July 24, 2007: Planet Earth

Escape
Jul 24, 2007
3 min read

Updated: Apr 26

The 32nd studio album by Prince was released in the US. It was first distributed as a CD with the 15 July 2007 issue of the Mail on Sunday newspaper in the UK and Ireland, packaged in a simple slipcard. A week later, a retail version featuring a full CD case and a lenticular cover was released worldwide, sixteen months after his previous album, "3121." During Prince's "21 Nights In London: The Earth Tour" in August and September 2007, the album was given to each audience member every night, in slightly different slipcard packaging than the Mail on Sunday version.

Interestingly, each edition of the album's packaging does not include a tracklist, indicating that the final tracklist may have been decided very late. The album credits name the recording personnel without detailing their roles on specific tracks. The following list is a careful effort to compile accurate credits, though it may not be completely precise. Updates will be made as more information becomes available.

Details about the album's recording sessions are limited. The basic tracking for most songs took place from November 2004 to Spring 2007 at three locations: Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN, USA; 3121 at The Rio in Las Vegas, NV, USA; and Circle House in Miami, FL, USA. The tracks "Planet Earth" and "Guitar" were recorded in November 2004 during a three-and-a-half-hour session at Paisley Park Studios, with Michael B. on drums and Sonny T. on bass. Additionally, songs on the 3121 album (including the title track), released in 2006, and on the subsequent studio album Lotusflow3r (tracks "From The Lotus...", "...Back 2 The Lotus", "Colonized Mind", "Love Like Jazz", and "Wall Of Berlin") were recorded during these sessions.

Many songs from Planet Earth were initially part of an early Lotusflow3r configuration, which included 15 tracks around early 2007: Guitar, Chelsea Rodgers, Mr. Goodnight, All The Midnights In The World, Lion Of Judah, Future Baby Mama, and Resolution. Notably, the track Planet Earth was not included in this lineup. It is unclear if this 2007 project evolved into Planet Earth with the later addition of the title track, or if it was a completely separate project. Additionally, a four-song suite called "Man Opera," featuring the tracks I Am, Touch Me, Sunrise Sunset, and No One Else, was considered for the early Planet Earth configuration in May 2007 but ultimately did not make the final cut.

The album featured just one commercially-released single, "Guitar," which was released before the album. Additionally, it led to three promotional singles: "Chelsea Rodgers," available only in the USA; "Future Baby Mama," exclusive to France; and "The One U Wanna C," released solely in Holland.

Prince launched the "21 Nights In London: The Earth Tour" residency. Instead of the tour promoting the album, it was the album that promoted the tour, with each audience member receiving a copy.

The album debuted at number 3 on The Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart, yet it did not receive RIAA certification. On February 8, 2019, The Prince Estate reissued the album through Sony’s Legacy Recordings, along with the re-release of Musicology and 3121.