rialb said:

ForbiddenFruit said:

wrong. everybody was talking about the video and the 23 positions in a one night stand.

prince was a huge pop star again after diamonds and pearls - and his next first single was sexy mf (#66).

How am I wrong? I can tell you that where I'm from virtually no one was talking about "Gett Off." Diamonds and Pearls didn't click until "Cream." Look at how well "Cream" and "Diamonds and Pearls" performed even after the first single bombed on the pop charts. I think the problem was that this was an era when Prince started to falter with his choices for singles. As you pointed out "Sexy MF" had a fairly dismal performance and so did "My Name is Prince." Typically the first single performs the best with each subsequent single charting lower. By opting for uncommercial first singles I suspect that had a negative impact on later, more commercial singles, particularly in the case of the album. Maybe Prince was trying to be cutting edge and release "weird" songs as singles like he did with "When Doves Cry?"

For Prince?

I guess a lot of hardcore 1980s Prince fans jumped off the purple train with D&P,

and still Prince made a lot of new fans with this album.

I like those 5 big D&P singles.

thedance said:

I guess a lot of hardcore 1980s Prince fans jumped off the purple train with D&P,

So did I. After disappointing albums like Batman and GB, I couldn't take it anymore.

SUPRMAN said:

rialb said:

How am I wrong? I can tell you that where I'm from virtually no one was talking about "Gett Off." Diamonds and Pearls didn't click until "Cream." Look at how well "Cream" and "Diamonds and Pearls" performed even after the first single bombed on the pop charts. I think the problem was that this was an era when Prince started to falter with his choices for singles. As you pointed out "Sexy MF" had a fairly dismal performance and so did "My Name is Prince." Typically the first single performs the best with each subsequent single charting lower. By opting for uncommercial first singles I suspect that had a negative impact on later, more commercial singles, particularly in the case of the album. Maybe Prince was trying to be cutting edge and release "weird" songs as singles like he did with "When Doves Cry?"

For Prince?

Sure, just check the numbers:

For You

92 Soft and Wet

- Just As Long As We're Together

Prince

11 I Wanna Be Your Lover

- Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad

- Still Waiting

Dirty Mind

101 Uptown

- Dirty Mind

Controversy

70 Controversy

104 Let's Work

- Do Me Baby

1999

12 1999

6 Little Red Corvette

8 Delirious

52 Let's Pretend We're Married

Purple Rain

1 When Doves Cry

1 Let's Go Crazy

2 Purple Rain

8 I Would Die 4 U

25 Take Me With U

Around the World in a Day

2 Raspberry Beret

7 Pop Life

46 America

Parade

1 Kiss

23 Mountains

63 Anotherloverholenyohead

Sign O' the Times

3 Sign O' the Times

67 If I Was Your Girlfriend

2 U Got the Look

10 I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

63 Hot Thing

Lovesexy

8 Alphabet St.

- Glam Slam

- I Wish U Heaven

Batman

1 Batdance

18 Partyman

36 The Arms od Orion

- Scandalous

Graffiti Bridge

6 Thieves in the Temple

64 New Power Generation

Diamonds and Pearls

21 Gett Off

1 Cream

77 Insatiable

3 Diamonds and Pearls

23 Money Don't Matter 2 Night

66 Sexy MF

36 My Name is Prince

7 7

108 Damn U

44 The Morning Papers

The Hits

50 Pink Cashmere

107 Peach

- Nothing Compares 2 U

Come

31 Letitgo

- Space

The Gold Experience

3 The Most Beautiful Girl in the World*

12 I Hate U

88 Gold

Chaos and Disorder

- Dinner with Delores

Emancipation

31 Betcha By Golly Wow

58 The Holy River

- Somebody's Somebody

Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, particularly in the early '90s, but for the most part the first single is the highest to chart and each subsequent single does worse. The story would be a little different if you took all of the charts into consideration as some tracks (for example "Scandalous" and "Insatiable") were big hits on the R & B chart but not the pop chart. For the sake of simplicity I just used the numbers from the Billboard Hot 100 which is the main chart.

* an argument could be made that this was not really the first single from The Gold Experience and that "I Hate U" was really the lead single.

Gett Off Chart Performance in the USA

Gold Single for 500,000 units shipped (RIAA)

Hot 100 #21 -- 14 Weeks on the Chart

Hot 100 Sales #8 -- 27 Weeks on the Chart

Hot 100 Airplay #56 -- 8 Weeks on the Chart

Hot R&B #6 -- 17 Weeks on the Chart

Hot R&B Sales #4 -- 12 Weeks on the Chart

Hot R&B Airplay #7 -- 13 Weeks on the Chart

Hot Club Play Chart #1 -- 13 Weeks on the Chart

Gold Video for 250,000 units shipped (RIAA)

Top Music Video Sales #1 -- 21 Weeks on the Chart

Top Video Sales #6 -- 17 Weeks on the Chart

Flop or not?

It wasn't a huge flop but when you compare it to his other lead singles circa 1982-1990 it is a bit of a disappointment.

I've always loved Diamonds & Pearls. I especially hold a special place in my heart for it now that I have the actual LP. It was given to me by my girlfriend, when I came to Sweden during Christmas, it's framed and everything. So I have more respect because of its significance. I love all the songs pretty much except Jughead, Push, and Daddy Pop. Everything else I always a pleasure to listen to. Especially "Strollin'" That is a jam that just makes me so happy and cool! Haha

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

rialb said:

That doesn't change anything I wrote. It was his weakest performing lead single from an album in ten years. Prince was still a huge pop star in 1991, he could have released just about anything as his first single and it probably would have made the top ten on the pop charts. Therefore I maintain that "Gett Off" was a flop.

"Gett off" wasn't a flop here in LA. It was played on the radio on the regular & the clubs...It also remains one of the top songs that non Prince fans want to hear live. Too bad Prince don't do it anymore because of his JW believes.

His JW believes what??? You didn't finish your sentence, obviously.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

"Gett off" wasn't a flop here in LA. It was played on the radio on the regular & the clubs...It also remains one of the top songs that non Prince fans want to hear live. Too bad Prince don't do it anymore because of his JW beliefs.

His JW believes what??? You didn't finish your sentence, obviously.

Sorry typo........

one of his better 90's albums, LOVE Get Off and Diamonds & Pearls