1999

“I didn’t want to do a double album, but I just kept writing…” —Prince, 1982 Considered one of the most iconic and influential double albums in rock history, Prince’s 1999 was released at a major turning point in the artist’s career. After years of struggling to break out of the R&B charts, he experienced his first true pop crossover moment with the mega-hits “Little Red Corvette,” “1999,” and “Delirious, “ shattering barriers with his revolutionary blend of rock, funk, R&B and new wave pop, and making history by being one of the first Black artists to have their videos in heavy rotation on MTV. Musically, 1999 achieved something rare in pop music: It capitalized on a very specific mood from the time it was created, yet the resulting sound is timeless, and its appeal has endured for decades.