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Prince · S6 E3
Paisley Park Studios
Prince builds his own compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota. A 65,000-square-foot complex where he can record twenty-four hours a day
Chanhassen, Minnesota, 1987. Prince walks into a 65,000-square-foot building he designed himself, locks the door, and never needs to leave again.
"Diamonds and Pearls" (Prince, 1991). The kind of lush, layered production that only happens when an artist has unlimited studio time and zero outside pressure. This is what Paisley Park was built for: a place where Prince could record anything, at any hour, with nobody to tell him no.
Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, Minnesota
The 65,000-square-foot complex Prince designed and built as his home, recording studio, rehearsal space, and creative headquarters.
The Fortress
Paisley Park is not just a recording studio. It contains Studio A and Studio B, a 12,000-square-foot soundstage for filming and rehearsals, a nightclub area, offices, wardrobe rooms, and Prince's private living quarters. He designed it so he would never have to go to anyone else's facility for anything.
Sources
Alex Hahn, "Possessed"
Matt Thorne, "Prince"
Rolling Stone
“When I have an idea at three in the morning, I don't want to call somebody. I want to walk downstairs and record it.”
— Prince, on why he built Paisley Park
TAP TO REVEAL: How much did Paisley Park cost to build?
Diamonds and Pearls, Prince (1991)
The title track of his 1991 album opens with a gospel choir and builds into one of the most layered productions Prince ever created. Every element, the stacked harmonies, the orchestral strings, the funk guitar, was recorded and mixed at Paisley Park with Prince at the console. Listen for how many vocal layers are in the chorus: Prince overdubbed himself dozens of times, creating a choir out of one voice. The song sounds the way it does because the studio allowed him to keep adding until it was exactly right.
Sources
Duane Tudahl, "Prince and the Parade and Sign o' the Times Era"
Rolling Stone
Paisley Park
Adore, Prince
From Sign o' the Times (1987). One of the most intimate recordings Prince ever made, and one of the first major tracks recorded at the completed Paisley Park. "Adore" is a seven-minute love song with no drums, just Prince's voice layered over keyboards and the softest bass you've ever heard. The studio could do bombastic, but it could also do this: a whisper that fills an entire room.
Adore, Prince (1987)
"Until the end of time, I'll be there for you." The lyrics are simple, almost plain, which makes them devastating. Prince could write a funk symphony or a rock anthem, and then he'd sit down and write the most honest love letter you've ever heard. That's the whole point of Paisley Park: a place where nothing is off limits.
What is Paisley Park Studios used for today?
Paisley Park is open, and Prince has a recording facility that never sleeps. Next: a film called Under the Cherry Moon, an album called Parade, and the song "Kiss," which sounds like he recorded it with nothing but a guitar, a drum machine, and pure nerve.
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