Released April 3, 1993 Length 3:57 | Genre Pop rock | |
B-side "Live 4 Love"
"Love 2 the 9's" (UK CD) Format 7" single
Cassette single
CD single Recorded Paisley Park Studios, September 1991 to March 1992 | ||
"The Morning Papers" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1992 Love Symbol album. It was released as the fourth worldwide (and fifth overall) single from the album; the B-side was "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls. The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from the Love Symbol album.
The lyrics of the song concern Prince falling in love with Mayte Garcia, and sticks to the theme of the movie 3 Chains o' Gold, where Mayte (a princess in Egypt) and Prince meet after her father is assassinated by seven mysterious men. Prince sings about the things they do together and how other people do not value/understand the bond they share. Musically, the song is a pop-rock number with an emphasis on guitar. The video is notable for featuring Prince embracing "the grunge look".
Chart performance
"The Morning Papers" was a moderate success on all the charts on which it appeared. It peaked at number 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 18 on the Top 40 Mainstream, number 68 on R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 52 in the UK. The song became the first song by Prince released in proper form in the United Kingdom to miss the top forty since "Mountains" in 1986, seven years earlier (this means that 23 of Prince's songs in a row had made the top 40 before "The Morning Papers"). The song, despite missing the Billboard top 40, made the Top 40 mainstream chart, meaning it received significant radio airplay in America.