3121

For other uses, see 3121 (disambiguation).
3121
Studio album by Prince
Released March 21, 2006
Recorded November 2004 – 2005
Studio 3121 and Paisley Park
Genre R&B, funk, rock, electronica
Length 53:42
Label NPG, Universal
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
The Slaughterhouse
(2004)		 3121
(2006)		 Ultimate Prince
(2006)
Singles from 3121
  1. "Te Amo Corazón"
    Released: December 20, 2005
  2. "Black Sweat"
    Released: February 7, 2006
  3. "Fury"
    Released: June 27, 2006
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(69/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauA−[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
New York Timesfavorable[6]
NewsdayA[7]
Pitchfork Media(6.0/10)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
StylusA−[10]
Village Voicefavorable[11]

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.

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.[12]

The title of the album was believed to be a reference to the address of Prince's rented Los Angeles mansion. A lawsuit filed against Prince by the landlord (NBA player Carlos Boozer) indicates an entirely different address (1235 Sierra Alta Way).[13] However, Prince has repeatedly referred to the property as "3121"; indeed, the lawsuit alleges he painted 3121 on the exterior of the property, and the album's liner notes indicate that it was "recorded at Paisley Park Studios and 3121."

According to another explanation the album's title refers to a verse in the Bible (Psalm 31:21). "Blessed be Jehovah (God/Yahweh), For he has rendered wonderful loving-kindness to me in a city under stress." Prince made a reference to this during a performance of the title track on the 2006 BET Awards; "Where's the real party at? Shake your tambourines! BET read Psalms; that's where it is."

A further explanation reveals that 3121 refers to the album being Prince's 31st release and the release date being the 21st.

Album sessions started in November 2004 with the recording of the song "3121" 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.

After Prince's death in April 2016, 3121 became one of the most sought-after of his back catalogue. As of September 2016, copies are currently selling for an average cost of £25 ($33).

Track listing

All tracks written by Prince, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
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

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 18
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 15
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[18] 2
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[19] 3
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[20] 24
French Albums (SNEP)[21] 8
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 4
Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] 10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[24] 5
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[25] 40
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 18
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 9
US Billboard 200[29] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[31] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "3121 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: 3121 > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Prince". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  4. ↑ Fiore, Raymond (20 March 2006). "3121 (2006): Prince". Entertainment Weekly. Time. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  5. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (19 March 2006). "The doves can stop crying now". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  6. ↑ Pareles, Jon (20 March 2006). "Puttin' on the Funk, Playing Sly Games". The New York Times. Prince: "3121". ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  7. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (20 March 2006). "Backstage Pass: Prince, "3121"". Newsday. Archived from the original on 16 November 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Tangari, Joe (20 March 2006). "Prince: 3121". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Christgau, Robert (6 April 2006). "Prince's New Sensation". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  10. ↑ Inskeep, Thomas (31 March 2006). "Prince: 3121". Stylus. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  11. ↑ Cooper, Carol (25 April 2006). "Princely Digs". The Village Voice. New York. ISSN 0042-6180. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "3121". Prince Vault. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  13. ↑ "Extreme Makeover: Prince Edition". The Smoking Gun. 20 March 2006. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  14. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – 3121" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – 3121" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – 3121" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – 3121" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Prince: 3121" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – 3121" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – 3121". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Prince | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  30. ↑ "British album certifications – Prince – 3121". British Phonographic Industry. Enter 3121 in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  31. ↑ "American album certifications – Prince – 3121". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

Preceded by
High School Musical Soundtrack		 Billboard 200 number-one album
April 2–8, 2006 		Succeeded by
King by T.I.
Studio albums
Live albums
Remix albums
Compilation albums
The NPG albums
The NPG Orchestra albums
Madhouse albums
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