ufoclub said:

...

Prince was just working on a wavelength that was not in sync with pop culture in the states.

It's amazing how opposite it was overseas....

Yup! In Europe 1988 was a huge year for Prince.

F*ck the USA, 1988.



The americans did not get Lovesexy, I guess the music is too complex on this album, for them...

Afaik, Prince and Lovesexy was huge in Europe....... #1 in the UK? and selling good elsewhere in Europe?

28,000 people saw his Lovesexy concert in Idrætsparken, Denmark 1988.

Thats rather impressive imo.

Lovesexy sold better than most previous Prince-albums in Europe, afaik.....

I love the album, and I judge it on the artistic values - more than sales figures,


but ok it was a little frustrating - and unfair - Lovesexy did not sell at all in the USA.

i feel like i can COMPLETELY answer this question.. in 1988, i was 15 years old... so right in the middle of high school.... and i was REALLY REALLY REALLY into prince.....

it broke my heart to see how much people were just OVER him in 1988.... something happened.... he just EXPIRED..

i am serious... people DID NOT care about him... yes he was ABSOLUTELY a star... but he had worn out his welcome....

alphabet st was a decent hit.. but everything else was just COLD...... and yes the LOVESEXY TOUR was incredible.. but i would NOT say it was the hottest ticket in town..

the best comparison is to what LADY GAGA is going thru right now.. .YES she is a star... and she just had a great run of massive hits and huge cultural impact... but it doesnt feel as fresh anymore... people have copied her sound, her schtick may be wearing thin and it just doesnt feel captivating anymore.. that is exactly what it was like for Prince in 88... he was just kind of there .... but it wasnt captivating the masses anymore......

of course, looking back.. many of us worship the whole era... and maybe in the long run, it was a 'good' era.. but at the time... it was NOT pretty....

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

i feel like i can COMPLETELY answer this question.. in 1988, i was 15 years old... so right in the middle of high school.... and i was REALLY REALLY REALLY into prince.....

it broke my heart to see how much people were just OVER him in 1988.... something happened.... he just EXPIRED..

i am serious... people DID NOT care about him... yes he was ABSOLUTELY a star... but he had worn out his welcome....

alphabet st was a decent hit.. but everything else was just COLD...... and yes the LOVESEXY TOUR was incredible.. but i would NOT say it was the hottest ticket in town..

the best comparison is to what LADY GAGA is going thru right now.. .YES she is a star... and she just had a great run of massive hits and huge cultural impact... but it doesnt feel as fresh anymore... people have copied her sound, her schtick may be wearing thin and it just doesnt feel captivating anymore.. that is exactly what it was like for Prince in 88... he was just kind of there .... but it wasnt captivating the masses anymore......

of course, looking back.. many of us worship the whole era... and maybe in the long run, it was a 'good' era.. but at the time... it was NOT pretty....

I honestly feel like if he had baked Lovesexy longer, and made the mixes more pop friendly, cut them down to only the catchy stuff that was harmonious in arrangement, it would have done better business and popularity here in the U.S.

But that was not his intention or concept as an artist.

Take the single Black or White by Michael Jackson. That song has about the same type of pace and musical idea as Alphabet St. But the mix and arrangement are more conventionally pop and the parts work together in a conservative way... so it hits.

If you took the beat and rhythm of Black or White and put the staccato signature Alphabet St guitar chords phrases on it, with Prince's vocals... no dissonant horns... no experimental drummachine beat...even with the stop and starts... it would be much more of a crowd pleaser.

But, Prince took a gamble which paid off overseas, but sunk here.

He also took a big chance with the 1979 looks of the video for the song too. Music videos at that time were considered cool if they looked polished and 35mm strong, cinematic. He chose to make something like a part of "Electric Company" that looked very rough and low budget. It's very cool artistically, and I dig it. But it's probably not going to get popular if it's not worked over to become pleasing in a pop way aesthetically.

Now saying all this... one year later, he did put out the crazy single Batdance which was a big hit. So his ways can work! That of course had the movie behind it and a very good cinematic video (directed by Albert Magnoli, right? Who is also listed as director on the slates of the SOTT concert film outtakes).

ufoclub said:

They felt that Janet Jackson's Control album was much more catchy and a better album of single worthy hits. they also felt Control was a lot better than Bad.

That's because Control IS a lot better than Bad. Bad is even more Disney than Thriller.

SuperSoulFighter said:

Sorry that I cannot answer your question about the US, but Lovesexy was a big hype in Europe. Prince was at the top of his powers over here. People were amazed at what this guy could do. He just delivered a devastating album and tour with Sign O' the Times. How do you top that? And then he goes and tops it! First he kept everybody fascinated by not releasing The Black Album (of course, everybody got the bootleg) and then, within only a few months, he releases an album so good that nobody even talks about the cover. Naked? So what? Listen to the MUSIC! It was Beatlemania all over again. Folks couldn't shut up about it. It may not have been the best selling album of the year, but no one, absolutely no one, not George Michael Jackson, not U2, kept people fascinated the way Prince did. Even people who were into classical or jazz noticed him. He is the modern day Mozart! He talks about Jesus! It's a funny thing how Europe, which is not so Christian any more, was more positive about Lovesexy than the ultra-Christian US. I was 17 and stopped going to church around that time. Maybe Lovesexy was just what I needed. The Gospel according to Prince. [Edited 7/15/14 14:15pm]

Right, but in the US Prince wasn't so present

.

he dropped us with a concert film, many of us thought it was another actual movie. So that was a bit of a let down.

.

Also something that for a long time kept Prince directly and indirectly 'visible' was the protege music to various degrees. from 1982-1986 the Time, Vanity 6, A6, Sheila E the Family(less) were very visible in the music scene and connected to Prince. in 1987 -no more Sheila E(protege) and Madhouse was not an individual band that could go out and do shows seperate from Prince. Jill Jones wasn't even connected at all to what was happening via SOTT. So by 1988 it dropped off even more. Madhouse had an album but this set wasn't even opening for Prince and no promo and no Sheila E again. no protege scene. Prince also did very little promo in the US
I really don't think the album cover was an issue as much as the continues 1 track of the album and no real promotion of it...

.

All the hot aftershows were in Europe. Prince and the band were visibly everywhere in Europe and that by itself is very good promotion.

.
The Black album actually did very well in the US

Poplife88 said:

I was 18 then and Prince's popularity was declining in the US ever since ATWIAD. He got some props for SOTTs and the Black Album. He should have toured the US with SOTTs cause that album had some serious legs. But it all got cut short when he released Lovesexy with that nude cover...people thought he lost his mind and the songs on it were just not what people wanted to hear on the radio. I personally thought, creatively, Prince was still growing, but it just wasn't in sync with the record buying public.

[Edited 7/16/14 7:11am]

Prince even in 1985 ATWIAD should have never declined. That album because it was so new and different needed the promotion via videos, and live performances throught 1985. That's the kind of album that gains popularity with performances. People see the color of the album differently.

.

Parade is probably the most creative sounding album ever. the Movie directed by Prince screwed the possibilities of heightened success. As much as I love the movie. Prince is not an actor-proper. He's the best actor though behind the music. So the movie should have had live performances with bands. As hot as the Purple Rain music was, the visuals of the live performances took it to another level.

.

I agree he should have performed the US with SOTT, he did not promote it well. No videos excepet for U Got the Look. And the SOTT throw away video was a disrespect to the song. Such a colorful album again and he just throw it away. Also no real Madhouse presence. I thought the Madhouse: Hard Knock Life movie(should have been done better) the videos etc could have been a good path for Madhouse.

.

Then the awaited Black album get's shelved and quickly the look and sound changes again to Lovesexy. Sometimes too much change too quickly can throw people off

ufoclub said:

But, Prince took a gamble which paid off overseas, but sunk here.

He also took a big chance with the 1979 looks of the video for the song too. Music videos at that time were considered cool if they looked polished and 35mm strong, cinematic. He chose to make something like a part of "Electric Company" that looked very rough and low budget. It's very cool artistically, and I dig it. But it's probably not going to get popular if it's not worked over to become pleasing in a pop way aesthetically.

Don't think it was so much that Prince chose for Alphabet St. video to have a certain low budget look, but that he insisted on filming the video last minute - late on a Sunday night, during a snowstorm. Older equipment and crew that was available impacted the video quality. Had he waited until the next day or whatever he could have filmed something more appealing.

fbueller said:

ufoclub said:

But, Prince took a gamble which paid off overseas, but sunk here.

He also took a big chance with the 1979 looks of the video for the song too. Music videos at that time were considered cool if they looked polished and 35mm strong, cinematic. He chose to make something like a part of "Electric Company" that looked very rough and low budget. It's very cool artistically, and I dig it. But it's probably not going to get popular if it's not worked over to become pleasing in a pop way aesthetically.

Don't think it was so much that Prince chose for Alphabet St. video to have a certain low budget look, but that he insisted on filming the video last minute - late on a Sunday night, during a snowstorm. Older equipment and crew that was available impacted the video quality. Had he waited until the next day or whatever he could have filmed something more appealing.

Maybe rushing would limit your choice of camera or staff, but choosing to do cheap compositing and scrolling text graphics with zooms and spins had to be a choice, since that is done afterwards, or at least the next day. I think he shot the video at the same pace and "throw in everything including the kitchen sink" concept as he did with arranging and producing the entire album in a few weeks. It must have been an idea he had to be very spontaneous and unpolished, very energetic and unmannered, childlike. That's why the music on the album sounded so different compared to SOTT or Black Album. It was like a big cacophony to the ears with retro stuff and clashing effects and textures... all slammed on in kiddy colors.

I like the "Alphabet St." video I consider it to be a cool throwback to the music videos of all the early 80s....simplistic yet fun.It has a certain charm to it.

ufoclub said:

fbueller said:

Don't think it was so much that Prince chose for Alphabet St. video to have a certain low budget look, but that he insisted on filming the video last minute - late on a Sunday night, during a snowstorm. Older equipment and crew that was available impacted the video quality. Had he waited until the next day or whatever he could have filmed something more appealing.

Maybe rushing would limit your choice of camera or staff, but choosing to do cheap compositing and scrolling text graphics with zooms and spins had to be a choice, since that is done afterwards, or at least the next day. I think he shot the video at the same pace and "throw in everything including the kitchen sink" concept as he did with arranging and producing the entire album in a few weeks. It must have been an idea he had to be very spontaneous and unpolished, very energetic and unmannered, childlike. That's why the music on the album sounded so different compared to SOTT or Black Album. It was like a big cacophony to the ears with retro stuff and clashing effects and textures... all slammed on in kiddy colors.

Fair enough, just wish he had captured it on something other than old, crappy local television equipment. What about the video for Sign of the Times, the graphics look soooo cheap, it was questionable if that was an official video.

[Edited 7/16/14 13:20pm]

fbueller said:

ufoclub said:

Maybe rushing would limit your choice of camera or staff, but choosing to do cheap compositing and scrolling text graphics with zooms and spins had to be a choice, since that is done afterwards, or at least the next day. I think he shot the video at the same pace and "throw in everything including the kitchen sink" concept as he did with arranging and producing the entire album in a few weeks. It must have been an idea he had to be very spontaneous and unpolished, very energetic and unmannered, childlike. That's why the music on the album sounded so different compared to SOTT or Black Album. It was like a big cacophony to the ears with retro stuff and clashing effects and textures... all slammed on in kiddy colors.

fair enough. just wish he had captured it on something other than old, crappy local television equipment. then again, seeing some of the videos from later on, he doesn't seem to be bothered.

On another note, later on, the "Come On" video had a access cable channel vibe...

It was an exciting time to be a Prince fan in the US in 1988. The SOTT film came out on video a week before the Lovesexy album came out. Alphabet St was in the top 10 and there was a video for it. A tour announcement early in the summer. Glam Slam the single was released in the summer with a video. Great reviews from the shows in Europe. The hunt to find a copy of the Black Album to hear. I saw the Lovesexy tour in Chicago, the 3rd show of 3 sold out nights. I Wish U Heaven the single was released with a video during the tour, a personal favorite 12". Prince did five aftershows in the US. No tv appearances, other than the Grammy's, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. Lovesexy was my 2nd favorite year for Prince, behind Purple Rain.

ufoclub said:

fbueller said:

fair enough. just wish he had captured it on something other than old, crappy local television equipment. then again, seeing some of the videos from later on, he doesn't seem to be bothered.

On another note, later on, the "Come On" video had a access cable channel vibe...

That's a good example. And videos such as When I lay my hands on you and U make my sunshine. It's like Prince just said grab a camera, let's film a video. That cheapens his legacy, in a way.

SoulAlive said:

I like the "Alphabet St." video I consider it to be a cool throwback to the music videos of all the early 80s....simplistic yet fun.It has a certain charm to it.

[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v67/ecnirp2004/Prince/AlphabetStvideo_zpsb5fda3d6.jpg[/img:$uid]



^ Great video, I love "Glam Slam" and "I Wish U Heaven" as well.

SoulAlive said:

CharismaDove said:

As someone born in 1997, I want to know what Prince's popularity was like in 1988.

