🎼 Parade: Music from the Motion Picture Under The Cherry Moon – Album: Mar. 1986
- GlamSlamEscape
- Mar 31, 1986
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 17
Released: March 31, 1986 (US/UK)
Catalogue Number: US: 1‑25395 / UK: WX 39
A baroque‑funk masterpiece — Prince and the Revolution’s final bow, wrapped in Parisian cool.
Released on March 31, 1986, Parade arrived as both the soundtrack to Prince’s black‑and‑white film Under the Cherry Moon and the final studio album credited to Prince and the Revolution. Following the psychedelic swirl of Around the World in a Day, Prince pivoted sharply into a refined, European‑inflected sound: baroque pop, jazz, French chanson, orchestral miniatures, and minimalist funk.
Recorded between 1985 and early 1986 at Sunset Sound and Paisley Park, the album features lush orchestral arrangements by Clare Fischer, intricate contributions from Wendy & Lisa, and some of Prince’s most elegant production. Critics hailed Parade as a creative resurgence — NME named it Album of the Year (1986) — and its reputation has only grown, with modern retrospectives calling it one of Prince’s most sophisticated works.
Commercially, the album was a global success, powered by the No. 1 hit “Kiss.” It reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 in the UK, and topped charts across Europe. Today, Parade stands as a pivotal moment: the Revolution’s final masterpiece and a bridge to the experimental freedom of Sign O’ The Times.
🔘 Track List
(LP — Paisley Park / Warner Bros. — 1‑25395 US / WX 39 UK)
Side One
Christopher Tracy’s Parade — Prince
New Position — Prince
I Wonder U — Prince
Under the Cherry Moon — Prince
Girls & Boys — Prince
Life Can Be So Nice — Prince
Venus de Milo — Prince
Side Two
Mountains — Prince & the Revolution
Do U Lie? — Prince
Kiss — Prince
Anotherloverholenyohead — Prince
Sometimes It Snows in April — Prince & the Revolution
Produced by: Prince
Engineers: Susan Rogers, Coke Johnson, Peggy McCreary, others (verified)
🔘 Variants (Discogs‑Verified Only)
🇺🇸 USA – Paisley Park / Warner Bros. – 1‑25395 (1986)
Format: LP
Country: USA
Year: 1986
Notes:
• Standard US pressing
• Black‑and‑white cover photography
• Custom inner sleeve
• Matrix variants include MASTERDISK cuts
🇬🇧 UK – Paisley Park / Warner Bros. – WX 39 (1986)
Format: LP
Country: UK
Year: 1986
Notes:
• UK/Europe pressing
• Same artwork as US
• “WX 39” spine identifier
• Warner Bros. labels
🇺🇸 USA – 4‑25395 (1986)
Format: Cassette
Country: USA
Year: 1986
Notes:
• Standard US cassette
• Fold‑out J‑card
• Same track order as LP
🌍 US/Europe – 9 25395‑2 (1986)
Format: CD
Country: US/Europe
Year: 1986
Notes:
• Early CD issue
• Silver disc with black text
• No bonus tracks
🇯🇵 Japan – WPCR‑13133 (1990s reissue)
Format: CD
Country: Japan
Year: 1990s
Notes:
• Japanese booklet
• Warner Pioneer pressing
🔘 Chart Performance
🇺🇸 Billboard 200
Peak Position: #3
Weeks on Chart: 30+
Label: Paisley Park / Warner Bros.
Catalogue Number: 1‑25395
🇺🇸 Top R&B/Hip‑Hop Albums
Peak Position: #2
🇬🇧 UK Albums Chart
Peak Position: #4
First Chart Date: April 12, 1986
Weeks on Chart: 22
🌍 International Peaks
• Netherlands — #1
• Switzerland — #2
• Germany — #6
• Sweden — #5
• Austria — #7
• New Zealand — #7
• Finland — #3
• Canada — #11
2016 Re‑Entry
• Billboard 200 — #50
• Soundtrack Albums — #3
🔘 Context & Notes
Personnel (Verified)
• Prince — vocals, instruments, production
• Wendy Melvoin — guitar, vocals
• Lisa Coleman — keyboards, vocals
• BrownMark — bass
• Dr. Fink — keyboards
• Bobby Z. — drums
• Eric Leeds — saxophone
• Atlanta Bliss — trumpet
• Clare Fischer — orchestral arrangements
Recording Notes
• Recorded 1985–1986 at Sunset Sound & Paisley Park
• Orchestral arrangements recorded separately by Fischer
• Stylistic palette: baroque pop, jazz, funk, chanson
• Bookended by songs referencing Christopher Tracy, the film’s protagonist
Press Reception
• NME Album of the Year (1986)
• Praised for elegance, cohesion, and experimentation
• Retrospective acclaim: Pitchfork 9.1, The Guardian “effortless and assured”
Legacy
• Final album by Prince and the Revolution
• “Kiss” became one of Prince’s signature hits
• Seen as a creative high point bridging ATWIAD and SOTT
• Continues to influence neo‑soul, art‑pop, and orchestral funk
🔘 Related Material
Previous Album: Around the World in a Day (1985)
Next Album: Sign O’ The Times (1987)
Related Artists: The Revolution, Wendy & Lisa, Clare Fischer
🔘 Discography
• Around the World in a Day (1985)
• Parade (1986)
• Sign O’ The Times (1987)
🔘 Mini‑Timeline
1985: Recording begins
Mar. 31, 1986: Album released
1986: Under the Cherry Moon film released
Late 1986: The Revolution disbands
🔘 Glam Flashback
Parade is Prince at his most elegant — a Paris‑soaked swirl of funk, orchestral pop, and cinematic romance. The Revolution’s final masterpiece, and one of the most inventive albums of the 1980s.
🔘 Closing Notes
A daring stylistic pivot and a creative triumph, Parade remains one of Prince’s most sophisticated and influential works — a soundtrack that transcends its film and stands as a jewel of his catalogue.
🔘 Sources & Copyright
Discogs (1‑25395, WX 39, 4‑25395, 9 25395‑2, WPCR‑13133)
45cat (US/UK singles)
Prince Vault
Warner Bros. Records documentation
Official Charts Company
Contemporary & retrospective reviews
All artwork and text remain the property of their respective copyright holders.
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