"Cream" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

and his backing band

the New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as The NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for ...

, released as the second single from Prince's 13th studio album, ''

Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his new backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. ...

'' (1991), in September 1991. In a 2004 MTV special, Prince joked that he wrote the song while looking at himself in the mirror. "Cream" became Prince's fifth and last number-one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, staying at the top for two weeks. The song entered the top 10 in 15 other countries worldwide, peaking within the top three in Australia, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland. The single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

, "Horny Pony", a rap song that was replaced on ''Diamonds and Pearls'' at the last minute by "Gett Off", was re-used from the "

Gett Off "Gett Off" is a song written and produced by American musician Prince for his thirteenth album, ''Diamonds and Pearls'' (1991). The album was his first with his backing band the New Power Generation. "Gett Off" was released as the lead single fro ...

" single. "Cream" was also released as a

maxi-single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was th ...

EP with

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es and songs/raps loosely based on "Cream". The EP is notable for including several prank telephone conversations. In the UK, "Gangster Glam" is an additional B-side on the 12-inch maxi maxi-CD single. In Japan, an EP was released with the tracks from the US maxi single, and four tracks from the US "Gett Off" maxi single.

Critical reception

Patrick Corcoran from Albumism stated that the oft-repeated tale of "Cream"'s composition "doesn't lessen the impact of its swaggering braggadocio years later".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

called it a "sexy

T. Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' liv ...

groove" and a "terrific" pop single. Mike Diver for the

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said in his 2010 review, that it is "quite simply a song about getting it on, and a brilliant one at that".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "On the heels of the risque "

" comes an equally sexy pop/rocker that recalls T-Rex's " Bang a Gong"." He added, "Militaristic drum beats, an unshakable

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, and snakey guitar and keyboard lines add up to a pretty good bet for multiformat acceptance." David Browne from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' described it as "a standard-issue funk workout with oh-so-daring lyrics like "U got the horn so why don't U blow it!"".

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from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' viewed the song as a "glorious, loving homage to Get It On, complete with lyrical echoes (the object of Prince's affections is "filthy-cute" as opposed to "dirty-sweet")." He added, "Never given to underestimating his own importance,

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted into ...

would doubtless have adored it." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "Could this second single from the new album ''

'' be a leftover composition of the never-realised

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporate ...

collaboration?" They also concluded, "This basic R&B song is definitely his best single since 1989's Alphabet Street." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the l ...

'' deemed it as "tart and bluesy". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' said the song is "impossibly slinky". Scott Poulson-Bryant from ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' viewed it as "poppy

glam-rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

". Neil McKay from '' Sunday Life'' called it "irresistible pop".

Chart performance

In the United States, "Cream" hit number one for two weeks on the ''

'' Hot 100 in November 1991; however, it did not make the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart because it was not sent to urban radio; " Insatiable" was sent to urban stations instead. The song made the top 20 in the United Kingdom, and it reached the top 10 in several European countries, Australia, and New Zealand. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

, "Cream" climbed to number six.

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

was made to accompany the song, directed by Rebecca Blake.

Influence and legacy

In 2020,

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listed "Cream" at number 33 in their ranking of the best ''

'' Hot 100 number-one song of the 1990s, stating that it "fully realizes the sultry funk odyssey Prince was going for on his 13th studio album."

Track listing

Several tracks on this release include unlisted telephone segues, and are listed with separate lengths on this page.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Paisley Park Records singles Prince (musician) songs Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Songs written by Prince (musician) Warner Records singles Glam rock songs