Prince (April 18, 2014) “The Breakdown” – Promo CDr Single NLD

A haunting, introspective ballad that Prince described as his favourite current song on the Arsenio Hall Show, “The Breakdown” was released as a surprise standalone single in April 2014, five and a half months before appearing on the album Art Official Age.

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: NPG Records (under exclusive license to Warner Bros. Records)

Date: April 18, 2014 Catalogue: USWB11401050 Format: Promo CDr Single Country: The Netherlands

Genre: Ballad / Pop Style: Introspective ballad

A-Side: “The Breakdown” (4:04) Written by: Prince Produced by: Prince and Joshua Welton

B-Side: — (Single-track promo)

TRACK LIST Netherlands Promo CDr Single (USWB11401050)

1. The Breakdown (4:04)

LINKED RELEASES / VARIANTS Main Commercial – Digital single (18 April 2014) Album version – Art Official Age (2014) Promo CDr – Netherlands (this release)

PERSONNEL 

Prince – vocals, instruments, production Joshua Welton – co-producer Andy Allo – background vocals Stringenius – strings

THE STORY 

“The Breakdown” was first heard in January 2013 when DJ Rashida played it before one of Prince’s DJ sets in Minneapolis. After being performed live throughout 2013 and named by Prince as his favourite current song on the Arsenio Hall Show in March 2014, the track was unexpectedly released as a digital single just before midnight on 18 April 2014. The release came only hours after Prince announced his new deal with Warner Bros. Records. The song was later included as the third track on Art Official Age (released September 2014).

CONTEXT & NOTES 

The single was issued as a promo CDr in the Netherlands with a striking close-up portrait of Prince. Although it received positive reviews and was offered as a pre-order bonus track, it was never released as a commercial physical single outside of promo formats. Prince performed the song occasionally as a solo piano piece in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

RELATED MATERIAL 

Prince (2014) Art Official Age

For other relevant posts, see the tags at the foot of the page.

SOURCES Prince Vault, Discogs, Billboard, The Guardian and

All single artwork, photographs, labels, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference.