March 1, 1993: The Morning Papers

b/w Live 4 Love by Prince and the New Power Generation was released as a single In the UK, it was not released until April in the US, taken from their 1992 album Love Symbol. It was released as the fourth worldwide (and fifth overall) single from the album in March 1993 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros.; the B-side is "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from Love Symbol. "The Morning Papers" peaked at numbers 44 and 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.

The lyrics of the song concern Prince falling in love with Mayte Garcia, and sticks to the theme of the movie 3 Chains o' Gold, where Mayte (a princess in Egypt) and Prince meet after her father is assassinated by seven mysterious men. Prince sings about the things they do together and how other people do not value/understand the bond they share. Musically, the song is a pop-rock ballad with an emphasis on guitar. The video is notable for featuring Prince embracing "the grunge look".

"The Morning Papers" was a moderate success on all the charts on which it appeared. It peaked at number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 18 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart, number 68 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 35 on the Cash Box Top 100, and number 52 in the UK. The song became the first song by Prince released in proper form in the United Kingdom to miss the top 40 since "Mountains" in 1986, seven years earlier (this means that 23 of Prince's songs in a row had made the top 40 before "The Morning Papers"). The song, despite missing the Billboard top 40, made the Top 40 mainstream chart, meaning it received significant radio airplay in America.

A. The Morning Papers (3:57)

B. Live 4 Love (6:58)

References:

US: 7-18583

UK: W0162

DE: 5439-18583-7

(US: PRO-CD 5985)

CD Promo

1. The Morning Papers (3:57)