'' is a 1996 triple-CD
Album by
Prince (then known as ). The title refers to Prince's freedom from his contract with
Warner Bros. Records , with whom he had a contentious relationship. The album was Prince's third to be released that year (along with ''
Chaos And Disorder '' and ''
Girl 6 ''), making 1996 one of the most prolific years for material released by Prince.
''Emancipation'' is somewhat of a
Concept Album ; it consists of three discs, each containing 12 songs and being exactly one hour in length (though the discs' length are a few seconds off and thus not truly one hour each). Much symbolism surrounds the album as presented by Prince online, in interviews and in the liner notes. The number of songs, discs and length supposedly have a connection with the
Egyptian Pyramids . There was also an alleged connection with the moniker, with Prince explaining that this was the "album he was born to make". The lengthy liner notes are filled with quotes and hidden messages, along with images illustrating the songs and overall album concepts. For some time before the album's release, Prince had often been seen in public with the word "
Slave " written in makeup on his face, referring to his contract with Warner Bros. On most of the album, Prince was seen without the word, except on the aptly titled "Slave."
''Emancipation'' marked the first album in Prince's career to include cover versions of songs written by other songwriters. In fact, four such covers appeared on the album: "
Betcha By Golly Wow! " (previously a hit for
The Stylistics ), "
I Can't Make You Love Me " (previously a hit for
Bonnie Raitt ), "
La-La (Means I Love You) " (previously a hit for
The Delfonics ), and "
One Of Us " (previously a hit for
Joan Osborne ).
Notably, Prince changed the chorus of "One of Us" from "What if God was one of us/Just a slob like one of us" to "...Just a slave like one of us".
[http://princetext.tripod.com/r_emancipation.html
The album received many mixed reviews by both critics and fans, the majority feeling that it would have been a better album had Prince shortened it to two discs or even a single disc . Also, many fans were disappointed in the singles that were chosen . In the U.S., the album debuted at #11. Though not a major seller, it did sell over 500,000 copies, and being three discs, it was qualified to being certified double platinum (the
RIAA certifies based on amount shipped rather than sold). Also, the resulting "Jam of the Year" tour was a major success (though ironically very few songs from "Emancipation" were included in the concerts), resulting in a significant comeback for Prince, after the commercial and critical disappointment of
"Chaos And Disorder" from earlier in 1996.
In all ''Emancipation'' is the fourth best-selling triple album in the
United States .
# "
Jam Of The Year " – 6:09
# "Right Back Here In My Arms" – 4:43
# "Somebody's Somebody" – 4:43
# "Get Yo Groove On" – 6:31
# "Courtin' Time" – 2:46
# "
Betcha By Golly Wow! " – 3:31
# "We Gets Up" – 4:18
# "White Mansion" – 4:47
# "Damned if Do" – 5:21
# " Can't Make U Love Me" – 6:37
# "Mr. Happy – 4:46
# "In This Bed Scream" – 5:40
# "Sex In the Summer" – 5:57
# "One Kiss at a Time" – 4:41
# "Soul Sanctuary" – 4:41
# "Emale" – 3:38
# "Curious Child" – 2:57
# "Dreamin' About U" – 3:52
# "Joint 2 Joint" – 7:52
# "
The Holy River " – 6:55
# "Let's Have a Baby" – 4:07
# "Saviour" – 5:48
# "The Plan" – 1:47
# "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife" – 7:37
# "Slave" – 4:51
# "New World" – 3:43
# "The Human Body" – 5:42
# "Face Down" – 3:17
# "La, La, La Means Love U" – 3:59
# "Style" – 6:40
# "Sleep Around" – 7:42
# "Da, Da, Da" – 5:15
# "My Computer" – 4:37
# "
One Of Us " – 5:19
# "The Love We Make" – 4:39
# "Emancipation" – 4:12
# "Right Back Here In My Arms"
# "Somebody's Somebody (Edit)"
# "Somebody's Somebody (Live Studio Mix)"
# "Somebody's Somebody (Ultrafantasy Edit)"
# "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World (Mustang Mix)"
# "Somebody's Somebody (Edit)"
# "On Sale Now!"
''Emancipation''
lyrics
