"Paisley Park" is a 1985 song by Prince and The Revolution.[2] It was the first single released in some international markets from their 1985 album, Around the World in a Day and so is also the album's last single internationally. "Paisley Park" was recorded 3 months after the Purple Rain album was released. Violin on the song was played by Novi Novog, and Wendy & Lisa provide backing vocals. The rest of the song was performed by Prince. The song reached the Top 40 in all of the countries it was released in. It peaked within the Top 20 in both Ireland (No. 11) and the UK (No. 18).
| "Paisley Park" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK 7" single | ||||
| Single by Prince and The Revolution | ||||
| from the album Around the World in a Day | ||||
| B-side | "She's Always in My Hair" | |||
| Released | May 24, 1985 (UK, Europe & Australia only) | |||
| Recorded | September 10, 1984[1] | |||
| Studio | Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse, Eden Prairie, Minnesota | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Paisley Park, Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
| Producer(s) | Prince | |||
| Prince and The Revolution singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Paisley Park" on YouTube | ||||
"She's Always in My Hair"
editThe B-side of the single was "She's Always in My Hair", which was also on the U.S. release of "Raspberry Beret". Many copies of the 12" single were mis-pressed, featuring four tracks instead of the three mentioned on the sleeve ("She's Always In My Hair" being present twice). Basic tracking took place on December 29, 1983 in Studio 3 at Sunset Sound, with Prince playing all instruments on the track.[3]
Reception
editGreg Tate of Spin said the song, "recycles the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour for the '80s with Middle-Eastern instrumentation and escapist lyrics straight out of the Lennon-McCartney dreambook."[4]
Track listings
edit- 7" single
- A. "Paisley Park" – 4:41
- B. "She's Always in My Hair" – 3:27
- 12" single
- A1. "Paisley Park" – 4:41
- A2. "She's Always in My Hair" – 3:27
- B. "Paisley Park" (Remix) – 6:53
Personnel
editCredits sourced from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud[3][5][6][7]
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric guitars, Yamaha DX7, Linn LM-1, finger cymbals
- Wendy Melvoin – backing vocals
- Lisa Coleman – backing vocals
- Novi Novog – violin
Charts
edit| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 38 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 40 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] | 40 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 26 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[12] | 18 |
References
edit- ^ "Paisley Park - Prince Vault". www.princevault.com.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution* - Paisley Park". Discogs.
- ^ a b Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538116432.
- ^ Greg Tate (July 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 3. p. 30.
- ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
- ^ "Around The World In A Day". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ "Yamaha DX7". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 239. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution – Paisley Park" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution – Paisley Park" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Prince & The Revolution – Paisley Park". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
- ^ "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 6, 2016.