Parade eschews the guitar androck elements of Prince's 1984 albumPurple Rain in favor of theneo-psychedelic style he explored onAround the World in a Day (1985), austerely producedfunk, andsoundtrack compositions.[2] According toBlender magazine's Keith Harris,Parade "makes apop cavalcade out of the same psychedelic affectations" ofAround the World in a Day.[7]Robert Christgau ofThe Village Voice viewed it as a modern "fusion ofFresh's foundation andSgt. Pepper's filigrees", with songs he described asbaroque pop creations.[5] According toPopMatters editor Quentin B. Huff, "Parade doesn't sound like anything else in the Prince canon. The album is a blend ofjazz,soul, and a certain French undercurrent, probably absorbed from the film being set in France."[4]
Parade is bookended by two songs—"Christopher Tracy's Parade" and "Sometimes It Snows in April"—that reference Christopher Tracy, the protagonist fromUnder the Cherry Moon. The latter song is an acoustic ballad withchromatic choruses and sentimental lyrics bidding farewell to Tracy.[8] Christgau wrote that the album's lyrics suggest that Prince sings as Tracy, although he cannot be certain.[5]Parade also features some French lyrics andchanson arrangements, which refer to the film's French setting.[8]
Parade was released on March 31, 1986, to acclaim from music critics, who viewed it as a creative comeback after the critical disappointment ofAround the World in a Day.[17] In a contemporary review forThe New York Times,John Rockwell said that the album succeeds in part because of the more aggressive songs, "in which Prince chooses to play up the black side of his multifaceted musical sensibility."[8]The Sunday Times found its musical scope "stunning", and theDetroit Free Press called the album "a confirmation of Prince's place as a superior melodist, arranger, and player, as well as a celebration of his creativity."[17]Hi-Fi News & Record Review called songs such as "New Position" and "Girls and Boys" well-crafted funk and said that "when Prince opts to go completely daft, as he does on 'Do U Lie'... even then the result is somehow endearing and instantly likeable."[13]
Commercially,Parade charted at number 3 on the pop chart and at number 2 on the R&B chart, while selling 1 million copies in the United States. It also garnered him a new commercial audience in Europe and sold 2 million copies internationally.[18] The album finished 25th in the voting forThe Village Voice's annualPazz & Jop critics poll.[19] Christgau, the poll's creator, ranked it as the 33rd best album of the year on his own list.[20]NME magazine named ittheir album of the year for 1986.[21]
In a retrospective review forAllMusic,Stephen Thomas Erlewine viewedParade as a musically diverse near-masterpiece that is given depth by Prince's "weird religious and sexual metaphors".[9]Simon Price later wrote inThe Guardian that it was "the sound of Prince at his most effortless and assured. Cohesive and ice cream-cool, nobody would guess it was a soundtrack for a (sub-par) film. And it has 'Kiss' on it."[12] In a less enthusiastic review forEntertainment Weekly,David Browne said the record's ornate ballads and inconsistent material made it more self-indulgent thanAround the World in a Day.[11] According to Mosi Reeves ofRhapsody, Prince's die-hard fans viewed the album as a charming mix of funk,jazz, andpop rock styles, but some detractors felt that its music was overblown. Reeves himself said that "this stylistic departure is an anomaly".[22] In rapperChuck D's opinion, Prince "turned off a lot of the black followers [with the album]. I couldn't understand that. People don't want artists to endlessly repeat themselves, yet they can't tolerate change either. Prince changes all the time, always working on the public's imagination, always trying to keep ahead of them."[23]
Mari Botnick, Oscar Chausow, Ron Clark, Isabelle Daskoff, Assa Drori, Henry Ferber, Pam Gates, Janice Gower, Endre Granat, Ed Green, Reginald Hill, Bill Hybel, William Hymanson, Pat Johnson, Karen Jones, Betty Moor, Irma Neumann, Donald Palmer, Sheldon Sanov, Joseph Schoenbrun, Terry Schoenbrun, Francine Walsh, Harold Wolf –violin
Myer Bello, Alan DeVeritch, Norman Forrest, Pamela Goldsmith, Allan Harshman, Margot MacLaine, Jorge Moraga, Carole Mukogawa, David Stock –alto violin
James Arkatov, Ray Kelley, Raphael Kramer, Frederick Seykora –cello
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
[9]
[7]