Album: The Rainbow Children

2001: The Very Best Of Prince ◄

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The Rainbow Children

Album details Released: 16 October 2001 (NPG Music Club download) 20 November 2001 (US retail release) Length: 68:49 Label(s): NPG Records / Redline Entertainment Studio(s): Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA Charts, Certifications & Awards Charts America Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart USA: The Billboard 200 8 Dec. 2001 109 2 USA: Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 8 Dec. 2001 33 7 USA: Billboard Independent Albums 8 Dec. 2001 4 17   Europe Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart France: SNEP Top Album 200 2 Nov. 2002 78 9   Asia Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart Japan: ORICON 洋楽アルバム World Albums 6 Feb. 2002 17 4 Certifications This album has not received any certifications in the USA Awards This album has not received any awards in the USA Singles released The Work Part 1 b/w U Make My Sun Shine She Loves Me 4 Me (promo only) b/w None Last December (Japan promo only) b/w None See also One Nite Alone... Tour

The Rainbow Children is the 24th full-length studio album by Prince. It was released worldwide in November 2001 (two years after his previous studio album Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic and five months after the compilation album The Very Best Of Prince), but was released as a single untracked audio file the previous month as NPG Music Club Edition # 9, the October edition of the club’s monthly offerings (taking the place of the monthly NPG Ahdio shows and other downloads). The album was first previewed during the Celebration week-long festival at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA in June 2001, with Prince sitting in the audience and hearing feedback from the audience following the album’s playback. The album was distributed worldwide by the independent label Redline Entertainment. Sessions and compiling Album sessions took place in late 2000 and early 2001 at Paisley Park Studios. Horns were added to five of the tracks in February 2001. The album was largely a solo recording project by Prince, although John Blackwell played drums on most tracks, marking his first appearance on a Prince release. Additionally, Larry Graham played bass guitar on The Work Pt. 1 and Last December, The Hornheadz played on five tracks, and Najee played saxophone and flute on some tracks. Background vocals and spoken parts are provided at different points by Milenia, Kip Blackshire, Mr. Hayes and Femi Jiya. Storyline The album opens with narrative in a distorted low voice by Prince that continues through many of the album’s tracks. It introduces the story of the "Rainbow Children", who "go about the work of building a new nation" with "accurate understanding of God and his laws". "The Wise One" and his woman are tempted by "The Resistor" "as prophesied". The woman succumbed, and was banished from the land along with five others, who became "The Banished Ones" (this was long thought to be as being written about Prince’s separation from his first wife Mayte, which she confirmed in her 2017 biography "The Most Beautiful"). The Wise One trusted in God to bring him another woman (read: Prince’s soon-to-be second wife, Manuela Testolini). The term "Rainbow Children" seems to indicate a group of people who have obtained some kind of spiritual enlightenment, "flying on the wings of the New Translation" (likely referring to the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures used by Jehovah’s Witnesses, the religious group Prince belonged to at the time of recording). The Banished Ones take over the world, except for the palace of the Rainbow Children, which they surround with a "digital garden"; they try to remove The Wise One (king of the Rainbow Children) from power. The Wise One eventually "obliged with an invisible deed", and The Banished Ones return to the place they were born, "Menda City" (a play on words of "mendacity"). The Rainbow Children are then "willing to go door-to-door in search of those willing to do the work" of dismantling the digital garden. The Wise One then seduces "The Muse" who is sent to be his wife, bringing her into "the sensual everafter", implanting in her a "seed of knowledge", asking her to repeat "1 plus 1 plus 1 is 3". The Banished Ones are chased away by the Rainbow Children, who deconstruct the digital garden. "The haze was finally broken" following the removal of the garden, and people understood that nobody else would "be able to lay claim to the treasures of the Rainbow Children". The Muse awoke, "this time as a queen", leading to a wedding between The Wise One and the Muse. The narrative ends in The Everlasting Now, with the narrator stating "from this day forward ’Til times indefinite, those who love Christ are the ones who benefit. All the players’ ice melted into one platinum chain and in a downward spiral it dripped down the drain." Promotion The album produced one commercially-released single, The Work Part 1, but this was released six months prior to the album and did not mention any related album in its artwork. Two promotional singles were also sent to radio, She Loves Me 4 Me and Last December. Prince toured extensively in North America, Europe and Japan to support the album on the One Nite Alone... Tour, which largely focused on the album (although named after a subsequent album). The album only reached number 109 on The Billboard 200 and number 33 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. It fared better on the Billboard Independent Chart however, reaching position 4 and remaining in the chart for 17 weeks. Outside of the USA, The Rainbow Children failed to chart, except in Japan and France. On 