Money Don't Matter 2 Night

"Money Don't Matter 2 Night" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation from their 1991 album, Diamonds and Pearls.[2] Co-written with Rosie Gaines, the lyrics deal directly with money, poverty, and greed. Overall, the song is a smooth delivery with layered vocals by Prince.

"Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
UK 7" single
Single by Prince and The New Power Generation
from the album Diamonds and Pearls
B-side
  • "Call the Law"
  • "Push" (UK 12" and CD)
ReleasedMarch 3, 1992
RecordedWarner Pioneer Studios, Japan, late August - early September 1990
Genre
Length4:12 (7" Edit)
4:48 (Album/12" Single Version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Prince
  • Rosie Gaines
Producer(s)Prince
Prince and The New Power Generation singles chronology
"Diamonds and Pearls"
(1991)		 "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
(1992)		 "Sexy MF"
(1992)
Prince (UK) singles chronology
"Diamonds and Pearls"
(1991)		 "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
(1992)		 "Thunder"
(1992)
Music video
"Money Don't Matter 2 Night" on YouTube

The B-side is a previously unreleased track "Call the Law", with lead vocals by Tony M., supplemented by Rosie Gaines on the chorus. Prince provides guitar solos throughout the song. The track was added to the New Power Generation release Goldnigga in 1993. The UK 12" single and CD release also included the album track "Push".

Critical reception

Patrick Corcoran from Albumism said, "As lyrically scathing as anything he'd written to that point, it included the scarily prescient line "anything's better than a picture of a child in a cloud of gas"." He added, "Capturing the zeitgeist as Iraq was invaded for the first time, but also heartbreakingly, perpetually relevant to our times too, Prince's restrained delivery fits perfectly."[3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic noted "the extraordinary Philly soul" of "the neglected masterpiece", adding it as a "terrific" pop single.[4] Mike Diver for the BBC stated in his 2010 review, that "there's no doubting Money Don't Matter 2 Night is the heart and soul of this album. A slow-paced strut, the track's a celebration of realising that hard cash isn't the be all and end all of one's existence".[5] Cashbox noted, "The single is real mellow and more laid-back compared to most of his previous material. This cut should attract R&B, adult contemporary, pop and easy listening radio stations with ease. Mark down another hit."[6] David Browne from Entertainment Weekly called it "one startling moment" from the album, that "is sung in a soulful growl that sounds utterly unaffected". He also added that it "sports a slinky, subtle groove that recalls the maturity of Stevie Wonder’s early-’70s heyday."[7] Gavin Report commented, "Strictly a lyrical record in which Prince speaks of the priceless and the invaluable as well as the here-today and the gone-tomorrow. An easy going, if not carefree musical treat."[8] Simon Price from The Guardian picked the song as a "higlight" from the album, describing it as "thoughtfully mature".[9] Another editor, Alexis Petridis said it is "a fantastic song, the smoothness of its sound and delivery masking a punchy, politically engaged lyric that takes in both consumerism and Operation Desert Storm."[10] Music & Media wrote that after a ballad, "Diamonds And Pearls", "his royal badness speeds up the tempo just a little bit, for a nicely floating and immediately catchy number."[11] Tom Doyle from Smash Hits stated that it is "the best song" on the LP, and "the best tune he's done for years." He added that here, Prince "gets into a laidback groove".[12]

Chart performance

The song was an overall modest hit, reaching numbers 23 and 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot 100 Airplay charts respectively, number 14 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, and number 27 on the Airplay chart. It also reached number 19 in the UK, number 18 in Australia, and number 7 in the Netherlands.

Music videos

The song is notable for its promotional video, directed by Spike Lee.[13] Featuring a poverty-stricken African-American family, with no shots of Prince, it was considered overly political and not "MTV friendly". A second version was issued, which included footage of the song performed by Prince and The New Power Generation, which was directed by Sotera Tschetter.

Charts
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 18
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] 23
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 27
France (SNEP)[17] 26
Germany (Official German Charts)[18] 48
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 20
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 34
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[24] 19
US Billboard Hot 100 23
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay 24
US Billboard Hot R&B Songs 14
US Billboard Hot R&B Airplay 27

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince & the New Power Generation: Diamonds and Pearls > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. "Prince & The New Power Generation - Money Don't Matter 2 Night at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  3. Corcoran, Patrick (September 27, 2016). "Prince & The New Power Generation's 'Diamonds and Pearls' Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince & the New Power Generation / Prince - Diamonds and Pearls". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  5. Diver, Mike (2010). "Prince & The New Power Generation Diamonds and Pearls Review". BBC. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  6. "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. March 28, 1992. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  7. Browne, David (October 4, 1991). "Diamonds and Pearls". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  8. "A/C: Reviews" (PDF). Gavin Report. April 10, 1992. p. 26. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  9. Price, Simon (April 22, 2016). "Prince: every album rated – and ranked". The Guardian. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  10. Petridis, Alexis (September 12, 2019). "Prince's 50 greatest singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  11. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. March 28, 1992. p. 24. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  12. Doyle, Tom (March 4, 1992). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 48. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  13. "Prince & the New Power Generation - "Money don't matter 2night"". mvdbase.com. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  14. "Australian-charts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  15. "Austriancharts.at – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  17. "Lescharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  19. http://www.top40.nl/prince-and-the-new-power-generation/prince-and-the-new-power-generation-money-don-t-matter-2-night_10545
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  21. "Charts.nz – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  22. "Swedishcharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – Money Don't Matter 2 Night". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  24. "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.