Musicology
Studio album by PrinceWikipedia
13
MENTIONS
5
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Search complete. 13 mentions across 5 episodes found for "Musicology".
Sep 15, 2026
LDHOST
Uh, 1996's Emancipation, two times platinum.
LDHOST
And 2004's Musicology, two times platinum.
LDHOST
Now, best-selling singles, this is since 1991 when the Nielsen rating began to track sales.
LDHOST
Prince's-
Will the ThrillHOST
In that, that length of time?
LDHOST
Yeah, and his last top 10 hit was The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, which we're actually gonna talk about later because that kicked off something great.
LDHOST
So his top selling albums since 1991 are still 1984's Purple Rain with 3.1 million, 1991's Diamonds and Pearls at 2.5 million, 2001's The Very Best of Prince, 2.1 million, 2004's Musicology, 2.1 million, 1993's The Hits Number 2, 1.7 million, and 1993's The Hits Number 1, 1.5 million.
LDHOST
Sold since 1991, albums-
LDHOST
1996 is Emancipation, two times platinum.
LDHOST
And 2004 is Musicology, two times platinum.
LDHOST
Now, best-selling singles.
LDHOST
This is since 1991 when the Nielsen rating began to track sales.
LDHOST
1991's Diamonds and Pearls at $2.5 million.
LDHOST
2001's The Very Best of Prince, $2.1 million.
LDHOST
2004's Musicology, $2.1 million.
LDHOST
2.1 million.
Ava CyrHOST
So let's jump back into the Purple One story.
Ava CyrHOST
We'll begin this chapter in 2005 following the enormous comeback Prince had achieved with his 2004 album Musicology.
Ava CyrHOST
The album had brought Prince back into the mainstream in a major way, and in February of 2005 he picked up two Grammy Awards for Musicology.
Ava CyrHOST
He won Best Traditional R&B Performance for the title track and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Call My Name.
Ava CyrHOST
This was significant because Prince had spent much of the previous decade fighting with the traditional music industry.
JaredHOST
There's also Prince's own version of With This Tear, a blah ballad he gave to Celine Dion in 1992 that feels right at home on Timeless, which leans heavily on recordings Prince made after the revolution.
JaredHOST
It's music that relies on proficiency more than invention, music that finds Prince adhering to the funk, soul, rock, and pop traditions that seemed old-fashioned by the time he mounted a comeback in the 2000s with Musicology, a record that's now 22 years old.
JaredHOST
The fact that Prince's best music was made decades ago doesn't necessarily keep it at a distance from a new generation.
JaredHOST
Younger listeners flock to older music all the time.
Ava CyrHOST
And he didn't necessarily have to ask, will a record company release this? He could simply ask, do my fans want to hear it? And then came 2004, which holds a very special place in my heart because it was the year I was born.
Ava CyrHOST
And this is where Prince's story gets really interesting, because after years of independent releases and experimentation, Prince returned to the mainstream with Musicology.
Ava CyrHOST
The album was released through Columbia Records, but this was very much Prince on his own terms.
Ava CyrHOST
And Musicology felt like a homecoming.
Ava CyrHOST
It had funk, soul, R&B, rock, and classic Prince songwriting.
Ava CyrHOST
Songs like Musicology, Call My Name, and A Million Days showcased an artist who was looking backward and forward at the same time.
Ava CyrHOST
And the album was warmly received.
Ava CyrHOST
It earned five Grammy nominations and actually won two Grammys.