✦ Around the World in a Day – Album: April, 1985
- GlamSlamEscape
- Apr 21, 1985
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
✦ — SUMMARY
Released April 22, 1985 by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros., Around the World in a Day marked Prince’s deliberate shift away from the commercial expectations following Purple Rain. Recorded February–December 1984 across multiple studios — including Sunset Sound, Capitol, Paisley Park, and the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse — the album blends psychedelic pop, rock, soul, and funk into a vibrant, experimental soundscape.
Though less commercially dominant than its predecessor, the album was a major success and produced several hit singles, including “Raspberry Beret,” “Paisley Park,” “Pop Life,” and “America.” Its adventurous style and refusal to repeat Purple Rain cemented Prince’s reputation as a fearless, genre‑defying artist.
✦ — HIGHLIGHTS
• Released April 22, 1985 (Worldwide)
• Recorded Feb–Dec 1984 across multiple studios
• Genres: psychedelic pop, pop‑rock, psychedelic soul, psychedelic funk
• Follow‑up to Purple Rain — intentionally more experimental
• Produced four singles, including the global hit “Raspberry Beret”
• Length: 42:33
• Produced entirely by Prince
✦ — TRACK DETAILS
LP – Paisley Park / Warner Bros. – 1985
Around the World in a Day
Paisley Park
Condition of the Heart
Raspberry Beret
Tamborine
America
Pop Life
The Ladder
Temptation
Total length: 42:33
✦ — REISSUES & GLOBAL VARIANTS
(Verified via Prince Vault, Discogs, Warner Records)
1985 Original Releases
• LP — Worldwide
• Cassette — Worldwide
• CD — Worldwide
Later Editions
• Standard CD reissues
• Digital releases on all major platforms
• Vinyl represses in select markets
✦ — PRODUCTION AND CONTEXT
• Produced by Prince
• Recorded Feb–Dec 1984 at:
– Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse (Eden Prairie, MN)
– Sunset Sound (Hollywood, CA)
– Mobile Audio Studio (St. Paul Civic Center Arena)
– Capitol Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
– Paisley Park (Minneapolis, MN)
• Created immediately after the Purple Rain tour
• Prince intentionally avoided repeating the Purple Rain formula
• Heavy influence from psychedelia, 60s pop, and spiritual themes
✦ — SINGLES RELEASED
Raspberry Beret — May 15, 1985
Paisley Park — May 24, 1985 (EU)
Pop Life — July 15, 1985
America — October 2, 1985
✦ — CHART PERFORMANCE
United States
• Billboard 200 — Top 10
• “Raspberry Beret” — major worldwide hit
International
• Strong chart performance across Europe and Oceania
✦ — DISCOGRAPHY
Purple Rain — 1984
Around the World in a Day — 1985
Parade — 1986
✦ — PRINCE ERA MINI‑TIMELINE
1984 — Purple Rain dominates charts
April 1985 — Around the World in a Day released
1986 — Parade continues the Revolution era
✦ — GLAM FLASHBACK
Around the World in a Day is Prince at his most playful and psychedelic — a technicolor swirl of imagination that defied expectations and expanded his artistic universe far beyond the shadow of Purple Rain.
✦ — COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All images, artwork, logos, and related materials referenced or displayed in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. They are included strictly for historical, educational, and archival purposes under fair‑use principles.
✦ — SOURCES
Prince Vault
Discogs
Warner Bros. Records catalogue data
Billboard archives
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