In 1978, Prince released his debut album For You and spent twice his original advance, but he never got a pop hit. A year later, he returned with a self-titled record that sold three million copies and gave him his first Billboard Hot 100 entry. The difference came down to one song, and one very tight deadline. Prince released his second album, Prince, on October 19, 1979.
A quick follow-up to For You
Prince was the second studio album by the American musician Prince. Warner Bros. Records asked him to record a follow-up after For You, and he wrote, arranged, composed, produced, and performed every track himself. He had already shown promise: the single Soft and Wet from the debut reached number 12 on the R&B chart. But the label wanted more than a niche soul success. The album arrived on October 19, 1979, and its total sales reached three million copies worldwide. That figure was far beyond what For You had managed, and it showed that Warner Bros. had been right to push for a quick follow-up.
The album came together in just five weeks, recorded between April and June 1979. That speed was a gamble for a perfectionist who had spent far longer on his debut. Yet the result felt looser and more confident. The record was considered more diverse than For You, with better reviews and stronger commercial results.
The breakthrough single
The breakthrough was 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. The single sold over a million copies and earned a gold disc. It climbed to number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, Prince's first entry on that chart, and it topped the Billboard R&B chart. In the UK it reached number 41, giving him his first placement there as well.
The album also produced two other R&B and dance hits: 'Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?' and 'Sexy Dancer'. These were standard rhythm-and-blues ballads, sung by Prince before he became known for the explicit songs on his later albums. The record reached number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Billboard R&B chart. The record's commercial life extended well beyond its first months. In the United Kingdom it earned a silver certification for 60,000 copies sold, while worldwide sales reached 2,080,000 copies. The album also returned to the charts decades later, appearing at number 52 on the Billboard 200 in 2016.
Critics and American Bandstand
Critics noticed. Robert Christgau wrote in his 1981 record guide that 'Prince would become a major star, and he had earned it'. Prince reinforced the point by performing 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' and 'Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?' on American Bandstand in January 1980.
Robert Christgau wrote in his 1981 record guide that 'Prince would become a major star, and he had earned it'.
The success pointed him toward his next album, Dirty Mind, a complete departure from his early sound. The self-titled album earned a platinum certification from the RIAA for one million copies sold in the US. Prince had proven he could make a hit on his own terms, in a fraction of the time he had taken before. The first side opens on I Wanna Be Your Lover and the second side closes on It's Gonna Be Lonely. Every track was written by Prince alone, and the credits list him on vocals, guitars, synthesizers, piano, bass, drums, and percussion. That level of control was unusual for a young artist, and it made the album a statement of independence.
The album's legacy is a question answered: how does a young musician with total control and a costly flop behind him become a pop star? By writing a song so immediate that it crossed from R&B to the Hot 100, and by trusting that his own voice, playing every instrument, was enough.