The Rainbow Children

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(54/100)^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]
The A.V. Club	(unfavorable)^[3]
Billboard	(favorable)^[4]
Entertainment Weekly	C+^[5]
Jam!	(favorable)^[6]
New York	(favorable)^[7]
New York Press	(favorable)^[8]
Q	^[1]
Rolling Stone	^[9]
Slant	^[10]

The Rainbow Children is the twenty-fourth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on November 20, 2001 by NPG Records and Redline Entertainment. It was also released through Prince's website earlier in the year. It is the first album released outside of the NPG Music Club to be released under the name of Prince again, as he had reverted to his previous stage name from his symbolic moniker a year earlier.

This concept album illustrates common Prince themes of spirituality and human sexuality, as well as love and racism, through the fictitious story of a social movement toward a Martin Luther King, Jr.-inspired utopian society. The album seems to allude to his recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, but Egyptian monotheism and New Age concepts such as the Akashic records are used as metaphors as well. Jazzier than any of his previous efforts, fan reaction was divided when this album was released. Some fans saw the album as a musical and spiritual evolution for Prince.^[11]

Musically, The Rainbow Children marked a shift back towards a more "organic" sound for Prince. Unlike its predecessors, the album featured live drums, and made ample use of horns. Many songs were performed live during Prince's 2002 One Nite Alone... Tour, which became an instant success with fans and critics alike.

The Rainbow Children was released through the independent distributor Redline Entertainment, and was released with minimal promotion as per Prince's wishes, who wanted to focus more on the music and less on the sales factor of the release. It has sold 158,000 copies in US stores as of summer 2007, and an estimated 560,000 copies worldwide.^[12]

The album also had a dedicated promotional website that offered the tracks "She Loves Me 4 Me" and "Mellow" as free MP3 downloads.

Track listing

All songs written and produced by Prince.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rainbow Children"	10:03
2.	"Muse 2 the Pharaoh"	4:21
3.	"Digital Garden"	4:07
4.	"The Work, pt. 1"	4:28
5.	"Everywhere"	2:55
6.	"The Sensual Everafter"	2:58
7.	"Mellow"	4:24
8.	"1+1+1 Is 3"	5:17
9.	"Deconstruction"	2:00
10.	"Wedding Feast"	0:54
11.	"She Loves Me 4 Me"	2:49
12.	"Family Name"	8:17
13.	"The Everlasting Now"	8:18
14.	"Last December"	7:58
15.	"Untitled"	0:04
16.	"Untitled"	0:04
17.	"Untitled"	0:04
18.	"Untitled"	0:04
19.	"Untitled"	0:04
20.	"Untitled"	0:08
21.	"Last December (Reprise)"	0:38
Total length:		68:49

Additional notes:

Tracks 15–21 are all hidden tracks and are all silent with the exception of track 21, which gradually fades in to the repetition of the word "one" being sung.

Charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
French Albums (SNEP)^[13]	78
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[14]	74
US Billboard 200^[15]	109

References

1 2 "Critic Reviews for The Rainbow Children". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: The Rainbow Children > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Phipps, Keith (20 November 2001). "The Rainbow Children". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Billboard review
↑ Weingarten, Marc (November 23, 2001). "The Rainbow Children (2001)". EW.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009.
↑ Ross, Mike (17 November 2001). "The Rainbow Children". Jam!. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Brown, Ethan (December 24, 2001). "Pop Music: In Brief". New York. Archived from the original on January 27, 2002. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
↑ "Prince Transcends His Own Genius on Rainbow Children". New York Press. Manhattan Media. 22 January 2002. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Berger, Arion (2 January 2002). "Prince: The Rainbow Children". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Cinquemani, Sal (21 November 2001). "Prince: The Rainbow Children". Slant. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ "The Rainbow Children". Prince Vault. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
↑ Christman, Ed, "Retail Track: Purple Brain", Billboard, August 4, 2007
↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – The Rainbow Children". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Rainbow Children". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved May 2, 2016.

