The Greatest Romance Ever Sold

"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" is a song recorded by American musician Prince, under his unpronounceable stage name called the "Love Symbol". It was released as the only single from his twenty-third studio album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). It was issued on October 5, 1999 in several different formats, including a 12-inch single, CD single, and a maxi single. Prince solely wrote and produced it, while Mike Scott provided guitar strings for the track. Several music critics found the single reminiscent to the works on his previous studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991).

"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
Single by Prince
from the album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
B-side"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" (Adam & Eve Remix)
ReleasedOctober 5, 1999
RecordedJune 1996–September 1999; Paisley Park Studios (Chanhassen, Minnesota)
Genre
Length4:30 (7" edit/Single Version)
5:32 (Album Version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Prince
Producer(s)Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Extraordinary"
(1999)		 "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
(1999)		 "One Song"
(1999)
Music video
"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" on YouTube

The track is a smooth hip hop and soul ballad, featuring Prince's multi-layered vocals in the chorus. A B-side remix of the single entitled "Adam and Eve", featured a guest rap from Eve, while The Neptunes remix featured a guest rap from Q-Tip. The former version was included on Prince's first remix album, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic (2001). The single became a minor hit, peaking at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. An accompanying music video was created shortly after Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic became available for purchase.

Composition and release

Musically, "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" is a smooth hip hop and soul ballad, unlike his previous pop music efforts.[1][2] It was solely written and produced by Prince himself. The singer uses multi-layered vocals, a deep falsetto, and a downtempo melody throughout its chorus.[1] The album version of the single has a duration of five minutes and twenty-nine seconds, while the radio edit lasts for four minutes and thirty seconds.[3]

Several different physical releases of the single occurred shortly after its release on October 5, 1999, as it was marketed as Prince's "comeback" song.[4] A 12" included eight different versions of the song, including the radio edit, the album version, the "Adam & Eve" remix, plus five additional remixes.[5] The US CD single included the radio edit and Jason Nevins Remix of the track, plus a ten-second "Call Out Research Hook".[6] Also, the Spanish CD single only contained the radio edit of the song.[7]

Reception

Critical reception

The track was generally well received by music critics. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said "[it] is more Diamonds and Pearls good than Sign O' the Times great."[2] Chuck Taylor, a columnist for Billboard, called the single "entirely satisfying" and appreciated it for being unlike other songs on the radio.[1] Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman enjoyed the recording's seductiveness and its overall production.[8] Alexis Petridis from The Guardian wrote in his retrospective review, "By the end of the 90s, Prince obviously wanted commercial success again. The album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic came packed with guest appearances; the smooth hip-hop-soul balladry of The Greatest Romance Ever Sold was a good indication of its musical style. It wasn't a bad song, but the sense Prince was following trends rather than going his own way was hard to avoid."[9] Toure from Rolling Stone was mixed in his review, stating that it "sound[ed] like [a] refugee from Diamonds and Pearls, the least-great of Prince's great records".[10]

Commercial reception

After its release, "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" was moderately successful. The single peaked at number sixty-three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Prince's highest peaking song on the chart since "I Hate U" (1995).[11] The song also fared well on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs component chart, where it peaked at number twenty-three and lasting a total of twenty weeks on the chart.[12] Elsewhere, the track peaked in the lower regions of several charts. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at position sixty-five, during February 2000.[13] It also charted in Germany and the Netherlands, peaking at numbers seventy-nine and seventy-one, respectively.[14][15]

Promotion

An accompanying music video for the song was produced and created in late 1999.[16] The visual features the singer performing in a dark room with several other female dancers; for the final segment of the video, Prince stands in front of a bullseye backdrop and a waterfall. In terms of live performances, the singer sang "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" for his direct to video VHS film Rave Un2 the Year 2000.[17] The aforementioned rendition was recorded live on December 31, 1999 from Paisley Park Studios.[18]

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic liner notes[20]

  • Prince – vocals, instruments, lyrics, production
  • Eve – guest vocals
  • Q-Tip – guest vocals
  • Mike Scott – guitar

Charts
Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts)[14] 79
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 71
Scotland (OCC)[21] 75
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 65
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 63
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] 23

References
  1. Taylor, Chuck (October 23, 1999). "Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (43): 31. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  2. Rabin, Nathan (November 9, 1999). "Prince: Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  3. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (Vinyl) (Liner notes/ CD booklet). The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Arista, NPG (Barcode: ARDP-3764). 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Nilsen, Per; Mattheij, JooZt (2004). The Vault. The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince. Sweden: Uptown Sweden. p. 718. ISBN 91-631-5482-X.
  5. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (CD) (Liner notes/ CD booklet). The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Arista, NPG (Barcode: 07822-13750-1). 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (CD) (Liner notes/ CD booklet). The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Arista, NPG (Barcode: ARPCD-3775). 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (CD) (Liner notes/ CD booklet). The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Arista, NPG (Barcode: 74321715002). 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. Willman, Chris (November 19, 1999). "Music: Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  9. Petridis, Alexis (September 12, 2019). "Prince's 50 greatest singles – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  10. Toure (January 20, 2000). "Prince: Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  11. "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  12. "Prince Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Symbol – The Greatest Romance Ever Sold". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Symbol – The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  16. "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold – Prince". MTV Base. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  17. Rave Un2 the Year 2000 (CD liner notes). Prince. Eagle Vision. 2000. EREDV121.CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. Griffith, JT. "Prince – The Artist: Rave Un2 the Year 2000 [Video/DVD]". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  19. The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (CD) (Liner notes/ CD booklet). The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Arista, NPG (Barcode: 74321-70665-2). 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (liner notes). Prince (musician). NPG Records, Arista Records. 1999.CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
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