1999 (song)

For other music named 1999, see 1999 (disambiguation).
"1999"

US 7" single (1982)
Single by Prince
from the album 1999
B-side
Released September 24, 1982 (original)[1]
November 3, 1998 (re-release)
Format
Recorded Sunset Sound, 1982
Genre
Length 6:22
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Prince
Producer(s) Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Do Me, Baby"
(1982)		 "1999"
(1982)		 "Little Red Corvette"
(1983)
Prince (UK) chronology
"Let's Work"
(1982)		 "1999"
(1982)		 "Little Red Corvette"
(1983)
Prince (1999) chronology
"NYC Live"
(1997)		 "1999"
(1998)
(UK only re-release)		 "1999: The New Master"
(1999)
Prince (UK) (1999) chronology
"The Holy River"/"Somebody's Somebody"
(1997)		 "1999"
(1998)		 "1999: The New Master"
(1999)
1999 track listing
"1999"
(1)		 "Little Red Corvette"
(2)

"1999" is a song by American musician Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. The song is one of Prince's best-known, and a defining moment in his rise to superstar status.

The apocalyptic yet upbeat party anthem saw chart success in 1983 (particularly in Australia, where it peaked at #2), but it did not make it into the Top 40 in the US or the UK on the first attempt. The song originally peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1982. But following the top 10 success of "Little Red Corvette", the song was re-released and peaked at #12 in the US in July 1983, and at #25 in the UK in January 1983 (reaching #2 in the UK when re-released in 1985).[2]

Rolling Stone ranked the song #215 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]

Following Prince's death, the song re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at #41, making it the fourth separate time the song had entered the Billboard Hot 100 and the third different decade in which the song re-charted. The song originally debuted on October 30,1982 reaching #44, later re-charted on June 4, 1983 peaking at #12, hit the charts again on January 16, 1999 making it to #40, and again reentered the charts following Prince's passing (#41). As of April 30, 2016, it has sold 727,363 copies in the United States.[4]

Recording

The album version of the song starts with a slowed-down voice, reassuring the listener "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I only want you to have some fun." Prince shares lead vocals on the track with members of his band The Revolution, namely Dez Dickerson, Lisa Coleman and Jill Jones. Originally conceived to be a three-part harmony, it was later decided to separate out the voices that started each verse.

Prince created "1999" around the central riff of the 1966 song, "Monday, Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas. Prince, writing under the pseudonym "Christopher", reused the verse melody in the song "Manic Monday", recorded by The Bangles.[5]

Reception

Some music critics have suggested Phil Collins' 1985 song "Sussudio" sounds very similar to "1999".[6] Collins confirmed this claim,[7] and remembers listening to "1999" frequently while he was on tour with Genesis.[8]

Rolling Stone ranked the song #215 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]

Performances

On New Year's Eve 1999, Prince (his stage name at that time still being an unpronounceable symbol) held a concert titled Rave Un2 the Year 2000 at his Paisley Park Studios Soundstage, and he later vowed never to play it again. However, in August 2007, as part of his Earth Tour, he reintroduced the song to his set after an absence of almost eight years.

On December 31, 1998, the song was played after the Cirque Du Soleil O show for the night had finished, at the Bellagio Hotel, Paradise, Nevada. Attendees found a bottle of champagne and confetti under their chairs.

On September 30, 1999, when the San Francisco Giants played their last game at Candlestick Park, the song played after the game.

On December 31, 1998, in Los Angeles almost all the music stations in the city played the song at midnight, and again on December 31, 1999, for the lyrics: two-thousand zero zero party's over oops outta time.

Re-release

In 1985, "1999" was released as a 12" single in the U.S. with "Little Red Corvette" as the B-side, and "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"/"D.M.S.R." in the UK.

The song was re-recorded at the end of 1998 with The New Power Generation, reusing portions of the original recording, and was released the following year as 1999: The New Master.

"1999" was re-released in the UK and the U.S. in late 1998 to accompany the song's namesake year. It was released on 12" vinyl with the same tracklist as the original 12" single: the album version, along with "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" and "D.M.S.R." A CD single was also issued with the same tracklist, except the edit of "1999" was substituted for the album version. It was also re-released again towards the end of its namesake year. The original version re-charted within the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in December 1998, becoming Prince's last top 40 hit to date.

Track listing

7"
  1. "1999"
  2. "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"
12" UK
  1. "1999"
  2. "D.M.S.R."
12" Germany
  1. "1999"
  2. "Let's Pretend We're Married"
12" Australia
  1. "1999"
  2. "Uptown"
  3. "Controversy"
  4. "Dirty Mind"
  5. "Sexuality"
12" - 1985 re-release
  1. "1999"
  2. "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"
  3. "D.M.S.R."

Charts

Chart (1983–99) Peak
position
New Zealand Singles Chart 4
Irish Singles Chart 3
UK Singles Chart 2
Netherlands Singles Chart 14
Australian Singles Chart 2
Canadian Singles Chart 6
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 12
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[10] 33
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] 4
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[12] 36

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Nilsen & Mattheij 2004, p. 37
  2. ↑ 1999 Songfacts
  3. 1 2 "Prince, '1999'". Rolling Stone (500 Greatest Songs of All Time). 7 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  5. ↑ Sigerson, Davitt (April 24, 1986). "Prince Strips Down". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Mark, Caro (May 1, 2007). "Yes, Phil Collins' 'Sussudio' Ripoff of Prince's '1999' is Included". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  7. ↑ Keegan, Hamilton (February 17, 2009). "Phil Collins, No Jacket Required". Second Spin. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  8. ↑ Hogan, Ed. "Sussudio review". Allmusic.
  9. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.

References

External links

Preceded by
"Nasty Girl" by Vanity 6		 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
December 4, 1982 - December 11, 1982 		Succeeded by
"The Look of Love" by ABC
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