Around the World in a Day is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the third release on which his backing band the Revolution is billed. It was released on April 22, 1985, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. Departing somewhat from the commercial sound of his previous release, the massively successful Purple Rain (1984), the album instead saw Prince experimenting with psychedelic styles and more opulent textures. In compliance with Prince's wishes to "let the project be taken in its entirety before zeroing in on anything", the record company released the album with minimal publicity, withholding accompanying singles until almost a month after the album's release.

Around the World in a Day was released to mixed reception among crossover audiences after the success of Purple Rain, though it nonetheless sold relatively well and became Prince and the Revolution's second number-one album on the Billboard 200. Two of its four singles reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life". Following Prince's death, "Raspberry Beret" re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 as a top 40 hit, reaching number 33. Around the World in a Day was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 2, 1985. A remastered reissue was released on November 21, 2025.

Background

Recording for Around the World in a Day began in sessions dating back before that of Purple Rain.

Reception

Despite the muted promotion and its less commercial sound, the album still had two American top 10 hits, and went double platinum. Initial critical reception was mixed, but retrospective reviews are positive.

According to Prince, George Clinton was a fan of the album.

In a positive retrospective review for Pitchfork, Alan Light described the album as "a brave and deeply personal project, exploring sounds and ideas that were almost shocking coming from a pop icon at his peak." Duane Tudahl, Guitarcloud, Lydia Moran, and RR Auction

Musicians

Prince and the Revolution

  • Prince – lead and backing vocals , spoken vocals , electric guitar , acoustic guitar , bass , programming , finger cymbals , kettledrums , percussion , tambourine , claps , synthesizers , piano , whistles
  • Lisa Coleman – backing vocals , synthesizers
  • Doctor Fink – backing vocals , synthesizers
  • Wendy Melvoin – backing vocals , electric guitar , acoustic guitar
  • Bobby Z. – backing vocals , drums , programming , percussion
  • Brownmark – backing vocals , bass

Additional musicians

  • David Coleman – backing vocals , cello , oud , finger cymbals , darbuka
  • Jonathan Melvoin – backing vocals , tambourine
  • Susannah Melvoin – backing vocals
  • Novi Novog – violin
  • Suzie Katayama – cello
  • Brad Marsh – tambourine
  • Sheila E. – drums
  • Annette Atkinson, Tim Barr – double bass
  • Denyse Buffum, Laury Woods – viola
  • Marcy Dicterow-Vaj, Sid Page – violin
  • Eddie Mininfield – saxophone
  • Taja Sevelle – backing vocals

Technical

  • Prince – producer
  • Susan Rogers – recording engineer
  • David Leonard – recording engineer
  • Peggy McCreary – recording engineer
  • Robert "Cubby" Colby, David Tickle – recording engineer
  • Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin – strings arrangement
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Laura LiPuma – design and assembly
  • Doug Henders – cover painting

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Weekly chart performance for Around the World in a Day

! scope="col"| Chart (1985)

! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position

|-

! scope="row"|Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

| 12

|-

! scope="row"| Austrian Albums Chart

| 7

|-

! scope="row"| Canadian Albums Chart

| 16

|-

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums Chart

| 1

|-

! scope="row" | Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)

| 19

|-

! scope="row"| German Albums Chart

| 16

|-

! scope="row"| Norwegian Albums Chart

| 10

|-

! scope="row"| Swedish Albums Chart

| 1

|-

! scope="row"| Swiss Albums Chart

| 8

|-

! scope="row"| UK Albums Chart

| 5

|-

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200

| 1

|-

! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

| 4

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+2016 weekly chart performance for Around the World in a Day

!Chart (2016)

!Peak<br />position

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+2025 weekly chart performance for Around the World in a Day

!Chart (2025)

!Peak<br />position

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Croatian International Albums (HDU)

| 1

|-

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon)

| 5

|-

! scope="row"| Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan)

| 27

|-

! scope="row"| Norwegian Physical Albums (IFPI Norge)<br />

| 9

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Year-end chart performance for Around the World in a Day

! scope="col" | Chart (1985)

! scope="col" | Position

|-

! scope="row" | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)

| 40

|-

! scope="row" | US Billboard 200

| 26

|-

! scope="row" | US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

| 18

|}

Singles

  • "Raspberry Beret" (#2 US, #4 US R&B, #25 UK)
  1. "Raspberry Beret"
  2. "She's Always in My Hair" (US)
  3. "Hello" (UK)
  • "Paisley Park" (#18 UK) No US release
  1. "Paisley Park"
  2. "She's Always in My Hair"
  • "Pop Life" (#7 US, #8 US R&B, #60 UK)
  1. "Pop Life"
  2. "Hello" (US)
  3. "Girl" (UK)
  • "America" (#46 US, #35 US R&B) No UK release
  1. "America"
  2. "Girl"

Certifications

References

  • Around The World In A Day at Discogs
  • Around The World In A Day at Prince Vault