For other uses, see 3121 (disambiguation).
3121
studio
ArtistPrince
CoverPrince - 3121.jpg
ReleasedMarch 21, 2006
RecordedNovember 2004 – early 2006[1]
Studio
GenreR&B · funk · rock · electronica
LanguageEnglish · Spanish
Length53:42
LabelNPG, Universal
ProducerPrince
Prev year2004
Next year2006

3121 (pronounced "thirty-one twenty-one") is the thirty-first studio album by American musician Prince. Released on March 21, 2006 (3/21) by NPG Records and distributed, under a "one-album deal", by Universal Music, the album reinforced Prince's big comeback after the critical success of Musicology (2004). The only Prince album ever to debut atop the Billboard 200 during his lifetime, with over 180,000 copies sold in its first week,[2] it knocked the soundtrack for High School Musical off the top spot and became Prince's first number one album since Batman in 1989,[3] eventually being certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4]

Album information

The album's first single, "Te Amo Corazón", was released in the United States on December 13, 2005; the second single, "Black Sweat", was released on February 2, 2006.[5]

The album title refers to Prince's rental home at 3121 Antelo Rd, Los Angeles.[6] Later homes rented by Prince were colloquially referred to as "3121", including a home owned by professional basketball player Carlos Boozer.[7]

Album sessions started in November 2004 with the recording of the song "3121" at Paisley Park with Michael Bland and Sonny T.[8]

A limited number of albums included "purple tickets", whose finders were flown in from Europe, Asia, Mexico and the US to attend a semi-private performance (along with a long list of celebrities) at Prince's home in Los Angeles.[9]

Tickets for Prince's The Earth Tour in 2007 at London's O2 Arena were priced at £31.21, echoing the title of this album.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written and produced by Prince.

Personnel

  • Michael Bland (on "3121"), Cora Coleman Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón," "Get On the Boat") – drums
  • Sonny T (on "3121"), Joshua Dunham (on "Te Amo Corazón," "Get On the Boat") – bass
  • Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer and Ray – horn section
  • Herbert Urena, Ricky Salas (on "Te Amo Corazón"), Sheila E. (on "Get On the Boat") – percussion
  • Clare Fischer – string arrangements
  • The New Power Generation (shouts), Támar (and co-lead on "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed") – additional and backing vocals
  • Prince – all other instruments and voices

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for 3121
Chart (2006)Peak
position

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for 3121
Chart (2006)Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11]75
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12]53
French Albums (SNEP)[13]193
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14]97
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15]60
US Billboard 200[16]134
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17]46

References

  1. ^ "Album: 3121 - Prince Vault". Princevault.com. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  2. ^ Jason Draper (November 2016). Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition. Book Sales. pp. 173–. ISBN 978-0-7858-3497-7.
  3. ^ Orloff, Brian (2006-03-29). "Prince's "3121" Tops the Chart". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  4. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  5. ^ "3121". Prince Vault. August 22, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  6. ^ Matt Thorne (2 October 2012). Prince. Faber & Faber. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-0-571-27326-3.
  7. ^ Richardson, Brenda. "For $30 Million, The Los Angeles Mansion That Prince Painted Purple Could Be Yours". Forbes
  8. ^ Amendola, Billy (August 2008). "Michael Bland Interview". Modern Drummer
  9. ^ Jason Draper (November 2016). Prince: Life and Times: Revised and Updated Edition. Book Sales. pp. 171–. ISBN 978-0-7858-3497-7.
  10. ^ "Prince 21 Nights at the O2 in London - 10 years on from the greatest show on Planet Earth". August 3, 2017.
  11. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2006". Ultratop. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  12. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2006". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2006" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.