Prince (November 15, 1999) – The Greatest Romance Ever Sold

Single UK: 4-Track CD

Released in the UK on November 15, 1999, “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold” was the first and only commercially available single from Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. The principal UK four-track CD combined the original recording with the Adam & Eve Remix featuring Eve, while subsequent UK remix and promotional configurations are treated as variants of the same single.

DETAIL	INFORMATION
Artist	Prince
Title	The Greatest Romance Ever Sold
UK Release Date	November 15, 1999
US Release Date	October 5, 1999
Related Album	Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
Labels	NPG Records / Arista Records
Primary UK Format	4-Track CD Single
UK Catalogue Number	74321-70664-2
Writer	Prince
Producer	Prince
Album Version	5:29
Radio Edit	4:26

DETAIL / INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

Released in Britain on November 15, 1999, The Greatest Romance Ever Sold was the first and only commercially available single from Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. Written and produced by Prince, the song combined layered vocals with a smooth soul and contemporary late-1990s production style.

This Chronicle centres specifically on the November 15 UK release. The earlier US issue and the numerous later remix, European, American and promotional editions are therefore treated as variants rather than as separate primary releases.

No confirmed images of the primary UK four-track CD, catalogue 74321-70664-2, have been supplied, so no unrelated artwork is substituted at this position.

RELEASE DETAILS

BACKGROUND / RELEASE HISTORY

BACKGROUND	RELEASE HISTORY
The Greatest Romance Ever Sold was written and produced by Prince and became the principal single associated with Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic.	The single appeared first in the United States on October 5, 1999. The four-track UK CD followed on November 15, 1999.
The original album recording runs 5:29, while shorter radio versions and an extensive collection of remixes expanded the single campaign.	A US maxi-single followed on November 23, while additional remix CDs, twelve-inch singles and promotional configurations extended the campaign into further territories.

REMIXES / COLLECTOR INTEREST

ADAM & EVE REMIX	REMIX CAMPAIGN
The Adam & Eve Remix features Eve and significantly reworks the original recording. It became one of the most prominent additional versions associated with the single.	Jason Nevins and The Neptunes contributed further remix treatments, while Q-Tip appeared on the Neptunes versions.
A separate Radio Edit featuring Eve was also prepared, creating another distinct vocal variation.	The large number of edits, remixes, extended mixes, instrumental and promotional versions makes the single particularly complex from a collector and discographical perspective.

PERSONNEL / PRODUCTION

PERSONNEL	PRODUCTION / REMIXES
Prince – vocals, instruments, writing, production Mike Scott – guitar Eve – guest vocals on selected mixes Q-Tip – guest vocals on selected mixes	Prince – producer Jason Nevins – remix versions The Neptunes – remix versions

PRIMARY UK RELEASE – NOVEMBER 15, 1999

FORMAT	CATALOGUE / DETAILS
4-Track CD Single	74321-70664-2
Territory	UK
Release Date	November 15, 1999
Label	NPG Records / Arista Records
Image Status	No confirmed image currently supplied

PRIMARY UK 4-TRACK CD – 74321-70664-2

The original November 15 UK four-track edition remains the central release in this Chronicle. Because no confirmed sleeve or disc image for this exact catalogue number is currently available in the supplied archive material, no substitute image from another territory or configuration is used.

COMPLETE PRIMARY UK TRACKLIST

TRACKS 1–2	TRACKS 3–4
1. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Radio Edit) – 4:26 2. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Album Version) – 5:29	3. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Radio Edit featuring Eve) – 4:32 4. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Adam & Eve Remix featuring Eve) – 4:30

UK REMIX CD VARIANT – 74321 74500 2

FRONT ARTWORK	BACK ARTWORK
UK 74321 74500 2 – FRONT	UK 74321 74500 2 – BACK

DISC	INNER / ADDITIONAL ARTWORK
UK 74321 74500 2 – DISC]	UK 74321 74500 2 – INNER

UK PROMO CD – 5 TRACKS	UK PROMO CD – 4 TRACKS
LOVE SYMBOL / REMIXES – 5-TRACK VERSION]	LOVE SYMBOL / REMIXES – 4-TRACK VERSION]

UK PROMO – 3-TRACK EDIT CD	UK PROMO – JASON NEVINS REMIX EDIT
THE ARTIST / THE GREATEST ROMANCE]	LOVE SYMBOL / JASON NEVINS REMIX EDIT]

TRACK	VERSION / TIME
1	Edit – 4:31
2	Edit This – 4:53
3	Edit Full – 4:34

UK 12" REMIX VARIANT – ARDP-3783

12" VINYL / GENERIC SLEEVE	PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION SHEET

SIDE A LABEL	SIDE B LABEL

SIDE A	SIDE B
The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Vocal) – 6:40 The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Beats) – 6:47	The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Dub) – 5:49 The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Instrumental) – 6:47

UK 12" VARIANT – GREAT 1

12" VINYL / GENERIC SLEEVE

SIDE A LABEL	SIDE B LABEL

SIDE A	SIDE B
The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Adam & Eve Remix) – 4:30 The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Neptunes Extended Remix) – 5:08	The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Jason Nevins Extended Remix) – 6:49 The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Radio Edit) – 4:32

OTHER RELEASE VARIANTS

TERRITORY / FORMAT	DETAILS
USA – CD Single	Separate US configuration
USA – Maxi CD	Expanded remix configuration
USA – Cassette	US cassette configuration
USA – 12"	US vinyl configuration
Germany – CD	Remix configuration
Germany – 12"	Extended remix configuration
Spain – Promo CD	Single-track promotional configuration
USA – Promo CD	Promotional remix configuration
USA – Promo 12"	Multiple promotional configurations

CHART PERFORMANCE

AMERICA	EUROPE
US Billboard Hot 100 – No. 63 Hot 100 Single Sales – No. 19 Hot R&B Singles & Tracks – No. 23 Hot R&B Singles Airplay – No. 33 Hot R&B Single Sales – No. 15 Dance / Maxi-Singles Sales – No. 6	UK Singles Chart – No. 65 Germany – No. 79 Netherlands Mega Top 50 – No. 71 Netherlands Tipparade – No. 21

PRESS & PROMOTION

Prince supported The Greatest Romance Ever Sold with television promotion during late November 1999. The campaign also included a promotional video, while the expanding remix programme gave the single several distinct promotional configurations.

PRESS / PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL	PRESS / ARCHIVE MATERIAL
[IMAGE – CONTEMPORARY UK ADVERTISEMENT / PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL IF AVAILABLE]	[IMAGE – CONTEMPORARY UK NEWSPAPER / MAGAZINE MATERIAL IF AVAILABLE]

NOTES

NOTES	NOTES
• UK release: November 15, 1999. • Primary UK edition: four-track CD. • Primary catalogue: 74321-70664-2. • Related album: Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic. • Written and produced by Prince.	• Supplied UK images document additional remix and promotional issues. • No primary UK 74321-70664-2 image currently supplied. • Non-UK editions are treated as variants only. • Eve appears on selected versions. • Q-Tip appears on Neptunes remix versions.

SOURCES / COPYRIGHT & ARCHIVAL USE

SOURCES

Prince Vault

Sleevographia2

Discogs

Wikipedia

Billboard

Official Charts

Supplied UK release images

COPYRIGHT & ARCHIVAL USE

All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.