I know George Michael and Michael Jackson were pretty much dominating everything (4 number one hits for both artists) and diamond albums

But Prince's Lovesexy was doing pretty terrible in America (#11 and just a few weeks too) and two of its singles completely flopped. I always hear this as the year people claim "Prince had become irrelevant", "He was disappearing", etc. But how? Alphabet Street and I Could Never...Man were big pop hits in 1988 and there was controversy about his nudity on the LS cover (bad press = press).

So what exactly was Prince's popularity like in 1988, and how could he be considered "irrelevant" when he had 2 hits and was fresh off SOTT (which had massive singles). He obviously wasn't a Top 3 artist or something (outsold by Bobby B, GM, MJ, etc) but why do people act like this is the year he completely fell off or something but not the year, say, Madonna fell off (she had 0 hits in 1988)

I wrote an essay on Prince's fall from grace a while back. I am mostly cut and pasting here, but I did update a few things here and there to answer the orginal poster's question. I also edited my original essay a bit, as it was a bit over-positive with gushing about how great Prince was, and how awful he was at business.... I may have been a teenager in the 80's, but I was very well read with countless hours reading Billboard, Musician, Rolling Stone, and many many other publications on the industry.

Prince used to always talk about how all those artists in the 1960's had albums coming out left and right. With the advent of MTV, and more attention to artists, over saturation became much more of an issue than it was in the 1960's. And Prince would slowly self-sabotage his career path. To get to where Prince's popularity was in 1988, I feel compelled to give the full backstory, and my theory, which many Prince fans either agree with me, or almost agree with me.

First, although nearly everything about Purple Rain was perfect, "The Beautiful Ones" probably should've been a single at some point with a unique video that wasn't clipped from the movie. That alone might have got the album an extra million in sales...

Second, diehards know 1985's Around The World In A Day is a fantastic album, but it was a bit weird for audiences, and instead of the multiple singles Purple Rain had, the third single, the poorly chosen, "America" was Prince's first Mega-Failure as a superstar. "Paisley Park" likely would've been a better choice. The big issue here, was the album was released a mere 9 months after Purple Rain. The positive here was that Purple Rain's momentum gave ATWIAD a huge sales boost, as it became Prince's second highest selling USA album, and likely is still to this day. After this weird album, most artists and labels would've chilled out and taken a more calculated approach for the next album. Not Warners and Prince. These two were well on their way to fumbling and bumbling away Prince's role as a legitmate album sales superstar.

Fast forward to 1986, and Prince got his wish, and made another movie. The soundtrack, "Parade," was quite weird, and like most die-hards, I felt it was brilliant. I was a teenager, but I was impressed that Prince's was making challenging music. "Kiss," the first single, was a smash #1 hit that granered constant airplay. The album, however, barely crossed the million mark. No other single hit the top 10, and like ATWIAD, the 3rd single bombed. And bombs? The film, "Under The Cherry Moon" was a huge failure. In fact, it was so huge a failure, some point to the ridiculous film as the centerpiece of Prince's downfall. Again, like most diehards, I found the movie cute enough, and more than worth my time, but I was laughed at school for liking it.

1987 would be an amazing year for Prince fans, but just an average year for a superstar. "Sign O The Times," can be clasified as Prince's brightest moment, perhaps brighter than Purple Rain from a critical point of view. The title track lead single was a stark, unique, socially relevant song unlike anything else in Top 40. As a double album for an aritst with declining sales, it was a huge risk for Prince and Warners, but the strong material should have resulted in a better chart run...but the damage of market saturation had already done in this wonderful album to some extent. The awesome song "If I Was Your Girlfriend" did nothing to dispel Prince's weird image, and became his first 2nd single to bomb in a good while. "U Got The Look," was a great single choice, and hit #2, staying in the top 10 for several weeks. The SOTT album, however, did not sell that well.

SOTT's failure is simply an atomic bomb in Prince's fall from superstardom. It's hard to fathom such an excellent album only selling 500,000, but it actually happend(double albums were counted as two units, so it was a "Platinum" album despite selling half of the million). Music historians can talk up how great SOTT is, but it did not translate into album sales. 3 Top 10 singles, but the lingering hangover from Under The Cherry Moon loomed over Prince like he had been jailed for some horrible crime.

