Prince (October 16 / November 20 2001) The Rainbow Children - Album

The Rainbow Children is Prince’s twenty-fourth studio album, a conceptual work with strong spiritual and religious themes influenced by his Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. It was his first album released under the name Prince since 1996.

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: NPG Records / Redline Entertainment

Catalogue: 70004-1

Format: 2×LP

Country: Worldwide

Released: October 16, 2001 (NPG Music Club download) / November 20, 2001 (retail)

Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul, Jazz, Gospel

Length: 68:49

THE STORY

A narrative-driven album telling the story of the Rainbow Children, spiritual enlightenment, temptation, banishment, and redemption. The album features extended jams, jazz influences, and a continuous conceptual flow, highlighted by tracks like “Rainbow Children,” “The Work Pt. 1,” and “Family Name.”

CONTEXT & NOTES

Recorded primarily at Paisley Park in late 2000–early 2001, this was Prince’s return to using his birth name. The album was previewed during the 2001 Celebration event and served as the foundation for the One Nite Alone... Tour. It was initially available as a single untracked download to NPG Music Club members.

Side A

A1 Rainbow Children — 10:04

A2 Muse 2 The Pharaoh — 4:21

A3 Digital Garden — 4:07

Side B

B1 The Work Pt. 1 — 4:28

B2 Everywhere — 2:55

B3 The Sensual Everafter — 2:58 B4 Mellow — 4:24

Side C

C1 1+1+1 Is 3 — 5:17

C2 Deconstruction — 2:00

C3 Wedding Feast — 0:54

C4 She Loves Me 4 Me — 2:50

C5 Family Name — 8:17

Side D

D1 The Everlasting Now — 8:18

D2 Last December — 7:58

D3 untitled track (Last December reprise) — 0:38

Total Length: 68:49

PERSONNEL

Musicians Prince — all vocals and instruments (except where noted)

ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AND BACKGROUND

• John Blackwell — drums

• Larry Graham — bass guitar (select tracks)

• Najee — saxophone, flute

• The Hornheadz — horns

• Milenia — background vocals

• Kip Blackshire — background vocals

• Mr. Hayes, Femi Jiya — spoken vocals

• Clare Fischer — orchestration (sampled)

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Production

• Prince — producer, arranger

• Femi Jiya — engineer

• Brian Gardner — mastering

• Cbabi Bayoc — cover art and illustrations

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PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Single sleeve gatefold-style jacket with vibrant, colorful original painting by Cbabi Bayoc on the front

• Back cover features tracklist, barcode, and credits

• Includes full lyric/conceptual booklet inside

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CHARTS

America

USA: Billboard 200 | 8 Dec. 2001 | 109 | 2 weeks

USA: Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | 8 Dec. 2001 | 33 | 7 weeks

USA: Billboard Independent Albums | 8 Dec. 2001 | 4 | 17 weeks

It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year. It is the first album released outside of the NPG Music Club to be released under the name of Prince again, as he had reverted to his previous stage name from his symbolic moniker a year earlier. It was released on double vinyl with a glossy color booklet, and was not available on vinyl again until the Legacy release in 2020.

This concept album illustrates common Prince themes of spirituality and human sexuality, as well as love and racism, through the fictitious story of a social movement toward a Martin Luther King Jr.-inspired utopian society. The album seems to allude to his recent intrest in the Jehovah's Witnesses denomination, but Egyptian monotheism and New Age concepts such as the Akashic records are used as metaphors as well. Jazzier than any of his previous efforts, it was met with mixed reactions. Some fans saw the album as a musical and spiritual evolution for Prince.

The Rainbow Children was released through the independent distributor Redline Entertainment. At Prince's decision, it received minimal promotion, as he wanted to focus more on the music and avoid commercialism. The album sold 158,000 copies in US stores as of summer 2007, with an estimated 560,000 copies worldwide.

The album also had a dedicated promotional website that offered the tracks "She Loves Me 4 Me" and "Mellow" as free MP3 downloads. The domain is currently for sale.

The album cover features Cbabi Bayoc's "The Reine Keis Quintet". Prince favored the painting of a women's band, as he was backed by an all-female ensemble.

SOURCES Album liner notes, official discography, Discogs, 45cat, Official Charts, Wikipedia, Prince Vault.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE All album artwork, photographs, logos, 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