My Name Is Prince

"My Name Is Prince" is a song by Prince and the New Power Generation. It is the second single from the 1992 Love Symbol album. The song is about Prince himself and his musical prowess. The rap sequence is performed by NPG member Tony M. Prince's vocals range from the low note of C3 to the high note of C6. The intro to the song features vocal samples from Prince's earlier songs "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Partyup", and "Controversy".

"My Name Is Prince"
UK 7-inch single
Single by Prince and the New Power Generation
from the album Love Symbol Album
B-side
  • "Sexy Mutha"
  • "2 Whom It May Concern" (UK)
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1992
RecordedSeptember 18, 1991[1]
StudioPaisley Park
Genre
Length
  • 6:37 (album version)
  • 4:05 (7-inch edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Prince
Prince and the New Power Generation singles chronology
"Sexy MF"
(1992)		 "My Name Is Prince"
(1992)		 "7"
(1992)
Music video
"My Name Is Prince" on YouTube

The B-sides were "Sexy Mutha", a clean remix of "Sexy MF", and "2 Whom It May Concern", a preview of songs from the then-upcoming Love Symbol album.

Critical reception

Andy Healy from Albumism noted the "ironically" title of the song.[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it a "dance smash", stating that the album "has Prince's best dance tracks since The Black Album."[3] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "The prolific Paisley One introduces his new album with a percussive ditty that earns high marks for its appealing live sound and ferocious, scratch-happy funk beat." He added, "Because the tune is taken out of the conceptualized context of the album, the lyrics seem a bit curious at times."[4] Bray People described the song as a "self-mocking explosion of throbbing funk."[5] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report said, "Clever as ever and fuuunnky to the max, this track once again displays how versatile, creative and unpredictable Prince truly is, and why he must be considered musical royalty."[6]

Randy Clark from Cashbox commented, "Well, all hail his funky high-ness. Sure, he's got $100,000,000.00 and now he can blow his own horn louder than anyone. This song can be interpreted a few ways. 1) a slammin' funky, but meaningless dance track; 2) his self-obsession is blocking his ability to write anything poignant; 3) the man is a full-blown, Napoleonistic, megalomaniac who has now launched himself into the same self-glorifying world as Michael Jackson and Madonna. Naturally, he produces himself."[7] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian stated that "My Name Is Prince" reasserted the musician's authority "in style." He added, "Its intro listed his hits, its lyric switched between proclaiming himself divinely chosen and fretting about judgment day, and its music dealt in heavy breakbeats and noise that suggested he had been listening to Public Enemy."[8]

Chart performance

"My Name Is Prince" returned Prince and the NPG to radio and the Top 40 in the US after their previous single, the provocative "Sexy MF" failed to chart on any airplay charts. "My Name Is Prince" received modest airplay on Mainstream Urban and Rhythmic radio stations, earning respectable positions of number 25 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, number 20 on the Rhythmic Top 40, and number 36 on the Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, "My Name Is Prince" was another Top 10 hit for Prince and the NPG, peaking at number 7.

The remixes single also charted, hitting number 51 in the UK.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Parris Patton.[9] It features American actress Kirstie Alley as news reporter Vanessa Bartholomew[10] and Lauren Green as a studio anchor.[11][12] In the video, fans are rioting to see Prince perform onstage. However, instead of performing onstage, he dances with his band in an alleyway while shooting his latest music video, wearing the outfit from the single's artwork (a police uniform and cap with chainmail obscuring his face), singing into a microphone in the shape of a gun, and inciting riots and general chaos. The video was published on YouTube in September 2017. By November 2020, it has been viewed almost 1 million times.[13]

Track listing

Charts

Samples
  • Ronny Jordan sampled the orgasmic female moan in his electronica standard "Bad Brother".

Cover versions
  • "My Name Is Bart", a parody cover version performed by Bart Simpson (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) was recorded in 1993 for inclusion on The Yellow Album, an album by the Simpsons. The song appeared on early promo copies of the album, but when The Yellow Album was eventually given a commercial release in 1998, "My Name Is Bart" was removed from the album.[39]
  • Around the time of its release in Australia, Channel 9 made a Christmas parody entitled "My Name Is Santa" on A Current Affair.
  • Jamie Foxx, as Prince, sang a parody version on an episode of the sketch show In Living Color titled "Prince of Munchkin Land", which made jokes directed at the artist's height.

References
  1. http://www.princevault.com/index.php?title=My_Name_Is_Prince
  2. Healy, Andy (October 12, 2017). "Prince's 'Love Symbol' Album Turns 25: Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince & the New Power Generation / Prince - The Love Symbol Album". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  4. Flick, Larry (October 10, 1992). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 78. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  5. Bray People. November 6, 1992. p. 30. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  6. Sholin, Dave (September 25, 1992). "Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 56. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  7. Clark, Randy (October 10, 1992). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 7. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
  8. Petridis, Alexis (September 12, 2019). "Prince's 50 greatest singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  9. "My Name Is Prince (1992) by Prince feat. The New Power Generation". IMVDb. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  10. "Kirstie Alley: People.com". Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  11. http://aleteia.org/2017/08/28/fox-news-lauren-green-shines-light-on-faith/
  12. http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/the-death-of-prince-reported-by-some-media-others-more-cautious/291248
  13. "Prince & The New Power Generation - My Name Is Prince (Official Music Video)". YouTube. September 29, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  14. "Australian-charts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  15. "Austriancharts.at – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  16. "Ultratop.be – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  17. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1863." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  18. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 44. October 31, 1992. p. 22. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  19. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 44. October 31, 1992. p. 23. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  20. "Lescharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  22. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 50. December 12, 1992. p. 22. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  23. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – My Name Is Prince". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  24. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 46. November 14, 1992. p. 22. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  26. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  27. "Charts.nz – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  28. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  30. "Swisscharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – My Name Is Prince". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  31. "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  32. "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  33. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. October 17, 1992. p. 18. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  34. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 14, 1992. p. 26. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  35. "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  36. "Prince Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  37. "Prince Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  38. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  39. "The Simpsons CD music albums – Simpsons Crazy". Simpsoncrazy.com. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
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