"Two Princes" is a song by American rock group

Spin Doctors Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and N ...

, released in 1992 as the second single from their debut album, ''

Pocket Full of Kryptonite ''Pocket Full of Kryptonite'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band Spin Doctors, released in August 1991. The album initially sold a respectable 60,000 copies in late 1991 due to its growing hardcore fanbase, before several radi ...

'' (1991). It peaked at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100. Outside of the US, it topped the charts in Iceland and Sweden and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song earned them a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

Critical reception

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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

complimented "Two Princes" as one of the "best tracks" of the album.

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 adverti ...

'' wrote, "The Doctors' growing legion of fans will devour this treat from ''

'' within seconds." He explained further, "Percolating rhythm section, courtesy of

Aaron Comess Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and No. 17, respec ...

and Mark White, propels Eric Schenkman's scratchy guitars and a pure-

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

hook. Engaging vocals by Christopher Barron and lively instrumentation assure instant album-rock and alternative play, with visions of successfully crossing into the pop arena realistically dancing in everyone's heads." Randy Clark from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' commented, "This crunchy rock/funk groove hints of the same raw, unpolished but infectious street quality of the early

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

except with an unspoiled and urgent alternative style." A reviewer from ''

Kingston Informer Local World Holdings Ltd. was a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK that published around 100 print titles and more than 70 websites. It was formed in 2012 by David Montgomery, a former chief executive of Trinity Mirror, to buy the Dai ...

'' viewed the song as "brilliant".

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

noted in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Leaping just as dramatically into the Top 10 come the Spin Doctors, almost 18 months after the track was first heard by the American public. It touches a chord with many as well. Marry him or marry me, I'm the one who loves you baby can't you see...." 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 ...

'' wrote, "Although the album ..was released about two years ago, the singles of the medicals are still doing fine. Put your faith in this one too, as the funky guitar rock of this 'royal' track is as infectious as you could wish for." Leesa Daniels from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' rated it five out of five, saying, "This is their second bash at the UK charts and it's just marvellous. A thumping drum beat with guitars rocking all over the place, it makes you want to jump onto the nearest table and dance and twirl and swing your head around until you eventually, er, pass out!" Troy J. Augusto from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' declared the song as one of their "undeniable gems". "Two Princes" was ranked No. 41 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"; conversely, it was ranked No. 21 on ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...

'' magazine's "50 Worst Songs Ever".

Music video

The band filmed two different

music videos 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 device ...

for the song; one of them was in black-and-white. One of the videos was directed by Richard Murray and premiered in February 1992.

Track listings

*7-inch, CD, and cassette single #"Two Princes" (album version) – 4:16 #"Off My Line" (live) – 5:30 *12-inch and maxi-CD single #"Two Princes" (album version) – 4:16 #"Off My Line" (live) – 5:30 #"Rosetta Stone" (live) – 8:07

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1991 songs 1993 singles Spin Doctors songs Number-one singles in Iceland Number-one singles in Sweden Black-and-white music videos Epic Records singles