Album: Hitnrun Phase One

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Artofficialage album.jpg 2014: Art Official Age All Prince Albums All Related Artists Albums 2015: Hitnrun Phase Two Hitnrun PHASEII album.jpg
Hitnrun Phase One

Hitnrun album.jpg

Album details


Released: 7 September 2015 (Tidal stream)
14 September 2015 (CD/download)
Length: 37:53
Label(s): NPG Records
Studio(s): Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA (assumed)

Charts, Certifications & Awards


Charts
iTunes
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
USA: 14 Sep. 2015 14 6 (days)
Canada: 21 Apr. 2016 23 9 (days)
Australia: 22 Apr. 2016 30 5 (days)
UK: 14 Sep. 2015 28 12 (days)
Germany: 14 Sep. 2015 27 11 (days)
France: 14 Sep. 2015 25 15 (days)
Spain: 19 Sep. 2015 22 15 (days)
Italy: 16 Sep. 2015 37 5 (days)
 
America
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
USA: The Billboard 200 3 Oct. 2015 70 3
USA: Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 3 Oct. 2015 7 8
USA: Billboard R&B Albums 3 Oct. 2015 2 8
USA: Billboard R&B Album Sales 3 Oct. 2015 2 17
USA: Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album Sales 3 Oct. 2015 7 12
USA: Billboard Top Album Sales 3 Oct. 2015 34 4
USA: Billboard Top Album Sales 3 Oct. 2015 34 3
USA: Billboard Internet Albums 21 May 2016 11 1
USA: The Billboard 200 7 May 2016 48R 4
USA: Billboard Top Album Sales 7 May 2016 25R 4
USA: Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album Sales 7 May 2016 4R 10
R indicates re-entry of an album that had already charted.
 
Europe
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
Austria: Alben Top 100 2 Oct. 2015 73 1
Belgium: Ultratop Flanders 19 Sep. 2015 27 16
Belgium: Ultratop Wallonia 26 Sep. 2015 34 6
France: SNEP Top Albums 11 Sep. 2015 32 6
France: SNEP Top Albums Physiques 11 Sep. 2015 29 2
France: SNEP Top Albums Téléchargés 11 Sep. 2015 58 2
Germany: Offizielle Deutsche Top Albums 25 Sep. 2015 95 1
Ireland: IRMA ChartTrack Top 100 Albums 25 Sep. 2015 52 1
Italy: FIMI Classifiche Album 100 1 Oct. 2015 39 2
The Netherlands: Album Top 100 19 Sep. 2015 11 5
Portugal: AFP Portugal Albums Top 30 Week 17/2016 26 1
Spain: ProMusicae Top 100 Albumes 11 Sep. 2015 26 2
Switzerland: Schweizer Hitparade 20 Sep. 2015 31 3
U.K.: UK Albums Chart 24 Sep. 2015 50 2
Asia
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
Japan: ORICON CD アルバム Albums 20 Sep. 2015 47 2
Japan: ORICON 洋楽アルバム World Albums 20 Sep. 2015 12 2
 
Pacific
Country: Chart Entry Date Peak Position Weeks in Chart
Australia: ARIA Top 50 Albums 4 Oct. 2015 50 1
Certifications
This album has not received any certifications in the USA
Awards
This album has not received any awards in the USA

Singles released


Fallinlove2nite
b/w None
Fallinlove2nite single.jpg
Hardrocklover
b/w None
Hardrocklover artwork.jpg
This Could B Us
b/w None
Thiscouldbus single.jpg

See also


Tidal Hitnrun Phase Two
(Album)
Tidal screenshot.png Hitnrun PHASEII album.jpg
Hitnrun Phase One (stylized as HITnRUN Phase One, and commonly known as Hitnrun) is the 38th full-length studio album by Prince.

It was initially announced as an exclusive on the Tidal streaming platform where it was made available starting on 7 September 2015, before the album was released on CD and download the following week as an intended surprise release not listed on retailers listings ahead of time, and released on a Monday, instead of the industry-standard Friday release day (word, however, leaked out in early September, when the CD appeared on Amazon.fr).

The album title suggests a connection with Prince’s various "hit n' run" one-off shows - a term he has used since the Spring 1986 series of short-notice shows prior to the Parade Tour - this is a studio album recorded and produced in similar fashion to his other recent work, however.

The tracks themselves were recorded over an extensive period of time, so the title does not refer to a quick recording process either.

Having been announced before its release, the title also doesn’t reflect the album’s release strategy, although as noted above, the album was initially announced as a Tidal exclusive before a surprise CD and download release the following week. With very little in the way of promotion, "hit n' run" summarizes the wider release of the album.


Sessions and compiling

Much of the album is believed to have been recorded in early-to-mid 2015 at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA. Some tracks were recorded earlier, however.

1000 X’s & O’s was originally recorded as A 1,000 Hugs And Kisses in late April or early May 1992 at Studios 301, Sydney, Australia, with Rosie Gaines on lead vocals (during the same set of sessions as Goldnigga, Deuce & A Quarter, Goldie’s Parade, Everybody Get On Up and Baby Doll).

