Happy 35th Anniversary to Prince’s seventh studio album Around The World In A Day, originally released April 22, 1985.
“Open Your Heart Open Your Mind / A Train Is Leaving All Day / A Wonderful Trip Through
Our Time / And Laughter is All U Pay.”
These are the first words sung by a post-Purple Rain Prince. And aside from being truly evocative of the whole new breed of sweet psychedelia that the album would bestow upon the listener, the metaphorical train was on a whole new track.
Recording during the rise and rise and rise of Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day is as much a reflection of the artist at its center, as well as a push back against the world he was finding himself in. As they say, “be careful what you wish for” and for Prince, his wish to be a capital S-T-A-R had been granted with the mega success that was the Purple Rain album, movie and tour. But as Prince toured the United States to packed-out arenas, he was growing restless of the tightly structured and choreographed staging. Meanwhile, the music of Purple Rain was yesterday’s news for its creator. And for Prince, the new and shiny was always more appealing.
So whilst he toured, he and The Revolution recorded and tried out new music in soundchecks and in secret studio sessions. And of course, Prince would also scurry away to record solo works that were germinating under his newly placed crown. The new stuff was running in parallel to what the public was hearing, but also actively pushing further afield. There was always a new melody or musical idea brewing, searching for a home.
It wasn’t until an act of generosity returned the favor that the answer of what would follow Purple Rain came into focus. And it sure wasn’t going to be a sequel. There would be no 2 Purple 2 Rainer on the forecast.
Gifting David Coleman, the brother of long time keyboardist and collaborator Lisa Coleman, 48 hours of studio time in the famed Sunset Sound yielded a track that melded world music together with the pulse of psychedelia and a call to venture “Around The World In A Day.” Upon hearing David’s demo (supported by Johnathon Melvoin), Lisa and Wendy were so impressed and excited by the music they implored Prince to listen to it. When he did, he was immediately drawn to the mystical sounds and the haunting yet hopeful essence of the song.
No sooner had he heard it than Prince began seeing it as the cornerstone of a new musical direction, one aided by the growing influence of the musical loves of those around him, his bandmates’ love for The Beatles and a romantic interest’s love of Led Zeppelin. But in the same way that Prince had taken influences from James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic and fashioned them into his own stylings, he would also take the spark of inspiration for these classic styles and meld them into something new.
So Around The World In A Day took shape as Prince’s Sgt. Pepper’s. An album exploring musical styles and influences in an unexpected way.
Arranged around the firm foundation of David Coleman (given his due as co-writer), “Around The World In A Day” was unlike anything you had heard Prince do before. Welcoming you with a swirling flute and Princely scream, you are swept off onto a new musical journey. The rhythm with its middle eastern influence of Turkish Darbuka drum, finger cymbals and tambourine clangs, still allows for that trademark Prince handclap that acts as almost a reassurance that while he is exploring the musical landscape, he hasn’t forgotten to pack the funk.
Lyrically calling you to take part in this journey, both spiritually and musically, it sets the tone for the album—almost telling people to leave their expectations behind of what a Prince album should sound like, and just enjoy the music. Of course, there are still prime Prince elements like the synth bridge that brings the funk after the call of "I think I want to dance.”
From a world music feel to a Beatles-esque vibe, “Paisley Park” simultaneously plods along with a grounded drum pattern and floats with the swirling organ that bubbles during the verses. A song of lament and salvation, “Paisley Park” is akin to “Strawberry Fields Forever” in providing a musical promise of escape and sanctuary.
From here, Prince takes a decided left turn with a song that upon first listen was tough going. “Condition of the Heart” challenges the listener with a drawn-out ethereal piano and synth intro that teases its way to the main body of the song. It felt like a glimpse into a soundcheck as if Prince was trying to locate the beautiful melody that would become the refrain. Musically the song stirs all the emotions the title requires, but Prince’s lead vocals seem to tip toe along the range of deranged passion and tongue-in-cheek quirk. Time has warmed my initial judgement of the song and I have come to appreciate its melodramatic nature.
If “Condition of the Heart” is lovelorn, then “Raspberry Beret” is its joyous opposite. Originally written during 1999 sessions, “Raspberry Beret” was rerecorded and updated to include all the classic Prince trademarks: the Linn drum machine inspired beats, the flanged rim shots, and the popping handclap. The song saunters along with a gleeful step. You can almost hear the smile in Prince's vocals as he delivers lines like “she walked in through the out door.” Backed by Wendy and Lisa's sweet vocals and the beautiful string arrangement they brought to it, “Raspberry Beret” is Prince’s perfect pop song, one that glistens and gleams like a glorious summer day—despite any overcast days that may look to impact the mood.
Closing out Side 1, “Tamborine” is a tour-de-force of Prince as one man band. Sitting behind the drumkit, Prince offers a skittish ricochet beat that frolics through this ode to self-love. Sparse and funky, there’s a sense of urgency present as if Prince is trying to lay down the various tracks before they fade from his mind. Whilst it might have been the obscurely controversial track off the album, Prince makes it a joyous listen.
Side 2 kicks off with the funk driven rocker “America” that appears here in an edited and focused cut down from its original 21-minute recording that would later appear on the single’s 12” release. A hybrid of the party funk of a “Baby I’m A Star” and the political/social commentary of a “Party Up” or “Annie Christian,” the song has the listener debating if Prince is deriding or celebrating America’s overt patriotic nature, or perhaps it’s both, presenting the positive and negative of ‘80s America.
The Beatles-esque “Pop Life” is another highpoint of the album and like the track that preceded it, a full band effort, augmented by the additional drumming of Sheila E. who gives the song its straight-ahead strut groove. With dueling bass lines, the song swirls around you as Prince reflects on the promise and trappings of fame and the desire to just live life with a bit of enjoyment. “Pop Life” had enough spark to make its way into the Top Ten, following the trail of “Raspberry Beret” before it, and remains one of Prince’s funkiest and focused pop efforts.
After such a promising opening, Side 2 unfortunately begins to unravel with the remaining two tracks. “The Ladder” initially felt like a retread of “Purple Rain” and despite how earnest Prince may have been with its promise of salvation, it doesn’t hold a candle to the bright light of its predecessor. It should be noted though that a more stripped-down version captured during soundcheck reveals the quiet power of the track in a way that sadly is lost in the album’s production.
Maybe this is where the journey Around The World In A Day should have ended, but instead Prince devolves into the schlock and seedy burlesque of “Temptation.” At eight minutes, Prince clearly wanted it to be an epic cornerstone of the album, but that time might have been better served extending a track like “Pop Life” or “America” rather than here. What “Temptation” does offer is a glimpse into Prince’s attitude towards fame and more broadly the music industry and all of its trappings as he finished the track, and in turn the album, by stating “I have to go now / I don’t know when I’ll return / Goodbye.”
This simple statement seemed to support Prince’s malaise at the time as he announced he would no longer tour, would be only a studio artist, and would for the time being take an extended break. So committed to this was he, that initially he wanted Around The World In A Day to just arrive on shelves without fanfare, without single support and without any promotional videos. Whilst this vision was short lived—and maybe spurred by the hastily put together video by Warner Brothers for “Paisley Park”—Prince did shy away from touring in support of the album. As for the extended break, within the year Prince released Parade and hit the road again in support of that new venture.
Around The World In A Day delighted the long-term Prince fan and befuddled newcomers with many wanting a Prince-by-the-numbers release. But invariably it was when he painted outside the lines that Prince created something exciting and new.
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