External links

The Rainbow Children at Metacritic

Prince

Discography Albums Singles Videography Unreleased projects Awards and nominations Associates

Concert tours	Prince Tour Dirty Mind Tour Controversy Tour 1999 Tour Purple Rain Tour Parade Tour Sign o' the Times Tour Lovesexy Tour Nude Tour Diamonds and Pearls Tour Act I and II Interactive Tour The Ultimate Live Experience Love 4 One Another Charities Tour Jam of the Year Tour New Power Soul Tour Hit n Run Tour A Celebration One Nite Alone... Tour World Tour 2003 Musicology Live 2004ever Per4ming Live 3121 21 Nights in London: The Earth Tour 20Ten Tour Welcome 2 Live Out Loud Tour Hit and Run Tour Piano & A Microphone Tour

Filmography	Purple Rain Under the Cherry Moon Sign o' the Times Graffiti Bridge

Videography	Prince and the Revolution: Live Diamonds and Pearls Video Collection The Hits Collection 3 Chains o' Gold Rave Un2 the Year 2000 Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas

Video games	Prince Interactive

Stage productions	Glam Slam Ulysses Billboards

Associated companies	Paisley Park Records NPG Records

Related articles	The Revolution The New Power Generation 3rdeyegirl The Time Vanity 6 Apollonia 6 The Family Madhouse Mazarati John L. Nelson Mayte Garcia Manuela Testolini NPG Music Club Minneapolis sound Purplish Rain

Book:Prince

Prince albums

Studio albums	For You Prince Dirty Mind Controversy 1999 Purple Rain Around the World in a Day Parade Sign o' the Times Lovesexy Batman Graffiti Bridge Diamonds and Pearls Love Symbol Album Come The Black Album The Gold Experience Chaos and Disorder Emancipation Crystal Ball The Truth The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic The Rainbow Children One Nite Alone... Xpectation N.E.W.S Musicology The Chocolate Invasion The Slaughterhouse 3121 Planet Earth Lotusflow3r MPLSound 20Ten Plectrumelectrum Art Official Age Hit n Run Phase One Hit n Run Phase Two

Live albums	One Nite Alone... Live! One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over! C-Note Indigo Nights

Remix albums	Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic

Compilation albums	The Hits 1 The Hits 2 The Hits/The B-Sides Girl 6 The Very Best of Prince Ultimate Prince 4Ever

The NPG albums	Goldnigga Exodus Newpower Soul

The NPG Orchestra albums	Kamasutra

Madhouse albums	8 16

Prince singles

1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"

1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Bambi" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "Sexuality" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "D.M.S.R." "Delirious" "Automatic" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"

1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "Pope" (remix) "Come" "Letitgo" "Space" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "P Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "The Truth" "Extraordinary" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"

2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We Be Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"

2010s	"Extraloveable" "Rock and Roll Love Affair" "Screwdriver" "Fixurlifeup" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Pretzelbodylogic" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "Clouds" "Baltimore" "Hardrocklover" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"

Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "D.M.S.R." "Another Lonely Christmas" "Erotic City" "Hot Thing" "Trust" "Willing and Able" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Pope" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Come" "P. Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "Slave" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "The Rest of My Life" "5 Women" "It's About That Walk" "Baby Knows" "Man'O'War" "She Loves Me 4 Me" "Last December" "One Nite Alone... Live EP" "Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart" "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed" (with Tamar Davis) "Chelsea Rodgers" "Future Baby Mama" "The One U Wanna C" "U're Gonna C Me"

Airplay-only songs	"International Lover" "Shhh" "Satisfied" "Better with Time"

Internet downloads	"One Song" "Cybersingle" "Bataclan" "Glass Cutter" "Live from Paisley Park" "Strange Relationship" (Live in Minneapolis) "Guitar" (original "demo" version) "Love" (acoustic version) "Rock and Roll Love Affair" (Remix 7) "Screwdriver" (Remix) "Boyfriend" (Demo) "That Girl Thang" "Live Out Loud" "Ain't Gonna Miss U When U're Gone" "Extraloveable Reloaded" "Menstrual Cycle" "Octopus Heart" "Groovy Potential" "The Sweeter She Is" "Something in the Water" (Paisley Park Rehearsal) "Da Bourgeoisie" "What If" "The X's Face"

Streams	"U're Still the One" "Xylophone" "In a Large Room with No Light" "Purple and Gold" "Cause and Effect" "Hot Summer" "Rich Friends" "Same Page Different Book" "Stare"

EP's	The Scandalous Sex Suite EP New Power Generation Remixes Gett Off Remix EP Cream Remixes My Name Is Prince Remixes 7 Remixes The Beautiful Experience Letitgo Remixes Space Remixes I Hate U Remixes 1999: The New Master The Greatest Romance Ever Sold Remixes Breakfast Can Wait

Other songs	"I Feel for You" "When You Were Mine" "Head" "Private Joy" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "17 Days" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U"

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