The fifth single from his second album in two years? I mean I don't think much of it as a song myself but if it had been released as the first single it'd probably have been a hit.

Also, look at those b-sides, there's nothing there for fans.

[Edited 8/3/21 5:43am]

RODSERLING said:

ufoclub said:

People, come on, in the pop landscape when that single was released... it was not an exciting, meaningful, inventive, or catchy pop song.

"7" was. And that hit.

7 was a huge flop outside the US.

I know you love your numbers and stats and you don't have to tell me the positions but 'huge flop' isn't entirely accurate.

.

The video was constantly on MTV Europe and other channels and it got a lot of radio play in the UK too, it seemed to be very popular at the time

[Edited 8/3/21 5:59am]

I was only a kid and I remember seeing the 7 video a lot. Technically Musicology wasn't a hit either but it got a lot of video play. Hard to measure that kind of thing.

[Edited 8/3/21 6:03am]

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

7 is musically quite leaden compared to TMP yet that WAS a hit. So the question should maybe be why WAS 7 a hit?

It's a better song, big chorus, and it opens with the chorus, I don't know where you're getting "leaden" from. The Morning Papers sounds more like a theme tune to an 80s cop show, no bad thing, but it was 1992/3 already.

[Edited 8/3/21 7:16am]

RODSERLING said:

RODSERLING said:

ufoclub said:

People, come on, in the pop landscape when that single was released... it was not an exciting, meaningful, inventive, or catchy pop song.

"7" was. And that hit.

7 was a huge flop outside the US.

Yes, but in the U.S. "7" got airplay, and the video was on rotation on MTV.

"7" got to number 7 in the US. It got to 27 in the UK.

"The Morning Papers" got to 44 in the US and 42 in the UK.

Here's the 1993 American pop landscape with The Morning Papers just entering the list:
https://www.billboard.com...03?rank=24


Regardless... the song "The Morning Papers" doesn't have a remarkable melody, lyric, or production. It sounds like the music that accompanies an older celeb's walk up to the podium at an awards show by a live TV show band. That's wasn't going to grab the teenage attention back then.

Even something like "I Want to Melt With U" or "The Flow" might have done better as top 40 single.

KoolEaze said:

I actually still like the song quite a lot and liked it back then, too, but I´ve always found the lyrics a bit creepy. Sure, singing about virgin young girls was nothing new for him but he was 34 when the song came out and Mayte was still an underage teenager. I agree with you that he had done it before but the difference is that he wasn´t in his mid 30s then.

At least he recognizes that it might lead to speculations and gossip in the newspapers, and it is not as creepy as that line in I Wanna Melt With U, so there´s that.

Obviously not a hit for the masses but still a beautiful song though, despite the questionable lyrics.

Mayte was 19. Perfectly legal. In fact, in most states the age of consent is 16, not 18. Either way, Prince was legally OK.

With that said, I get your point. In our modern, western culture, a 34-year old man and a 19-year old girl, regardless of the legality, could be seen as creepy. I'm only challenging your use of the word "underage".

dodger said:

ufoclub said:

You are right , I stand corrected.

lurker316 said:

KoolEaze said:

I actually still like the song quite a lot and liked it back then, too, but I´ve always found the lyrics a bit creepy. Sure, singing about virgin young girls was nothing new for him but he was 34 when the song came out and Mayte was still an underage teenager. I agree with you that he had done it before but the difference is that he wasn´t in his mid 30s then.

At least he recognizes that it might lead to speculations and gossip in the newspapers, and it is not as creepy as that line in I Wanna Melt With U, so there´s that.

Obviously not a hit for the masses but still a beautiful song though, despite the questionable lyrics.

Mayte was 19. Perfectly legal. In fact, in most states the age of consent is 16, not 18. Either way, Prince was legally OK.

With that said, I get your point. In our modern, western culture, a 34-year old man and a 19-year old girl, regardless of the legality, could be seen as creepy. I'm only challenging your use of the word "underage".

RODSERLING said:

ufoclub said:

Yes, but in the U.S. "7" got airplay, and the video was on rotation on MTV.

"7" got to number 7 in the US. It got to 27 in the UK.

"The Morning Papers" got to 44 in the US and 42 in the UK.

Here's the 1993 American pop landscape with The Morning Papers just entering the list:
https://www.billboard.com...03?rank=24


Regardless... the song "The Morning Papers" doesn't have a remarkable melody, lyric, or production. It sounds like the music that accompanies an older celeb's walk up to the podium at an awards show by a live TV show band. That's wasn't going to grab the teenage attention back then.

Even something like "I Want to Melt With U" or "The Flow" might have done better as top 40 single.