In 1988, "Lovesexy" would also be praised by many hardcore Prince fans, and musicians. Whatever artistic statement he was trying to make with that cover, it helped to further alienate Prince from the masses. Naked men on album covers do not usually help in getting other men to buy some dude's album! What Warners and Prince failed to see with Purple Rain, was that it was a mass oversaturation of Prince. It wasn't just radio and MTV, it was the movie theatres. It wasn't just pop radio, it was multi-format radio, and when the albums kept on popping out, the fan enthusiasm started waning, as each album sold less than the other. "Lovesexy" was a fine album, but with only one top 40 hit, the wonderful "Alphabet St," the album's tiny momentum was smashed by "Glam Slam," perhaps the worst possible choice of a single in Prince's career to that point. "Anna Stesia" likely would've at least had a chance with a proper video and promotion, but even that would've been suspect, as Prince and Warners were pretty much equal buffoons looking for new ways to derail a superstar.

So, my overall feeling of Prince in the USA in 1988? He was quickly becoming a non-factor, as George Michael and Michael Jackson were now far ahead of him. I could write another essay about how George Michael also excelled at self-sabotage, but that's another story.

How could this be avoided? First of all, instead of trying to release an album every 9 months, Prince could've taken a big break after the Purple Rain phenomenon. With the incredible amounts of stellar material he had, he simply could've worked hard at creating an album with just enough hits, and enough weird songs for the hardcores. Had there been no immediate follow up to Purple Rain, and Prince and WB followed Michael Jackson's blueprint of not rushing material, SOTT could have been huge as the follow up to Purple Rain....How? Probably by including "Kiss," "Raspberry beret," and least cutting off "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night," and maybe another song or two.

As a Prince fanatic in 1988, it was sickening to see singles peaking at 67 or not charting at all. These were not substandard songs. These were masterpieces that were mishandled by both Prince and Warners. If you look up "Boneheaded Promtion," you will probably find Prince and WB! These two could probably write a manual on "Career sabotage." Both blamed each other, and both were right, sort of.

^ This is some good stuff. This is really how it was.

ufoclub said:

^ This is some good stuff. This is really how it was.

Thanks for the compliment. I pretty much have to deal with hate around here by giving an honest opinion. I am either too positive on his studio tracks, or too negative on his live performances, but apparently having an opinion with some is not allowed here

kevinpnb said:

I was 16/17 in 88 and was at that time a really vocal Prince fan. And in my age cohort, I was one of the few. I think the mainstream had really moved on by that point, and we're already marginalizing him as the 1999/Purple Rain guy. The zeitgeist had moved on, at least from what I saw, to bubblegum pop and the beginnings of alternative/modern rock on mainstream radio. Don't get me wrong, P was a huge star, but not "hip." Which isn't really a bad thing

Exactly what I was thinking. He had big hits, was in the news, whatever. He was a pop star but not THE pop star like in 84/85. It's understandable, because no one can be "cool" forever especially in a decade of mainstream radio changes (funk to hip hop, etc) although Prince's poor career moves did nothing to help him in that department...

stillwaiting said:

RodeoSchro said:

Hmmmmm...

He was well-known in 1988 but he wasn't what I'd call "big". Of course you have to remember that after the incredible success of "Purple Rain", there was nowhere to go but down. A lot of people still were fans, and millions more were of a "Oh, I remember that Purple Rain movie" mindset. IIRC, Prince hadn't had a hit single or video since "Raspberry Beret" in 1985.

There is not, never has been, and never will be any entertainer that can be the biggest star in the world for much more than two or three years. Especially in this download-a-minute world.

Attention spans are shorter now than they were 25 years ago.

It's interesting to note Prince was "around" for about 11/12 years (1983-1995) and his career is looked at as "very long". The only other artists from his decade that were around cranking hits that long were MJ, Madonna, Whitney, and Bruce (iirc). Nowadays an 11/12 year career is normal. Look at Usher, Britney, Christina Aguilera, and seveal others who have been around since the nineties and are still huge in 2014.... it might have to do with the internet and having celebrities at your fingertips, but something has changed.

Milty said:

Can I just say...as someone who has been an orger since, I dunno, about 1999, this thread is kinda refreshing. It's not a moan about his hair or whether he is gay or about Plectrum Electrum or his ex-wives or which 90s album was the worst or anything else silly.

It's a genuine query about Prince and his career during an era that is quite beloved by many Prince fans. And from someone born way after that era. Well done and thank you, CharismaDove.

