✦Prince – Album US: Oct. 1979

A funk‑pop prodigy steps into his power — the album that announced Prince as a star in the making

✦ SUMMARY

Released on 19 October 1979 in the US (Warner Bros. BSK 3366) and in the UK the following month, Prince is the artist’s second studio album — and the first to fully crystallise the sound that would define his early career. Written, arranged, composed, produced and performed entirely by Prince, the album showcases a young musician with total creative control and a rapidly expanding artistic identity.

More diverse, confident and commercially successful than For You (1978), the album delivered Prince’s first major hit, I Wanna Be Your Lover, which reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart. The album itself peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the R&B chart, earning Platinum certification just four months after release.

Critics recognised the arrival of a major new talent. Robert Christgau wrote in 1981:“This boy is going to be a big star, and he deserves it.”

✦ HIGHLIGHTS

• Released 19 October 1979 (US), November 1979 (UK)• Entirely written, arranged, produced and performed by Prince• First major hit: I Wanna Be Your Lover• Peaked at No. 22 (Billboard 200) and No. 3 (R&B)• Certified Platinum four months after release• A creative and commercial breakthrough

✦ TRACKLISTING

1. I Wanna Be Your Lover — 2:57

2. Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? — 3:49

3. Sexy Dancer — 4:18

4. When We’re Dancing Close and Slow — 5:20

5. With You — 3:54

6. Bambi — 4:22

7. Still Waiting — 4:12

8. I Feel for You — 3:24

9. It’s Gonna Be Lonely — 5:30

Format: LP — Warner Bros. Records — BSK 3366 — US — 19 Oct 1979

✦ PRODUCTION & CONTEXT

Recorded in just five weeks, Prince was created under pressure: Warner Bros. wanted a quick follow‑up to For You, which had gone over budget and failed to produce a pop hit. Determined to prove himself, Prince doubled down on his independence — playing every instrument, producing every track, and shaping a sound that blended funk, pop, soul, rock and disco with effortless confidence.

The album introduced several elements that would become Prince signatures:• falsetto vocals• tight, minimal funk grooves• guitar‑driven rock flourishes (Bambi)• tender ballads (Still Waiting, With You)• genre‑blending experimentation• a growing sense of sexual and emotional complexity

In 1984, the album finally received its first UK release.

On 19 October 2019, the Prince Estate celebrated the album’s 40th anniversary with the release of I Feel for You (Acoustic Demo) — a raw cassette recording from 1978–79.

✦ DESIGN NOTES — PRINCE (1979)

Aesthetic Overview

The cover features a soft‑focus portrait of Prince against a warm, airbrushed gradient — a visual language rooted in late‑1970s R&B and disco aesthetics. Shirtless, with flowing hair and direct eye contact, Prince is presented as sensual, youthful and enigmatic. The typography is elegant and understated, allowing the image to dominate.

✦ PERSONAL

Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, Oberheim Four Voice, Polymoog, Minimoog, ARP String Ensemble, clavinet, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, bass guitar, drums, Pollard Syndrums, percussion, producer, arranger, remixer

André Cymone – backing vocals (uncredited)

Technical

Gary Brandt – engineer

Mark Ettel – assistant engineer

Bob Mockler – remixer

Bernie Grundman – mastering (A&M)

Lynn Barron – album design (RIA Images)

George Chacon – album design (RIA Images)

Jurgen Reisch – photography (front cover)

Chris Callis – photography (back cover)

Terry Taylor – calligraphy

✦ LEGACY

Prince is widely regarded as the true beginning of Prince’s ascent — the album where his voice, identity and artistic direction fully emerge. It delivered his first major hit, established his creative autonomy, and set the stage for the revolutionary run of albums that would follow.

✦ PRINCE 1979 MINI‑TIMELINE — THE BREAKTHROUGH

✦ Early 1979 Prince begins recording his second album under pressure to deliver a hit.

✦ October 1979 Prince released in the US; I Wanna Be Your Lover becomes his first major single.

✦ Late 1979Album reaches No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the R&B chart.

✦ 1984 Album receives its first UK release.

✦ 2019 The Estate releases I Feel for You (Acoustic Demo) for the 40th anniversary.

This era captures Prince stepping into his identity — confident, ambitious and unstoppable.

✦ GLAM FLASHBACK — PRINCE (1979) VS. FOR YOU (1978)

For You (1978)

• lush, layered, expensive production• youthful vulnerability• searching for a sound• commercial underperformance

Prince (1979)

• confident, stripped‑back funk‑pop• first major hit• clearer artistic identity• commercial breakthrough

Together, they show the leap from prodigy to star.

✦ SINGLES

I Wanna Be Your Lover

b/w My Love Is Forever

• US Hot 100: 11

• US R&B: 1

• US Dance: 2

• UK: 41

Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?

b/w Baby

• US R&B: 13

Still Waiting

b/w Bambi

• US R&B: 65

Sexy Dancer

b/w Bambi / Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?

(UK & Japan only)

• US Dance: 2

✦ SOURCES

Personal archive knowledge Prince Vault Discogs AllMusic Rate Your Music Wikipedia Billboard Chart History