Is he new here or something? I know perfectly well the charts and sales for 7 in the US, thanks. In fairness to Morning PPers, like I said, it was just a 4th single, not a 3rd like 7. So the chance for a 4th single to be a hit are rather thin.

I've been here since the inception of the site in its old format.

I'm arguing that the pop quality of the song is the main factor that determines its success, not the order of single release. In 1993 if a song sounded catchy, fresh, and interesting; and even better, if it had a good music video... it would hit. People don't even care who sings a song for it to hit. Hence one hit wonders.

Just look at this video and the sound of this song... nope. Just click the link at this timestamp... how is that going to win over the teens?



https://youtu.be/6Ub0cMp0uPc?t=206

skywalker said:

ufoclub said:

This was a few years before I became a hardcore Prince fan but, as early teens, we were raving about the song in my friend group. And we were very surprised when it didn't crack the UK Top 40, considering everything he had released for many years had, and it would be another seven years before he had another single that did not.

I'm not completely sure, but my understanding at the time was that WB had decided TMP was a single to promote heavily in Europe, while 7 was one to promote heavily in the US. Different focus for different markets, based on what they assumed audiences liked here and there.

.

I think I'd read it somewhere, or maybe some other fan told me back then? Typically, Insatiable and Damn U had been singles targeted almost exclusively at the US R&B market, with very little to no promotion at all in Europe/France, so this kind of strategy didn't seem unusual in these pre-Internet times (some of the best selling US artists or songs, notably in R&B or country music, were almost unknown in Europe, with little to no promotion by labels).

.

Either way, I remember 7 being very much ignored by French radio and not played heavily on MTV Europe (Sexy MF and MNIP had been promoted heavily, but 7 went almost unnoticed), while TMP was all over French radio and on heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

.

I'm sure someone (Bart?) could confirm or debunk this theory.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Thank God the flow was never released as a single.

-

''Rock to the Ef El Ow, Double You, just like you suppose to do''...

...would've never been a hit.

"Tony, shoot that piece of shit"

What a horrible song that is.

-

Vannormal said:

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Thank God the flow was never released as a single.

-

''Rock to the Ef El Ow, Double You, just like you suppose to do''...

...would've never been a hit.

"Tony, shoot that piece of shit"

What a horrible song that is.

-

There's good chance it would have charted higher than "The Morning Papers" knowing top 40 stuff.

databank said:

SoulAlive said:

It's a mediocre,uneventful song.There was no way that this song would be a Top 10 hit.The Love Symbol album was filled with strong,potential singles but this track wasn't one of 'em.

I agree. When I bought the CD back then I only played it once

ufoclub said:

Vannormal said:

-

''Rock to the Ef El Ow, Double You, just like you suppose to do''...

...would've never been a hit.

"Tony, shoot that piece of shit"

What a horrible song that is.

-

There's good chance it would have charted higher than "The Morning Papers" knowing top 40 stuff.

-

If there was a scientifc formula to proof that, we would only be left with horrible perfect fit hit songs.

And about 'the charts' / 'Bilboard' indications...

Honestly, how many records do you have that fit the charts/bilboards lists ?

Look here at this wiki info :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles

Not much of these best 15 million selling copies mean much to me, or is in my collection.

And most important of all, the overall quality of most songs with these selling numbers are by far mediocre (imho).

Just sayin'

-

Vannormal said:

ufoclub said:

There's good chance it would have charted higher than "The Morning Papers" knowing top 40 stuff.

-

If there was a scientifc formula to proof that, we would only be left with horrible perfect fit hit songs.

And about 'the charts' / 'Bilboard' indications...

Honestly, how many records do you have that fit the charts/bilboards lists ?

Look here at this wiki info :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles

Not much of these best 15 million selling copies mean much to me, or is in my collection.

And most important of all, the overall quality of most songs with these selling numbers are by far mediocre (imho).

Just sayin'

-

Thats not the point of this thread though, its asking about charts, not the value of the song. I agree with you that personal taste sometimes has nothing to do with the charts. I marvel at how I love Prince songs that others don't care for and vice versa.

ufoclub said:

Vannormal said:

-

''Rock to the Ef El Ow, Double You, just like you suppose to do''...

...would've never been a hit.

"Tony, shoot that piece of shit"

What a horrible song that is.

-

There's good chance it would have charted higher than "The Morning Papers" knowing top 40 stuff.

Not sure about "The Flow" but I think that "The Continental","And God Created Woman" and "Blue Light" all would have done better as singles than "The Morning Papers".

Morning Papers is listenable but definitely not a hit. It's not one of his best songs. If it's not a consensus hit here on the org you know it wouldn't be in the general public. To me it's like the song Gold-- it's mildly pleasurable but ultimately falls flat. It's almost un-Princely because it's not unique, daring nor very passionate.