"Uptown" is the lead single from Prince's third album, Dirty Mind.[4] Beginning with a lone drum intro, the track explodes into the keyboards of the chorus. The verses feature a more prominent funk guitar. The song breaks down to a more instrumental section toward the end that mainly consists of guitar, bass and drums with an occasional keyboard riff. The minimalist style of the song is representative of most of the Dirty Mind album. The song addresses the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis that was the city's hang-out spot for artists.
| "Uptown" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Prince | ||||
| from the album Dirty Mind | ||||
| B-side | "Crazy You" | |||
| Released | September 10, 1980 | |||
| Recorded | Minneapolis, May–June 1980 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:32 (album version) 4:09 (7" edit) | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
| Producer(s) | Prince | |||
| Prince singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe song addresses prejudices and racism, referring to "Uptown" as a metaphor for an ideal place that is free of such things. Prince sings in the first person, and the song opens describing a chance meeting with an attractive woman who then asks in an offensive way if he is gay. The lyrics then rail against prejudice and racism as narrow minded, and exalt in an attitude and spirit that is free of such negativity. It is one of Prince's earliest efforts to blend political statements into his art.
Uptown is described as an area where one can be free to express oneself, and Prince was very fond of the concept. The song opened the Controversy Tour and made a few live appearances after that, notably in Prince's 2001 Hit + Run Tour. The B-side is "Crazy You" from his debut album, For You.
Personnel
editCredits sourced from Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud.[5][6]
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, Oberheim OB-X, ARP Omni, clavinet, Polymoog, electric guitars, bass guitar, drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles[7] | 101 |
| US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[8] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[9] | 5 |
References
edit- ^ Partridge, Kenneth (October 8, 2015). "Prince's 'Dirty Mind' at 35: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince - Dirty Mind Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 1, 2010.
- ^ Walters, Barry (April 29, 2016). "Prince: Dirty Mind". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ "Prince - Uptown". Discogs. 1980. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
- ^ "Dirty Mind". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1992). Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959-1985 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 147. ISBN 0-89820-082-2.
- ^ "Prince Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ "Prince Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2023.