7 (Prince song)

"7"
Single by Prince and The New Power Generation
from the album Love Symbol Album
B-side	"7" (acoustic version)
Released	November 17, 1992
Format	7" single 12" single Picture disc Cassette single CD single / maxi-single
Recorded	Paisley Park Studios, September 1991 to March 1992
Genre	Pop rock
Length	7" edit: 4:23 Album: 5:09
Label	Paisley Park/Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Prince Lowell Fulson (as Lowell Fulsom) Jimmy McCracklin
Producer(s)	Prince
Certification	Gold - (March 10, 1993)
Prince and The New Power Generation singles chronology
"My Name Is Prince" (1992) "7" (1992) "Damn U" (1992)
Prince (UK) chronology "My Name Is Prince" (1992) "7" (1992) "The Morning Papers" (1993)

"7" is a song by Prince and The New Power Generation, from the 1992 Love Symbol Album.^[1] 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".

"7" is composed of heavy drums and bass in an acoustic style. It has a distinct Middle Eastern theme, and an opera-like chorus which features Prince's multi-tracked vocals. 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.

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 coincidentally the single 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 performed well in the UK, rising as high as No. 27, but 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^[2]

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