The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

Lore & Background

The song was Prince's third major release since changing his stage name to the unpronounceable "Love Symbol" and his second release along with the EP after changing his name. With the consent of Warner Bros. Records, it was released by NPG Records in North America and Edel Music in the rest of the world, independently distributed by Bellmark Records in the US under the control of Music of Life. It topped five different charts and remains Prince's only number one single on the UK Singles Chart. The version on *The Gold Experience* is a different mix. The music video was directed by Prince and Antoine Fuqua, depicting a collage of girls and women watching footage of themselves living their fantasies mixed with Prince performing for them. The song was nominated for Tune of the Year at the 1995 International Dance Awards.

In Their Own Story

The studio lights hummed at three in the morning, the Paisley Park control room thick with cigarette smoke and the ghost of a dozen overdubs. Prince sat at the mixing console, the Love Symbol pin catching the amber glow, and pressed play on the title track one more time. The strings swelled. The drums hit like a heartbeat. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and whispered to no one in particular, 'That's her. That's the most beautiful girl in the world.' The tape rolled on. Outside, the Minnesota night pressed its cold fingers against the glass, but in here, the music was warm, and it was his, and no one could take it.

Reader's Guide

The original track is a slow-grooving ballad serenading his soon-to-be fiancée, Mayte Garcia. It was played during the Miss USA pageant in 1994, not in full, and was widely advertised in news and trade magazines. The song was officially released on February 24, 1994. The version on *The Gold Experience* is remixed with crisper drums, slight instrumental changes, added sound effects and instrumental breaks, and a more robust spoken word bridge. It is based in light guitar, keyboards and live drums, mostly sung in falsetto with a spoken word bridge using his regular voice and a lower baritone range. This version was performed live at the 1994 World Music Awards ceremony.

Did You Know?

• The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA, selling 700,000 copies domestically.
• It was Prince's last top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 during his lifetime.
• In the UK, it became his first and only UK No. 1 single as a performer; he had two other UK number ones as a songwriter: Chaka Khan's 'I Feel for You' and Sinéad O'Connor's 'Nothing Compares 2 U'.
• Prince danced to the song after the World Music Awards at an after-show event with Kylie Minogue in 1994.
• The music video was filmed at Paisley Park Studios and debuted on Valentine's Day 1994; over 50,000 girls responded to an ad seeking 'the most beautiful girl in the world'.