In late 1993 or early 1994 Rosie Gaines' vocals were replaced by Nona Gaye at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA, and her version was intended for a planned project titled MPLS, but this project remained unfinished. Around the same time, however, it was considered for inclusion on a proposed album by Nona Gaye, but this was also left unfinished.

The version included here is thought to be a new recording from Autumn 2014, however.

Fallinlove2nite was recorded in late 2013 for Prince’s appearance on the TV series New Girl, with horn and string overdubs recorded in December 2013. Ain’t About 2 Stop was also most likely recorded in late 2013 (with other songs planned for Rita Ora’ sophomore album).

Shut This Down is believed to have been recorded in Spring 2014 and X’s Face later in Summer 2014. .

This Could Be Us was originally recorded in Spring 2014 and released on Art Official Age (as This Could Be Us), before it was remixed in 2014 or early 2015 with additional overdubs. Similarly, Mr. Nelson contains significant components of Clouds, originally recorded in Spring or Summer 2014 and originally released on Art Official Age, before additional work was done in 2014 or early 2015 to create the new track.

Million $ Show was recorded in early 2015, with further work including editing and horn/string overdubs in July 2015. Like A Mack is believed to have been recorded at some point in early 2015, with remixing and rap overdubs by Curly Fryz taking place in early July 2015.

Hardrocklover and June were recorded on the same day in late June 2015.

The album was played in full during a DJ set by Joshua Welton following Prince and 3rdEyeGirl’s private show celebrating African-American Music Appreciation Month, hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in the East Room of The White House in Washington, D.C., on 13 June 2015, indicating that the album was complete in some form at that time.

It seems, however, that additional work was done in late June, adding the newly-recorded Hardrocklover and June, as well as the updated version of Million $ Show, and perhaps other changes.


Musicians input

During the announcement of the album, Hannah Welton-Ford announced that the album was recorded solely by Prince and Joshua Welton, indicating that the 3rdEyeGirl band was not involved in the album. Donna Grantis appeared playing one solo on Ain’t About 2 Stop with 3rdEyeGirl singing background vocals on the same track.

The album contains a few female guest vocalists. Judith Hill appears on Million $ Show. British singer Rita Ora appears on Ain’t About 2 Stop, which was originally recorded for her own second album. Female rap duo Curly Fryz (including Danielle Curiel, who had previously been hand-picked by Prince to direct the video for Breakfast Can Wait) appear on Like A Mack.

British folk/soul singer/songwriter Lianne La Havas appears (sampled from Clouds) on Mr. Nelson.

Interestingly, American actress/singer Zooey Deschanel’s vocals from the single version of Fallinlove2nite were removed for the track’s inclusion on the album; perhaps because that version was closely tied to Prince’s appearance on the TV show New Girl, on which Deschanel is the lead actress, and his appearance was 18 months prior to the album’s release.


Promotion

Three singles from the album have been released to date.

  • Fallinlove2nite was released 18 months before the album (prior to the release of the two previous studio albums, in fact, with no album announced at the time of the single’s release), although the version used on the single contained additional vocals by Zooey Deschanel and was released close to Prince’s appearance on the TV show New Girl, on which Deschanel is the lead actress.
  • Hardrocklover was released ten weeks before the album’s release (although no album was announced at the time of the single’s release).

The Tidal release of the album was accompanied by a significant new presence by Prince on the platform, including the availability of many past albums that had been unavailable for a number of years - The Truth, C Note, Xpectation, The Chocolate Invasion and The Slaughterhouse, as well as a few unique video tracks, including the debut of Indifference.


Charts

The album reached position 7 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and 70 on the Billboard 200. It failed to reach top 10 positions in Europe, Australia and Japan.

Hitnrun Phase One is the last widely available physical album (on CD) released by Prince during his lifetime.



Track listing
CD Digital

The compact disc and digital versions are the original issue.

  1. Million $ Show (3:10)
  2. Shut This Down (3:03)
  3. Ain’t About 2 Stop (3:38)
  4. Like A Mack (4:04)
  5. This Could B Us (4:11)
  6. Fallinlove2nite (3:12)
  7. X’s Face (2:38)
  8. Hardrocklover (3:42)
  9. Mr. Nelson (2:27)
  10. 1000 X’s & O’s (4:27)
  11. June (3:21)


The below platforms issued the album:

All songs written by Prince and Joshua Welton.



Personnel
Musicians


Production


Thanks
  • None



Releases
LP, CD, Cassettes and Other versions
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2

Europe CD B014RPCV82 border border link=File:LabelA}}} link=File:LabelB}}}
Japan CD released 9 Oct. 2015 border border link=File:LabelA}}} link=File:LabelB}}}

Variants, Special Editions and Reissues
Country Format Cat. Number Comments Front Back Label 1 Label 2

None

 

 

 
Additional Information

Promotion (at time of release) Trivia


References
Artofficialage album.jpg 2014
Art Official Age
All Albums All Related Artists Albums 2015
Hitnrun Phase Two
Hitnrun PHASEII album.jpg