| Planet Earth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 15, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | November 2004 – early 2007[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:00 | |||
| Label | NPG,Columbia | |||
| Producer | Prince | |||
| Prince chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Planet Earth | ||||
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Planet Earth is the thirty-secondstudio album by American recording artistPrince. It was released on July 15, 2007, byNPG Records and distributed, in the UK, as a freecovermount withThe Mail on Sunday national newspaper. This was followed by the album's worldwide distribution. It features contributions from his newest protégéeBria Valente and formerNew Power Generation members Marva King,Sonny T., andMichael Bland, as well asSheila E. and formerRevolution membersWendy & Lisa.[2] The CD package's liner notes credit the album to Prince & The New Power Generation. The album debuted at number 3 on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling 96,000 copies in its first week.
On June 27, 2007, "Future Baby Mama" was leaked to the Internet via an American online radio station. The first single, "Guitar", was distributed in partnership withVerizon Wireless.[3] During the week of September 3, 2007, Prince flew toPrague, and then Spain to film amusic video for "Somewhere Here on Earth". The clip was released but it has only been played on the TV channelBET.
Initially, Prince came to an agreement withColumbia Records to distribute the record worldwide. Prince and Columbia had previously teamed up for the release of hisMusicology album in 2004.[4] However, Prince's management struck a deal withThe Mail on Sunday to releasePlanet Earth as a freecovermount CD with the July 15, 2007, edition of the paper. This move brought much criticism from UK record stores, which resulted in Columbia refusing to distribute the album in the UK, though its release in the rest of the world remained unaffected.[5]
Giving away albums for free was not new for Prince. In 2004, he gave free copies ofMusicology to all concert goers during thetour of the same name.[6] Similarly, thePlanet Earth album was given away with tickets to his2007 concerts in London. As a result of the decision by Sony BMG to not distribute the album in the UK, record store chainHMV announced it would stock the July 15, 2007, edition ofThe Mail on Sunday in lieu of the CD, admitting that "selling theMail on Sunday next week will be the only way to make the Prince album available to our customers, which, ultimately, has to be our overriding concern".[7] On July 10, 2007, several days before the official UK release throughThe Mail on Sunday, a low quality version (recorded from a stream) ofPlanet Earth was leaked onto the Internet.[8] Prince forwent $4.6 million in licensing fees, but the promotion paid off with his subsequent sold out 21-show concert run at London'sO2 Arena, earning him a gross of $23.4 million, and thus an $18.8 million profit.[9]
"Guitar" was the first single fromPlanet Earth. This song was number 39 onRolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The music video for the song, featuring his current dancers "The Twinz" premiered on the Verizon website. It was directed and written by Milos Twilight, and produced by Prince and Milos Twilight, through Umania Digital Studios and Twilight Films.[10]
"Chelsea Rodgers" was the second single released from the album, and was released worldwide on August 6, 2007. TheB-side is album track "Mr. Goodnight". A video was made using footage of the band's performance atLondon Fashion Week. It premièred on October 28, 2007.
"Somewhere Here on Earth" was the third single to be released. On the week of September 3, 2007, Prince flew to Prague, and then Spain to film amusic video for the song.[11] The video was produced and written by Milos Twilight, Umania Digital Studios and Twilight Films.[12] The full music video premiered onBET on February 12, 2008.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [14] |
| The A.V. Club | B[15] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[16] |
| Los Angeles Times | [17] |
| NME | 6/10[18] |
| Pitchfork | 4.8/10[19] |
| Robert Christgau |  [20] |
| Rolling Stone | [21] |
| Slant Magazine | [22] |
| Spin | [23] |
The album debuted on the USBillboard 200 at number three with 96,000 units sold in its first week, less than half of bothMusicology and3121.[24] As of April 2015, the album has sold about 278,000 copies in the US, with almost no promotion, with the exception of the Verizon Wireless ad for "Guitar". Although not released as a single, "Future Baby Mama" gathered radio airplay on American R&B radio and charted within the top 40 ofBillboard'sHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song won Prince his lastGrammy Award, forBest Male R&B Vocal Performance at the2008 Grammy Awards.
Planet Earth received generally positive reviews. AtMetacritic, it holds an average score of 65 out of 100, based on reviews by professional critics.[13] Veteran criticRobert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention,[20] indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".[25] Writing forMSN Music, he cited "Guitar" and "The One U Wanna C" as highlights and summarized the album with the remark, "Viva Las Vegas and later for Viagra – but not never".[26]
All songs written and produced byPrince.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Planet Earth" | 5:51 |
| 2. | "Guitar" | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Somewhere Here on Earth" | 5:45 |
| 4. | "The One U Wanna C" | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Future Baby Mama" | 4:47 |
| 6. | "Mr. Goodnight" | 4:26 |
| 7. | "All the Midnights in the World" | 2:21 |
| 8. | "Chelsea Rodgers" | 5:41 |
| 9. | "Lion of Judah" | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Resolution" | 3:40 |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47] | Gold | 15,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | July 15, 2007 |
| Germany | July 20, 2007 |
| United States | July 24, 2007 |
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