloquially referred to as "3121", including the Carlos Boozer home, but this album was not recorded at Boozer's 1235 Sierra Alta Way address which Prince did not move to until this album was completed.

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

Ostensibly inspired by the 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Prince included a limited number of "purple tickets" with the album. Lucky winners who found tickets 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.

3121 reinforced Prince's big comeback after the release of 2004's Musicology. It became the first Prince album ever to debut at number 1, with 183,436 sold in its first week. It knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot, and became Prince's first number 1 album since 1989's Batman. Eventually it was certified Gold by the RIAA.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Prince, except where noted.

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

  • Produced by Prince
  • Photo: Afshin Shahidi
  • Designer: Sam Jennings
  • Recorded at Paisley Park Studios and 3121
  • Engineered by Ian Boxill, L. Stu Young
  • Assisted by Lisa Chamblee Hampton
  • Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering

Charts
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 18
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 15
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[22] 2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[24] 24
French Albums (SNEP)[25] 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[27] 10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[28] 5
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[29] 13
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[30] 40
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] 18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 9
US Billboard 200[34] 1

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[35] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^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. Christgau, Robert. "Prince". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  6. Fiore, Raymond (March 20, 2006). "3121 (2006): Prince". Entertainment Weekly. Time. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  7. Cromelin, Richard (March 19, 2006). "The doves can stop crying now". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  8. Pareles, Jon (March 20, 2006). "Puttin' on the Funk, Playing Sly Games". The New York Times. Prince: "3121". ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  9. Gamboa, Glenn (March 20, 2006). "Backstage Pass: Prince, "3121"". Newsday. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  10. Tangari, Joe (March 20, 2006). "Prince: 3121". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  11. Christgau, Robert (April 6, 2006). "Prince's New Sensation". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  12. Hermes, Will (May 2, 2006). "Prince: 3121". Spin. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  13. Inskeep, Thomas (March 31, 2006). "Prince: 3121". Stylus. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  14. Cooper, Carol (April 25, 2006). "Princely Digs". The Village Voice. New York. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  15. Orloff, Brian; Orloff, Brian (March 29, 2006). "Prince's "3121" Tops the Chart". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  16. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  17. "3121". Prince Vault. August 22, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  18. "Australiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  19. "Austriancharts.at – Prince – 3121" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Prince – 3121" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Prince – 3121" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  22. "Danishcharts.dk – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – 3121" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  24. "Prince: 3121" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  25. "Lescharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – 3121" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  27. "Italiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  28. "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  29. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2006.
  30. "Spanishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  31. "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  32. "Swisscharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  33. "Prince | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  34. "Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  35. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Prince; '3121')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  36. "British album certifications – Prince – 3121". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type 3121 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  37. "American album certifications – Prince – 3121". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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