October 1979: Prince Releases PRINCE
It wasn't long after the release of his major label debut, For You, that then-emerging artist Prince knew he hadn't gone far enough. While the album did some business at Billboard and R&B radio (debut single "Soft and Wet" peaked at #12 on the Hot Soul Singles chart), Prince realized he had to give the world more.
It was on October 19, 1979, when Prince returned with his fittingly self-titled second album. The full-length was preceded by lead single, "I Wanna Be Your Lover," in August 1979. The song was a breakout hit, rising as high as #11 on the Hot 100 for the week of January 26, 1980. The #1 song in America that week: Michael Jackson's "Rock with You."
The album's second single, "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad," somehow missed making the Hot 100, but fared much better on the Hot R&B Singles Chart. That's where the rock-oriented song with the blistering guitar solos peaked at #13. "Still Waiting," the third single and first ballad from the Prince album, wasn't much for the charts. The song achieved a most peak of #65 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. While only released as a single overseas, "Sexy Dancer" is a Prince dance classic and early fan favorite.
Among the album tracks found on Prince: "I Feel For You," which would serve as a comeback hit for Chaka Khan as the title track for her 1984 LP. Just last year, Warner Bros. shared an acoustic demo of the tune.
Prince the album was a critical and commercial success, raking up positive review en route to an impressive peak of #22 on the Billboard 200 for the week of January 18, 1980. The top album in the country that week: Pink Floyd's The Wall. On the R&B album chart, Prince reached #3.
