3121 (album)

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"3121" redirects here. For the year, see 32nd century.
3121
File:Prince - 3121.jpg
Studio album by Prince
Released March 21, 2006
Recorded 2004–2005
Genre R&B, funk, rock, electronica
Length 53:42
Label NPG, Universal
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
The Slaughterhouse
(2004)The Slaughterhouse2004		 3121
(2006)		 Planet Earth
(2007)Planet Earth2007
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
Source Rating
Metacritic (69/100)[1]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[2]
Robert Christgau A−[3]
Entertainment Weekly C+[4]
Los Angeles Times 3/4 stars[5]
New York Times favorable[6]
Newsday A[7]
Pitchfork Media (6.0/10)[8]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[9]
Stylus A−[10]
Village Voice favorable[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 by NPG Records and distributed by Universal Records.

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 #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 #1 album since 1989's Batman. Eventually it was certified Gold by the RIAA.

Track listing

All songs written and composed 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" (Prince, Támar) 5:43
11. "The Dance"   5:20
12. "Get On the Boat"   6:18

Personnel

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 500,000

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

References

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External links

Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
April 2–8, 2006		 Succeeded by
King by T.I.
  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: 3121 > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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