✦ Love Symbol – Album UK: Oct. 1992

A bold, genre‑bending epic from Prince and the NPG — romance, mythology, and Minneapolis funk colliding in one of his most ambitious albums.

✦ Summary

Released October 5, 1992 in the UK on Warner Bros. / Paisley Park, the Love Symbol album marked Prince’s transition into the era of the unpronounceable glyph that would soon replace his name. Though officially untitled, the album became known by the symbol emblazoned on its cover. Across 18 tracks, Prince and the New Power Generation blended hip‑hop swagger, lush balladry, Middle Eastern‑inspired motifs, and Minneapolis funk into a loose narrative involving a princess (played by Mayte), a journalist (voiced by Kirstie Alley), and a political conspiracy.

Recorded at Paisley Park Studios with additional sessions at Ocean Way in Los Angeles, the album showcased the NPG at full power: Tony M.’s rap verses, Rosie Gaines’ vocals, Levi Seacer Jr.’s guitar, Sonny T.’s bass, Michael Bland’s drums, and Tommy Barbarella’s keyboards. The album was issued in both explicit and clean editions, the latter featuring backmasked profanity in tracks like “My Name Is Prince” and “Sexy M.F.”

Commercially, the album was a major success, reaching No. 1 in the UK, No. 5 in the US, and charting strongly worldwide. Its singles — “My Name Is Prince,” “Sexy M.F.,” “7,” and “The Morning Papers” — became staples of the early ’90s Prince era.

✦ Highlights

• Officially untitled; known as the Love Symbol album

• Released in explicit and clean editions

• Loose narrative featuring Kirstie Alley as reporter Vanessa Bartholomew

• UK No. 1 album; US Platinum

• Features NPG core lineup at their peak

• Gatefold vinyl with die‑cut symbol window

✦ Track Details

2×LP – Warner Bros. / Paisley Park – UK – 1992 (WX 490)

Side A

My Name Is Prince — 6:39

Sexy M.F. — 5:25

Love 2 the 9’s — 5:46

Side B

The Morning Papers — 4:02

The Max — 4:31

Segue — 0:21

Blue Light — 4:38

I Wanna Melt with U — 3:50

Sweet Baby — 4:01

Side C

The Continental — 5:31

Damn U — 4:25

Arrogance — 1:35

The Flow — 2:26

Side D

7 — 5:09

And God Created Woman — 3:18

3 Chains o’ Gold — 6:03

Segue — 1:30

The Sacrifice of Victor — 5:41

CD – Explicit Edition (9362‑45037‑2)

Full 18‑track program as above.

CD – Clean Edition

Same tracklist with censored/backmasked profanity; no parental advisory label.

Cassette – UK (9362‑45037‑4)

Side A: Tracks 1–9

Side B: Tracks 10–18

✦ Reissues & Global Variants

(Verified via Prince Vault, Discogs, and Warner/Paisley Park catalog data)

1992 Original Releases

• 2×LP — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park WX 490 — UK

• CD (Explicit) — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park 9362‑45037‑2 — UK/Europe

• CD (Clean) — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park — UK/Europe

• Cassette — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park 9362‑45037‑4 — UK/Europe

• CD — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park 9 45037‑2 — US

• Cassette — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park 4‑45037 — US

• CD — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park WPCP‑4994 — Japan

Later Reissues

• CD — Warner Bros. / Paisley Park WPCR‑75418 — Japan (mid‑2000s reissue)

• Digital reissue — Warner Bros. / NPG — Worldwide (2014–2015 catalogue restoration)

Notable Notes

• No vinyl repress until the 2020s; original LP remains highly collectible

• Clean CD editions vary by region and packaging

✦ Production and Context

• Produced, arranged, composed by Prince

• Recorded 1991–1992 at Paisley Park and Ocean Way

• NPG lineup: Tony M., Levi Seacer Jr., Sonny T., Michael Bland, Tommy Barbarella, Rosie Gaines

• Guests: Kirstie Alley (segues), Carmen Electra

• Themes: identity, romance, mythology, spirituality, media satire

• Released during Prince’s escalating conflict with Warner Bros.

• Follow‑up to Diamonds and Pearls (1991)

✦ Singles Released

My Name Is Prince — 1992

Sexy M.F. — 1992

7 — 1992

The Morning Papers — 1993

✦ Chart Performance

• UK Albums Chart — #1

• US Billboard 200 — #5

• Australia — #1

• Canada — #5

• Germany — #5

• Netherlands — #6

• Switzerland — #3

• New Zealand — #4

• Austria — #3

• Sweden — #10

• France — #14

✦ ALT TEXT (SEO)

A futuristic corridor with a large golden Love Symbol floating above a circle of seated figures, representing Prince and the New Power Generation’s 1992 album.

✦ Discography Sidebar

Diamonds and Pearls — 1991

Love Symbol — 1992

The Hits / The B‑Sides — 1993

✦ Prince Era Mini‑Timeline

1991 — Diamonds and Pearls era

Oct 1992 — Love Symbol album released

1993 — Prince changes his name to the Love Symbol

✦ Glam Flashback

The Love Symbol album is Prince at his most theatrical — a swirl of funk, romance, mythology, and razor‑sharp musicianship. With the NPG firing on all cylinders, he built a world of characters, segues, and cinematic ambition that pushed beyond the boundaries of pop. It remains one of the most distinctive and daring albums of his early ’90s output.

✦ Image & Artwork Copyright Notice

All images, photographs, and artwork referenced or displayed in this post remain the property of their respective copyright holders. They are included strictly for historical, educational, and archival purposes under fair‑use principles.

✦ Sources

Prince Vault

Discogs

Warner Bros. / Paisley Park Records documentation

Official Charts Company

Billboard archives