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“The Breakdown”: Prince releases first single under new Warner Bros. deal

by KT Lindemann

April 21, 2014

Last week, Prince announced that he's made up with Warner Bros., the label with whom he had previously cut ties. Almost immediately, the Purple One promptly released a new single, “The Breakdown,” available for streaming and for download on iTunes. He debuted the song in concert last fall, and during his takeover of Arsenio Hall's show last month, he told the host it's his favorite song he's written.

"There is a song that we've just written," Prince said when asked to name a song that turns him on every time he plays it, "called 'The Breakdown.'" He went on to say more about the song, but his comments were drowned out by cheers. Now those fans have a chance to hear the song they were cheering for.

The single is a classic Prince power ballad, with twinkling synth keys, an explosive chorus, and the Minneapolis superstar’s trademark falsetto wails. It coincides with Prince and his new label’s pledge to release a brand new studio album, as well as a 30th anniversary re-issue of Purple Rain. Additional details about these releases are expected soon, and the copyright note on the new single clarifies Prince's new position of power with respect to his label: "The copyright in this sound recording is owned by NPG Records under exclusive license to Warner Bros. Records, Inc."

KT Lindemann is a senior at the University of Minnesota, Morris, pursuing studio art and Spanish. She is a native of the Twin Cities and is a wannabe musician, artist, and music writer.

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