Around the World in a Day

Lore & Background

Departing somewhat from the commercial sound of his previous release, the massively successful Purple Rain (1984), the album instead saw Prince experimenting with psychedelic styles and more opulent textures. In compliance with Prince's wishes to 'let the project be taken in its entirety before zeroing in on anything', the record company released the album with minimal publicity, withholding accompanying singles until almost a month after the album's release. The album pursued a dense, psychedelic style that made use of unconventional instruments and cryptic lyrics. Its sound and album cover painting by Doug Henders drew numerous comparisons to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Prince denied inspiration from the Beatles, saying 'The influence wasn't the Beatles. They were great for what they did, but I don't know how that would hang today.'

In Their Own Story

The studio lights hummed a low amber over the control room in Minneapolis. Prince sat behind the console, headphones half-off, watching the VU needles dance as the title track looped for the fourteenth time. Outside, a November wind rattled the windows of the building on South 6th Street. He muted the drums, fed a little more snare back in, and hummed a melody that wasn't quite the one on the tape. The engineer across the room—someone who'd been in the room since the first take of "1999" three months earlier—poured another cup of coffee and waited. Prince always waited. He'd wait until the song confessed what it actually wanted to be, then he'd hit record and make it say it in one take. The clock on the wall read 2:47 a.m. The globe, somewhere beyond the glass, was turning whether they noticed or not.

Reader's Guide

Around the World in a Day was released to mixed reception among crossover audiences after the success of Purple Rain, though it nonetheless sold relatively well and became Prince and the Revolution's second number-one album on the Billboard 200. Two of its four singles reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: 'Raspberry Beret' and 'Pop Life'. Following Prince's death, 'Raspberry Beret' re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 as a top 40 hit, reaching number 33. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 2, 1985. A remastered reissue was released on November 21, 2025.

Did You Know?

• The album's title track was inspired by a demo recorded by David Coleman, brother of Revolution band member Lisa Coleman.
• Prince spoke about the album cover: 'Who wants another picture of him? I would only want so many pictures of my woman, then I would want the real thing.'
• According to Prince, George Clinton was a fan of the album.
• Greg Tate of Spin described the album as 'the most bewildering, if not the worst' follow-up to Purple Rain.