29 May 2020, The Prince Estate re-released the album with Sony’s Legacy Recordings (One Nite Alone..., One Nite Alone... Live! and One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain’t Over! were also re-released on vinyl as well as a 4CD+DVD box set called Up All Nite With Prince - The One Nite Alone Collection which contained the One Nite Alone..., One Nite Alone... Live!, One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain’t Over! albums and the Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas DVD). Track listing CD LP The CD version is the original retail issue. Rainbow Children (10:04) Muse 2 The Pharaoh (4:21) Digital Garden (4:07) The Work Pt. 1 (4:28) Everywhere (2:55) The Sensual Everafter (2:58) Mellow (4:24) 1+1+1 Is 3 (5:17) Deconstruction (2:00) Wedding Feast (0:54) She Loves Me 4 Me (2:50) Family Name (8:17) The Everlasting Now (8:18) Last December (7:58) untitled track (0:38) (uncredited Last December reprise) 1 Download The digital version is the original issue. The Rainbow Children (68:49) Includes the below tracks in continuous sequence: Rainbow Children (10:04) Muse 2 The Pharaoh (4:21) Digital Garden (4:07) The Work Pt. 1 (4:28) Everywhere (2:55) The Sensual Everafter (2:58) Mellow (4:24) 1+1+1 Is 3 (5:17) Deconstruction (2:00) Wedding Feast (0:54) She Loves Me 4 Me (2:50) Family Name (8:17) The Everlasting Now (8:18) Last December (7:58) untitled track (0:38) (uncredited Last December reprise) 1 The vinyl long play format was release at same time as the CD. Side 1: Rainbow Children (10:04) Muse 2 The Pharaoh (4:21) Digital Garden (4:07) Side 2: The Work Pt. 1 (4:28) Everywhere (2:55) The Sensual Everafter (2:58) Mellow (4:24) Side 3: 1+1+1 Is 3 (5:17) Deconstruction (2:00) Wedding Feast (0:54) She Loves Me 4 Me (2:50) Family Name (8:17) Side 4: The Everlasting Now (8:18) Last December (7:58) untitled track (0:38) (uncredited Last December reprise) 1 Cassette The cassette long play format was release at same time as the CD. Side 1: Rainbow Children (10:04) Muse 2 The Pharaoh (4:21) Digital Garden (4:07) The Work Pt. 1 (4:28) Everywhere (2:55) The Sensual Everafter (2:58) Mellow (4:24) Side 2: 1+1+1 Is 3 (5:17) Deconstruction (2:00) Wedding Feast (0:54) She Loves Me 4 Me (2:50) Family Name (8:17) The Everlasting Now (8:18) Last December (7:58) untitled track (0:38) (uncredited Last December reprise) 1 All songs written by Prince (no writing credits officially given but registered as such at the ASCAP). 1 Last December (reprise) is a hidden track, track 21 - tracks 15-19 are silent tracks of 0:04, and track 20 a silent track of 0:08. Personnel Musicians Prince - all vocals and instruments, except where noted (credited as "All other instruments - digital or otherwise, lead and co-lead vox, percussion and sound FX per4med by Prince ...and U.") John Blackwell - drums on Rainbow Children, Muse 2 The Pharaoh, Digital Garden, The Work Pt. 1, Everywhere, The Sensual Everafter, Mellow, 1+1+1 Is 3, Deconstruction, She Loves Me 4 Me, Family Name, The Everlasting Now and Last December(credited as "John Blackwell, the Magnificent") Najee - soprano saxophone on Rainbow Children, flute on Rainbow Children and Mellow (credited for "soprano sax appeal & flute") Niyoki White - background vocals on Rainbow Children, The Work Pt. 1, 1+1+1 Is 3, Wedding Feast and Last December, background shouts on Digital Garden and Deconstruction, co-lead vocals on Everywhere (credited collectively as Milenia) Mikele White - background vocals on Rainbow Children, The Work Pt. 1, 1+1+1 Is 3, Wedding Feast and Last December, background shouts on Digital Garden and Deconstruction, co-lead vocals on Everywhere (credited collectively as Milenia) Tia White - background vocals on Rainbow Children, The Work Pt. 1, 1+1+1 Is 3, Wedding Feast and Last December, background shouts on Digital Garden and Deconstruction, co-lead vocals on Everywhere (credited collectively as Milenia) Malikah White - background vocals on Rainbow Children, The Work Pt. 1, 1+1+1 Is 3, Wedding Feast and Last December, background shouts on Digital Garden and Deconstruction, co-lead vocals on Everywhere (credited collectively as Milenia) Clare Fischer - orchestration on Rainbow Children (assumed, sampled) Kip Blackshire - background shouts on Digital Garden and Deconstruction, background vocals on The Work Pt. 1 and 1+1+1 Is 3, co-lead vocals on Wedding Feast Mr. Hayes - spoken vocals on Family Name Femi Jiya - spoken vocals on Family Name Larry Graham - bass guitar on The Work Pt. 1 and Last December Michael B. Nelson - trombone on The Work Pt. 1, Everywhere, Mellow and The Everlasting Now (credited collectively as The Hornheadz) Kathy Jensen - baritone saxophone on The Work Pt. 1, Everywhere, Mellow and The Everlasting Now (credited collectively as The Hornheadz) Dave Jensen - trumpet on The Work Pt. 1, Everywhere, Mellow and The Everlasting Now (credited collectively as The Hornheadz) Brian Gallagher - tenor saxophone on The Work Pt. 1, Everywhere, Mellow and The Everlasting Now (credited collectively as The Hornheadz) Steve Strand - trumpet on The Work Pt. 1, Everywhere, Mellow and The Everlasting Now (credited collectively as The Hornheadz) Production Prince - producer and arranger (no production credits officially given) Femi Jiya - engineer Brian Gardner - mastering (Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles) Joe Lepinski - mastering assistant (Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles), Protools editing Cbabi Bayoc - cover art and illustrations (credited as "C’Babi") Jeremy Gavin - design "Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. License granted by Intellectual Properties Management, Atlanta, Georgia, as exclusive licensor of the King Estate." "Strings samples courtesy of The Vault" Thanks

