Prince’s Grammy winning twenty-eighth studio album Musicology received rave reviews from critics and fans alike when it was released nearly 20 years ago, and with its revolutionary direct-to-fan marketing strategy, effectively changed music promotion forever.
Today, to commemorate 2 decades of Musicology, NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, have released “United States Of Division,” a rare 2004 Prince recording that was initially offered as a virtual B-side download for “Cinnamon Girl” exclusively from Prince’s NPG Music Club and eventually as a non-LP bonus track for the UK CD single of “Cinnamon Girl,” but has not been distributed via streaming services until now.
“United States Of Division” is a powerful protest song that sees Prince boldly confronting the social and political issues that continue to plague the nation to this day. Over a percussive backbeat and slinking bassline colored by synths and horn stabs, Prince laments the state of a fractured nation: “How far from heaven must we go? / Before the winds of change will blow and show / This world how it's supposed to be / Land of peace and harmony.” Released in the midst of the US war in Iraq, “United States Of Division” serves as a potent reminder of Prince’s often underappreciated passion for social commentary.
The new spotlight on this song also celebrates the 20th anniversary of Prince’s landmark Musicology Live 2004ever tour, a remarkable run of shows that saw the trendsetting star distributing copies of his most recent album Musicology to thousands of concert attendees along the tour route. On Prince’s request, the tour featured reasonable ticket prices that encouraged fans young and old to attend shows. Devised by Prince and his longtime lawyer, confidante, and Musicology Executive Producer L. Londell McMillan this grassroots approach to album marketing profoundly changed that way the music industry viewed live performances and once again cemented Prince’s status as one of modern music’s great creative visionaries.
Speaking about this era of Prince’s career, McMillan noted: "Some called it his comeback, Prince called it Musicology. The brilliance of this classic album was coupled with the commercial success executed on his tour with ticket sales, resulting in Prince’s highest chart position since the 80s. Prince was simply awesome and the music world owes him a great debt for his creativity and innovation."
In an archival interview clip from the Musicology era, Prince described how his creative process had changed at this stage in his career: “This record…remember it’s made by someone who’s been there and back. Hopefully people feel that and listen to it with that set of ears. Music is music ultimately. If it makes you feel good? Cool.”
Also approaching its 20th anniversary on April 20th, Musicology was praised by Rolling Stone for “its sinuous grooves and effortless swing” and earned Prince two Grammy awards in addition to being certified double platinum by the RIAA in 2005. The album came at the peak of Prince’s early 2000s resurgence, practically coinciding with his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame where he performed his now iconic guitar solo on an all-star rendition of The Beatles classic, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” He also notably dueted with Beyoncé weeks earlier during that year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, while the Musicology tour itself was Prince’s highest-grossing US tour of his career and one of the most successful US tours of the year, performing for over 1.4 million fans.
