For You (Prince)

For You is Prince's debut album, released in October of 1978, when the artist was 20 years old, and bearing the classic tag, "Written, composed, performed, and recorded by Prince". It is generally regarded as a promising but somewhat insubstantial early effort. The album reached #163 in the US, and produced the single "Soft and Wet" which peaked at #92.

Related Topics:
Prince - 1978 - Soft and Wet

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The album opens with the title track, an acapella which states: "All of this and more is for you. With love, sincerety and deeping care, my life with you I share." This would foreshadow Prince's career of speaking mostly through his music, rather than conventional interviews. Next is "In Love", a bouncy disco track with the very Princely lyric "I just want to bathe in your river". The album's "hit" "Soft and Wet" follows. The dance track is probably the best on the album and the combination of sexy lyrics and pop-funk music is the direction Prince will follow to produce some of his biggest future hits. A ballad "Crazy You" is followed by "Just as Long as We're Together", another very disco-like track which ends in a musical coda showcasing Prince's musical prowess.

Related Topics:
Acapella - Interview - Disco - Soft and Wet - Funk - Just as Long as We're Together - Coda

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Side 2 opens with "Baby", a ballad about an unplanned child, but not in a negative light. A portion of the music from this track was later reused on the 1995 hit, "I Hate U". A light pop-disco number follows, "My Love Is Forever". "So Blue" features Prince on acoustic guitar suplemented by the synthesizer. The album closes with "I'm Yours", the album's only rock and roll number featuring blazing guitar solos.

Related Topics:
1995 - I Hate U - Acoustic - Guitar - Synthesizer - Rock and roll

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The album was clearly intended to establish Prince as an artist and to prove his merits. He lists all 23 instruments his plays on the album and the album was produced to the point of spending triple the alloted budget. Because of this, Prince's next album would have to have some hits to recoup this somewhat lackluster release.

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