Paris 1798430 is the ninth track (seventh song) on Tevin Campbell’s second album I’m Ready. The song was written and produced by Prince under the pseudonym Paisley Park.
While specific recording dates are not known, basic tracking took place in September 1992 at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota (along with Down, Holly Don’t Care, The P, The Halls Of Desire, Uncle Sam and a revamped version of Shhh, when Prince became involved in Tevin Campbell’s album I’m Ready).
Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss are credited for 'hornz' on the released version, but do not appear. The horns on this song as it was released are in fact done by The Hornheadz (at the time Michael B. Nelson, Kathy Jensen, Dave Jensen, Brian Gallagher and Steve Strand). It is likely that Leeds and Bliss did record a horn arrangement for it, but it was discarded in favor of The Hornheadz arrangement.
The strings, arranged by Clare Fischer, also appeared in Violet The Organ Grinder as well as in the opening of the live version of Days Of Wild, included on Crystal Ball.
The song was copyrighted as Paris 17984302 as the version that was initially recorded both with Prince’s and Tevin Campbell’s vocals contained that extra digit (2) in the chorus. The title refers to a Paris (France) phone number, but contrary to 777-9311, this one is fictitious (at that time, the telephone numbers in Paris and its area were in eight-digit format and began with 4).It was later changed to omit the 2. In an interview, Tevin Campbell said that Prince told him that it was a actually a real phone-number and that the '2' was removed from the title so as not to disturb someone.
Prince’s version (guide vocal) of Paris 17948302 was one of the Vault tracks recorded between 1990 and 1992 slated to appear on the planned Diamonds & Love expected to be released by The Prince Estate in the summer of 2022. That project, which consisted of material spanning both the Diamonds And Pearls and eras, was reduced to the Diamonds And Pearls era, excluding songs recorded after October 1991 (and this track as a result).
|