[Edited 7/15/14 20:02pm]

You're welcome! Thanks for the kind words

SoulAlive said:

1988 was a tough year for Prince.This was the year when his popularity had taken a nosedive.In the past,our local R&B station supported all of his singles but this time around,I noticed that they only supported "Alphabet St".They ignored the two follow-up singles Even MTV seemed uninterested: the "Glam Slam" and "I Wish U Heaven" videos were never put into heavy rotation.That's when I knew that things had changed.He had also gotten alot of negative feedback for the nude album cover.And then,when the Lovesexy tour finally made its way to the US,there were reports that some shows didn't even sellout.It was sad to see.In 1988,the media and general public seemed more focused on Michael Jackson and George Michael ('Bad' and 'Faith' were HUGE albums around that time).I was really pissed because I think Lovesexy (the album and the amazing tour) both deserved a wide audience.I was like "people are crazy for not supporting this!"

Yeah, it's like they were no longer interested in the eccentric little midget

Bobby Brown, Michael, and George were all hugely influenced by Prince's sound (someone pointed out how Michael even made "Bad" a harder album in the Prince-sort of vein (Speed Demon anyone?)) and George is an admitted Prince fan. So they were selling millions more than him based on his own sound. It's really a shame he let go of that sound

TheSanzSpot said:

After PURPLE RAIN, Prince and The Revolution had another #1 Album in ATWIAD with Hit singles "Rasberry Beret" and "Pop Life" + Under the Cherry Moon/Parade's #1 Single "KISS", he also wrote hits for others including the Bangles in 1986 which took the #2 position under his own "KISS".

In 1987, Prince's album "Sign O' Times" was a critically acclaimed Double Album release with the Hits: "U got the Look", "Sign O'Times", "I could never take the place of ur man" and the R&B smashes "If I were ur girlfriend" and "Adore".

When "Lovesexy" was released, Prince still remained a Household name, he was known for all those Hit records and "Alphabet Street" was a sure fire HIT!!!!

Prince delivered the goods with BATMAN the soundtrack the following year in 1989, didn't fair well with Graffiti Bridge the movie, but made up for it with The Soundtrack.

Tevin Campbell's "Round and Round" - written and produced with backing vocals by Prince, plus "Thieves in the tempo" was in the Top 10 and heavily played on Top 40 radio.

The next few years 1991 - Diamonds and Pearls and 1992 album also Sold Well!!! both albums had hits!!! from Cream to 7 and recieved alot of positive press/reviews and much MTV airplay as they did on radio. The Diamonds and Pearls tour was only in Europe, but Prince and the NPG kicked ass in the states with SOLD OUT shows of the ACT 1 Tour!!!

So PRINCE still had a successful tenure well into the 90's.

He had a great run in the nineties with Diamonds & Pearls hits, 7, Beautiful Girl, and Thieves in just 3 or 4 years. I don't think many other eighties artists made it that far into the decade or that consistently into it

Adorecream said:

The US may have started giving up on him, but in New Zealand, it was the opposite. Lovesexy was his first album to hit #1 here and Alphabet street hit #1 on the singles chart. It was his highest placings ever and he was everywhere. As much as I love the whole Lovesexy concept, I was pretty immune to it in 1988, caught up in the hysteria over Bad and a new singer called Terence Trent D'Arby who was riding high with his debut album and the hits Wishing Well and Sign your name. Both made my 12 year old life that year.

.

Needless to say it was the beginning of a Prince infatuation here, thanks to an enthusiatic DJ and author of a popular music magazine here. Batdance hit #1 too and the album, even Graffiti Bridge did well here, in fact Prince had big hits right up until the end of 1992, by that time I was a fan. Before 1988, the highest Prince had reached was #4 with When Doves Cry and #2 with Kiss for one week. Lovesexy reached a wide audience here.

.

I mean even "Glam Slam" and "I wish u heaven" were top 30 hits here and thats why neither single is that rare here.

It's interesting how the more he declined in America, the more popular he got overseas.

My dad grew up in Asia (b. 1974) and remembers Prince as popular when he was in his twenties which would mean the mid-nineties. But I doubt an American would classify Prince as "popular" after the symbol phase lolol

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

i feel like i can COMPLETELY answer this question.. in 1988, i was 15 years old... so right in the middle of high school.... and i was REALLY REALLY REALLY into prince.....

it broke my heart to see how much people were just OVER him in 1988.... something happened.... he just EXPIRED..

i am serious... people DID NOT care about him... yes he was ABSOLUTELY a star... but he had worn out his welcome....

alphabet st was a decent hit.. but everything else was just COLD...... and yes the LOVESEXY TOUR was incredible.. but i would NOT say it was the hottest ticket in town..

the best comparison is to what LADY GAGA is going thru right now.. .YES she is a star... and she just had a great run of massive hits and huge cultural impact... but it doesnt feel as fresh anymore... people have copied her sound, her schtick may be wearing thin and it just doesnt feel captivating anymore.. that is exactly what it was like for Prince in 88... he was just kind of there .... but it wasnt captivating the masses anymore......

of course, looking back.. many of us worship the whole era... and maybe in the long run, it was a 'good' era.. but at the time... it was NOT pretty....

that's how I hear it. Lovesexy was fucking badass but really wasn't a catchy or instant album. The 1-track thing ruined any chances of THAT. I'm glad Prince gained popularity again years later (only to lose it again with "I'm a symbol now"

stillwaiting said:

CharismaDove said:

As someone born in 1997, I want to know what Prince's popularity was like in 1988.

