"The Truth" is a song recorded by American recording artist

Prince A prince is a 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, in some European states. T ...

for his twenty-first and

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

studio album, ''

The Truth The Truth may refer to: Film * ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy * ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot * ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial crim ...

'' (1998). The track was released as the record's lead single by

NPG Records NPG Records is a record label that was owned by Prince and run by Trevor Guy. "NPG" is short for New Power Generation. It was founded to release his music after Paisley Park Records was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1994. Though the 1994 c ...

on February 14, 1997. Being issued as a

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

, the recording was paired with previously unreleased track "Don't Play Me". "The Truth" was solely written and produced by Prince, who also provided the track's entire instrumentation. Musically, the recording is an acoustic rock and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

song that lyrically has Prince claiming that there is "no more truth" left in the world. "The Truth" received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who noticed Prince's change of artistry through the recording, which was perceived positively. The song was minimally promoted, including the singer performing "The Truth" live for the only time at a promotional concert venue in 2002.

Release and composition

Crystal Ball A crystal ball, also known as an orbuculum or crystal sphere, is a crystal or glass ball and common fortune-telling object. It is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying in particular. In more recent times, the cry ...

'' (1998), a box set featuring Prince's twentieth and twenty-first studio albums, was originally announced in 1987, but delayed due to contract issues with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. After being released on March 3, 1998, Prince stated that the collection contained material "recorded over the period of a decade". Subsequently, "The Truth" was physically released on February 14, 1997, as a CD single via mail-order through Prince's fan club exclusively. The material on the CD consisted of the album version of the single, in addition to previously unreleased "Don't Play Me", which would later be included on the fourth disc of ''Crystal Ball''. The release's liner notes hinted the then-upcoming box set, and encouraged fans to "call 1-800-NEW-FUNK" for future merchandise distributed solely by Prince's fan club. "The Truth" was written and produced solely by Prince. The singer also provided all instrumentation for the recording, while musician HM Buff handled the track's engineering. Described as an acoustic rock and

song, Prince provides vocals which are reminiscent of

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...

's works. Lyrically, the single portrays Prince responding to questions regarding "responsibility and honesty", in addition to him announcing that "there is no more 'truth'" left. Furthermore, he expresses themes of salvation, spirituality, and sexuality, and also reveals that anyone can be in "control over one's own creativity".

Reception and promotion

"The Truth" was positively received by

. Alexis Petridis from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote, "An interesting single from Prince's artistically lean years, primarily because it took him somewhere new. Stark, acoustic and blues-influenced, performed solo and boasting a great vocal performance, The Truth didn't sound like any Prince single before it." Also Chris Nelson from MTV News positively noted the singer's evolution of artistry, which he also found evident on album tracks "Don't Play Me" and "Third Eye". ''

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 ...

''s James Hunter applauded the track for being unlike "his usual musical constructs", a tactic which he found "interesting". Hunter went on finding the recording reminiscent of the music on Prince's seventeenth studio album, ''

The Gold Experience ''The Gold Experience'' is the seventeenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was credited to his stage name at the time, an unpronounceable symbol (shown on the album cover), also known as ...

'' (1995). "The Truth" was performed live for the first and only time on June 24, 2002, alongside American singer and songwriter

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...

. The promotional concert was featured as part of promotion for Prince's twenty-sixth studio album, ''

Xpectation ''Xpectation'' (subtitled "New Directions in Music By Prince") is the twenty-sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on January 1, 2003, by NPG Records. It is the first instrumental album released under Prince's ...

'' (2003).

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''The Truth''. *

– vocals, lyrics, production, instruments * Hans Martin Buff – sound engineer * Parke – design

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truth, The 1997 singles 1997 songs Prince (musician) songs Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Songs written by Prince (musician)