Mellow Single (2002)

Prince's "Mellow" was made available as a free download for a limited time to America Online members January 14, 2002.

"Mellow" is the seventh track on Prince’s 24th album, "The Rainbow Children," marking his first album after returning to the name Prince. On January 14, 2002, the track was made available as a free download for AOL members on AOL.com. In 2002, a live version appeared as the fifth track on the first disc of Prince’s inaugural live album, "One Nite Alone... Live!" alongside "Muse 2 The Pharaoh," "The Other Side Of The Pillow," and "Strange Relationship" from the same performance.

While specific recording dates are not documented, it is believed that the initial tracking occurred in late 2000 or early 2001 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Horn overdubs were added on February 8, 2001, also at Paisley Park Studios, on the same day as those for "Everywhere" and "The Everlasting Now." The track's lyrics reference the November 17, 2000 (a.m.) aftershow concert at Metro in Chicago, IL, USA, featuring Macy Gray and Common as stage guests. The lyrics also mention "The Egg," a building on the Paisley Park Studios grounds with an unspecified purpose (see Paisley Park Studios for more details).