I know George Michael and Michael Jackson were pretty much dominating everything (4 number one hits for both artists) and diamond albums

But Prince's Lovesexy was doing pretty terrible in America (#11 and just a few weeks too) and two of its singles completely flopped. I always hear this as the year people claim "Prince had become irrelevant", "He was disappearing", etc. But how? Alphabet Street and I Could Never...Man were big pop hits in 1988 and there was controversy about his nudity on the LS cover (bad press = press).

So what exactly was Prince's popularity like in 1988, and how could he be considered "irrelevant" when he had 2 hits and was fresh off SOTT (which had massive singles). He obviously wasn't a Top 3 artist or something (outsold by Bobby B, GM, MJ, etc) but why do people act like this is the year he completely fell off or something but not the year, say, Madonna fell off (she had 0 hits in 1988)

I wrote an essay on Prince's fall from grace a while back. I am mostly cut and pasting here, but I did update a few things here and there to answer the orginal poster's question. I also edited my original essay a bit, as it was a bit over-positive with gushing about how great Prince was, and how awful he was at business.... I may have been a teenager in the 80's, but I was very well read with countless hours reading Billboard, Musician, Rolling Stone, and many many other publications on the industry.

Prince used to always talk about how all those artists in the 1960's had albums coming out left and right. With the advent of MTV, and more attention to artists, over saturation became much more of an issue than it was in the 1960's. And Prince would slowly self-sabotage his career path. To get to where Prince's popularity was in 1988, I feel compelled to give the full backstory, and my theory, which many Prince fans either agree with me, or almost agree with me.

First, although nearly everything about Purple Rain was perfect, "The Beautiful Ones" probably should've been a single at some point with a unique video that wasn't clipped from the movie. That alone might have got the album an extra million in sales...

Second, diehards know 1985's Around The World In A Day is a fantastic album, but it was a bit weird for audiences, and instead of the multiple singles Purple Rain had, the third single, the poorly chosen, "America" was Prince's first Mega-Failure as a superstar. "Paisley Park" likely would've been a better choice. The big issue here, was the album was released a mere 9 months after Purple Rain. The positive here was that Purple Rain's momentum gave ATWIAD a huge sales boost, as it became Prince's second highest selling USA album, and likely is still to this day. After this weird album, most artists and labels would've chilled out and taken a more calculated approach for the next album. Not Warners and Prince. These two were well on their way to fumbling and bumbling away Prince's role as a legitmate album sales superstar.

Fast forward to 1986, and Prince got his wish, and made another movie. The soundtrack, "Parade," was quite weird, and like most die-hards, I felt it was brilliant. I was a teenager, but I was impressed that Prince's was making challenging music. "Kiss," the first single, was a smash #1 hit that granered constant airplay. The album, however, barely crossed the million mark. No other single hit the top 10, and like ATWIAD, the 3rd single bombed. And bombs? The film, "Under The Cherry Moon" was a huge failure. In fact, it was so huge a failure, some point to the ridiculous film as the centerpiece of Prince's downfall. Again, like most diehards, I found the movie cute enough, and more than worth my time, but I was laughed at school for liking it.

1987 would be an amazing year for Prince fans, but just an average year for a superstar. "Sign O The Times," can be clasified as Prince's brightest moment, perhaps brighter than Purple Rain from a critical point of view. The title track lead single was a stark, unique, socially relevant song unlike anything else in Top 40. As a double album for an aritst with declining sales, it was a huge risk for Prince and Warners, but the strong material should have resulted in a better chart run...but the damage of market saturation had already done in this wonderful album to some extent. The awesome song "If I Was Your Girlfriend" did nothing to dispel Prince's weird image, and became his first 2nd single to bomb in a good while. "U Got The Look," was a great single choice, and hit #2, staying in the top 10 for several weeks. The SOTT album, however, did not sell that well.