Releases
LP, CD, Cassettes and Other versions
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2 USA CD 70004-2 Taiwan CD MVP61736S Promotional Sampler Variants, Special Editions and Reissues Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2 USA Digital download n/a .wma protected format

Additional Information Promotion (at time of release) Trivia The 2001 Celebration in June 2001 included listening parties at which the full album was played to audience members, with Prince in attendance at some sessions. Lyric booklets were also distributed, and as a result, the album was widely discussed online months prior to its release. The track The Work Pt. 1 had been released in a slightly alternate form on the file-sharing program Napster in April, and had been played on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in addition to nightly appearances in the 2001 dates of the Hit N Run Tour and A Celebration tours. A website, www.rainbowchildren.com was set up, which offered information on the album and a free download of She Loves Me 4 Me on 10 December 2001 AOL.com offered Mellow as a free download on 14 January 2002 A 3-track promo sampler CD for the album was available in Taiwan, containing the following tracks: She Loves Me 4 Me (2:52) Last December (8:01) 1+1+1 Is 3 (5:19) Promo cover art: This was the first new album to be released under the name Prince since returning to using that name in 2000. The original NPG Music Club download edition was offered as a single, untracked audio file as NPG Music Club Edition # 9, the October edition of the club’s monthly offerings (taking the place of the monthly NPG Ahdio shows and other downloads). The single track approach was similar to that used on the untracked edition of the Lovesexy album. Although the One Nite Alone... Tour was named after a subsequent album, the tour largely followed the music and themes of The Rainbow Children. Although the album is titled The Rainbow Children, the first track misses off the definitive article, called only Rainbow Children. The album cover is based on "Reine Keis Quintet", a painting by CBabi Bayoc, purchased by Prince with 7 other paintings of this artist. References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) Trickle-Up Theory By Brian H. Marston (CommonSpace: September 2001)

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