7 (Prince song)

"7" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1992 Love Symbol Album.[2] It was released in late 1992 as the third single from the album, and became the most successful in the United States. It features a sample of the 1967 Otis Redding and Carla Thomas duet, "Tramp".

For other uses, see 7 (disambiguation).
"7"
Single by Prince and The New Power Generation
from the album Love Symbol Album
B-side"7" (acoustic version)
ReleasedNovember 17, 1992
RecordedPaisley Park Studios, September 1991 to March 1992
GenrePop rock, psychedelic pop[1]
Length7" edit: 4:23
Album: 5:09
LabelPaisley Park/Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Prince
Lowell Fulson (as Lowell Fulsom)
Jimmy McCracklin
Producer(s)Prince
Prince and The New Power Generation singles chronology
"My Name Is Prince"
(1992)		 "7"
(1992)		 "Damn U"
(1992)
Prince (UK) singles chronology
"My Name Is Prince"
(1992)		 "7"
(1992)		 "The Morning Papers"
(1993)

"7" is composed of heavy drums and bass in an acoustic style. It has a distinct Middle Eastern style of music, and a Hindu reincarnation theme, and an opera-like chorus which features Prince's multi-tracked vocals. The lyrics have religious and apocalyptic themes. The song is ambiguous and can be interpreted in many ways, as the "7" mentioned in the chorus of the song refers to the Seven Deadly Sins. The song received positive reviews and peaked within the top forty of many of its major markets.

Music video

The video was shot on February 27, 1992. It begins with Mayte whispering "imagine" in Prince's ear, in the position they are in on the single cover. A scene from 3 Chains o' Gold is shown as well. It features Mayte belly-dancing. The video set is pictured on the album cover, along with a still shot from the video. In the video, Prince symbolically "kills" incarnations of himself who are trapped inside glass chambers. There are little girls wearing yellow belly-dancing outfits almost identical to Mayte's and little boys wearing black outfits and eyebands identical to Prince's. Throughout the performance, the girls dance with Mayte and the boys dance with Prince. This video is also notable for Mayte dancing with a sword on her head, which she would later do in live performances; the video featured her playing the role she played in 3 Chains o' Gold as an Egyptian princess who befriends Prince and enlists his help to find the men who assassinated her father. The video, directed by Sotera Tschetter, was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video.

Chart performance

The most successful single from the album in the US, "7" was most successful on the Top 40 Pop/Mainstream chart, where it earned a No. 3 placement and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It performed respectably on the Rhythmic charts (No. 19). However, it was less popular with R&B/Hip Hop radio, stalling at No. 61. On the Canadian RPM chart the song peaked at No. 12.

The single reached No. 27 in the UK, falling short of the success of the previous two releases, "Sexy MF" and "My Name is Prince", which had become top 10 hits.

Track listings
7" single / CD single
  1. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
  2. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
12" single
  1. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
  2. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
  3. "7" (After 6 Long Version) – 5:15
12" maxi-single / CD maxi-single
  1. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
  2. "7" (After 6 Edit) – 4:20
  3. "7" (After 6 Long Version) – 5:15
  4. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
  5. "7" (album edit) – 4:23
  6. "2 Whom It May Concern" – 4:01
US CD promo single[3]
  1. "7" (album edit) – 4:23
  2. "7" (After 6 Edit) – 4:20
  3. "7" (LP version) – 5:13
  4. "7" (acoustic version) – 3:54
  5. "7" (After 6 Long Version) – 5:15
  6. "7" (Mix 5 Long Version) – 4:56
  7. "7" (Mix 5 Edit) – 4:06

Charts

References
  1. http://ultimateclassicrock.com/prince-rock-songs/
  2. "Prince And The New Power Generation* - 7 at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2004-10-16. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  3. "Track Listing". Aprilsnow045.ueuo.com. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  4. "Australian-charts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – 7". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  5. "Ultratop.be – Prince & The New Power Generation – 7" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince & The New Power Generation – 7". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince & The New Power Generation – 7" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  8. "Charts.nz – Prince & The New Power Generation – 7". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  9. "Swisscharts.com – Prince & The New Power Generation – 7". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  10. "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  11. "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  12. "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Archived from the original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
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