SOTT's failure is simply an atomic bomb in Prince's fall from superstardom. It's hard to fathom such an excellent album only selling 500,000, but it actually happend(double albums were counted as two units, so it was a "Platinum" album despite selling half of the million). Music historians can talk up how great SOTT is, but it did not translate into album sales. 3 Top 10 singles, but the lingering hangover from Under The Cherry Moon loomed over Prince like he had been jailed for some horrible crime.

In 1988, "Lovesexy" would also be praised by many hardcore Prince fans, and musicians. Whatever artistic statement he was trying to make with that cover, it helped to further alienate Prince from the masses. Naked men on album covers do not usually help in getting other men to buy some dude's album! What Warners and Prince failed to see with Purple Rain, was that it was a mass oversaturation of Prince. It wasn't just radio and MTV, it was the movie theatres. It wasn't just pop radio, it was multi-format radio, and when the albums kept on popping out, the fan enthusiasm started waning, as each album sold less than the other. "Lovesexy" was a fine album, but with only one top 40 hit, the wonderful "Alphabet St," the album's tiny momentum was smashed by "Glam Slam," perhaps the worst possible choice of a single in Prince's career to that point. "Anna Stesia" likely would've at least had a chance with a proper video and promotion, but even that would've been suspect, as Prince and Warners were pretty much equal buffoons looking for new ways to derail a superstar.

So, my overall feeling of Prince in the USA in 1988? He was quickly becoming a non-factor, as George Michael and Michael Jackson were now far ahead of him. I could write another essay about how George Michael also excelled at self-sabotage, but that's another story.

How could this be avoided? First of all, instead of trying to release an album every 9 months, Prince could've taken a big break after the Purple Rain phenomenon. With the incredible amounts of stellar material he had, he simply could've worked hard at creating an album with just enough hits, and enough weird songs for the hardcores. Had there been no immediate follow up to Purple Rain, and Prince and WB followed Michael Jackson's blueprint of not rushing material, SOTT could have been huge as the follow up to Purple Rain....How? Probably by including "Kiss," "Raspberry beret," and least cutting off "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night," and maybe another song or two.

As a Prince fanatic in 1988, it was sickening to see singles peaking at 67 or not charting at all. These were not substandard songs. These were masterpieces that were mishandled by both Prince and Warners. If you look up "Boneheaded Promtion," you will probably find Prince and WB! These two could probably write a manual on "Career sabotage." Both blamed each other, and both were right, sort of.

This is the best reply, thank you . To make it even worse for his reputation, he was never "just another pop star", he was Michael Jackson-level fame for a while in America. So when he sank to that slightly irrelevant pop star who has a hit here and there in 88, it was probably more of a reason to make fun of him or think his career was ovr

OldFriends4Sale said:

Poplife88 said:

I was 18 then and Prince's popularity was declining in the US ever since ATWIAD. He got some props for SOTTs and the Black Album. He should have toured the US with SOTTs cause that album had some serious legs. But it all got cut short when he released Lovesexy with that nude cover...people thought he lost his mind and the songs on it were just not what people wanted to hear on the radio. I personally thought, creatively, Prince was still growing, but it just wasn't in sync with the record buying public.

[Edited 7/16/14 7:11am]

Prince even in 1985 ATWIAD should have never declined. That album because it was so new and different needed the promotion via videos, and live performances throught 1985. That's the kind of album that gains popularity with performances. People see the color of the album differently.

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Parade is probably the most creative sounding album ever. the Movie directed by Prince screwed the possibilities of heightened success. As much as I love the movie. Prince is not an actor-proper. He's the best actor though behind the music. So the movie should have had live performances with bands. As hot as the Purple Rain music was, the visuals of the live performances took it to another level.

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I agree he should have performed the US with SOTT, he did not promote it well. No videos excepet for U Got the Look. And the SOTT throw away video was a disrespect to the song. Such a colorful album again and he just throw it away. Also no real Madhouse presence. I thought the Madhouse: Hard Knock Life movie(should have been done better) the videos etc could have been a good path for Madhouse.

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Then the awaited Black album get's shelved and quickly the look and sound changes again to Lovesexy. Sometimes too much change too quickly can throw people off

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If Prince made the movie in color, multiple rivoting performances by the band, less corny humor, and a deeper story, it would have been close to Purple Rain levels of fame. He lost all his mystique .. Whereas in Purple Rain he gave himself a badass troubled musician with problems (which worked lmao), UTCM gave him the look of some lame pop star trying to make a 'funny' movie.... there was ZERO indication of his skills in that movie