Recorded January 1982 Writer(s) Prince Producer(s) Prince | Length 6:37 Language English | |
Published October 27, 1982 (1982-10-27) | ||
"International Lover" is a song by American musician Prince from the album 1999. It was the song for which he received his first Grammy Award nomination.
Details
"International Lover" was the final song on the 1999 double album. According to Princevault.com, which is sourced to "The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince" (ISBN 91-631-5482-X), Prince wrote, performed all vocals and instruments and produced this song, which was likely recorded in January 1982 at Prince's Kiowa Trail Home Studio (the first recording for the album 1999). More precisely, he wrote, produced and performed all of 1999 except for noted exceptions. "International Lover" is associated with Prince as a descriptor of his personage.
"International Lover" is one of the earliest examples of Prince performing a song for a lover who is the subject of the song. The song's lyrics are seductive and considered to be metaphorical with sex being compared to air travel and Prince serving as the captain. Don Kaplan of the Daily News describes the song as "a sexy number where he invites a woman to board a plane dubbed the Seduction 747, which is 'fully-equipped with anything your body desires.'"
It is considered to be one of the songs that vaulted him to stardom and a good example of his vocal range from bass to falsetto. The song is also considered to be one of the best examples of Prince's screaming vocal machinations. Prince received his first Grammy Award nomination (at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards in the Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male category) for "International Lover".