A question about Prince....

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..and this has been plaguing me for some time.

Why exactly does his protagonist worry about having "enough class" when it comes to winning the affection of a woman who carries a "pocket full" of Trojans,...."some of them used"?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:39 (twenty-one years ago)

If you don't know...

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

It's actually a pocket full of horses, "trojan and some of them used"...

I presume it's a worry of comparison 2 the jockies that he'd been be4 him.

still point taken. who carries around used condoms, i mean really?

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Why is Prince writing songs about Pope John Paul II anyway?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 10 May 2004 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, he does preface the remark with "Believe it or not ..."

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

"believe it or not..." could have sounded like mere Prince Baby-I'm-A-Star style egotism if he hadn't outlined the slatternly nature of the "little red love machine" in question.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

is this about the movie troy?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's just ponder the ways in which condoms are trojan horses....

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Prince would have made a really good jockey I reckon.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe the song is about a woman who exclusively sleeps with very short men. I think there's an ILE thread about that.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Example 13441564145 about how I don't listen to lyrics -- there's a bit about Trojans in that song? Used ones? Huh.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:20 (twenty-one years ago)

while we're at it, are all the mixed car/horse metaphors supposed to make any sense?

― Al (sitcom), Monday, 10 May 2004 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

While we're at it, are any Prince lyrics supposed to make sense?

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Monday, 10 May 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

something in the water does not compute makes perfect sense.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Monday, 10 May 2004 20:49 (twenty-one years ago)

The vast majority of his songs are super-straightforward!

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 10 May 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Prince is, when he wants to be a completely brilliant lyricist. If I was you Girlfriend to thread!

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 07:46 (twenty-one years ago)

housequake also!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 11:21 (twenty-one years ago)

SHUT UP ALREADY....DAMN!

I fucking love housequake!

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not sure if his best album lyrically is _Sign O' The Times_ or _Around The World In A Day_. I mean, on the one hand you've got "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and "The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker", but on the other you've got "Condition Of The Heart" and "Tamborine".

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 12:34 (twenty-one years ago)

"tamborine" is a great pop lyric!

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:04 (twenty-one years ago)

GREAT unreleased mix of "Housequake", if you haven't heard it...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

One of my personal Natural Laws of pop music states that ANY song featuring tambourine (either in the mix or merely in the lyrics) is automatically great!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

....but then there's Bob George.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:38 (twenty-one years ago)

THERE'S A BRAND NEW GROOVE GOING ROUND
IN YOUR CITY
IN YOUR TOWN!

― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

if U can't rocksteady
shut up already....DAMN!

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

We can just change the title of this to 'A thread about loving Prince,' yeah?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

As much as I love Prince, I was kind of hoping this was a thread started by Jess about the oddity of Musicology doing so well. I mean if CLIVE DAVIS couldn't milk the cow, how the hell is Sony doing it?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, Sony actually put a marketing campaign behind this album?

It's not that no one wants to hear a new Prince album, Anthony; it's that no one ever knew when the next Prince album was coming out before this one.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess...though the fact that his giving copies way for free to everyone who sees him live (that's where I got mine) makes this all the more intriguing. Do those copies count?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

yes those giveaway copies do indeed count in soundscan.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"Free" = "included in ticket price"

/speculation

― Barima (Barima), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i really wanted to like musicology .. listened to it on listening post and was dreadfully disappointed. more of the same, which i like, but i wanted the new stuff to completely blow me away with its freshness.
shame ...

― mark e (mark e), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

"Class"=$

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

It's not that no one wants to hear a new Prince album, Anthony; it's that no one ever knew when the next Prince album was coming out before this one.

Dan, I love you, but that's the most wishful-thinking fanboy statement EVAH. It's the same reason Morrissey's on the cover of Spin and the Pixies are doing sellout business: people of a certain age are getting nostalgic for their youth, and a lot of people (like their kids) are getting into those artists as well. Their icon time has arrived. (Also Musicology is a good album but please, how is that any different from The Gold Experience or Emancipation, both of which are better?)

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

(and neither of which sold diddley?)

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

emancipation was the last prince album to have at least 60 minutes of genuinely great, considered, well written songs. theres nothing on the new one that touches the love we make, in this bed i scream, one of us, soul sanctuary, etc etc. which is a huge shame, considering most people think emancipation was a triple dose of turdmanship.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Emancipation is 1/3 good.

― SexyDancer, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

It's the same reason Morrissey's on the cover of Spin and the Pixies are doing sellout business: people of a certain age are getting nostalgic for their youth, and a lot of people (like their kids) are getting into those artists as well. Their icon time has arrived.

i'm not so sure one's icon time just arrives, like an available cab moseying down park avenue. prince's icon time, if that's what this is, is arriving in 2004 because he's working really really hard to make sure it does. he's begging for it. he didn't upstage tom petty and everyone else at the rock and roll hall of fame ceremony before emancipation came out. and he wasn't the premiere act at the grammy awards right before the gold experience came out. and he wasn't doing any tv show that would have him.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

well, exactly--"arrive" is shorthand. maybe "converged"? you gotta admit it's interesting that all three are all over the place right now.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Take your late thirties off, gentlemen.

― sexyDancer, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:27 (twenty-one years ago)

_Emancipation_ didn't have nearly the distribution of _Musicology_ (or any of the other self-released Prince albums) _The Gold Experience_ only sold poorly for a Prince album (ie it was certified gold) and still had two songs with a decent amount of radio play, "I Hate U" and "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World", both of which made the R&B charts and IIRC "TMBGITW" was a top-10 single.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post)

well, yeah, it's a good time to be an '80s cool-kid icon. but as pop history goes, prince is much, much bigger than either morrissey or the pixies (*ducks*) and i'm not sure i'd lump his resurrection in with theirs. i think he's had the goods to make his move anytime he felt like doing the work, and for whatever reason he chose now. though, yeah, maybe he and his peeps sensed some imminent convergence in the air.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:35 (twenty-one years ago)

(There is an implicit "pop" that goes with the word "top-10" in my previous post.)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

....Emancipation was a triple album as well. casual fans are probably less willing to shell out for 36 tracks of Prince, than they would for a fairly compact album. also emancipation was largely pish (notable exception: "My Computer"). The Gold Album was quite successful and from the mid nineties so a totally different time.

I think musicology is successful just cause prince sounds like he gives a fuck again and seems keen on making people other than diehards hear the record he's made...

Xpost

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm happy for Prince and his (yawn) comeback. But it does seem like he got a little savvier this time around and let others do the marketing/push for him so he wouldn't shoot himself in the foot. Honestly, the quality of his p.r. material the last few years has been chintzy at best (especially his music videos, when you managed to catch one!). But the video for "Musicology" - which is directed by someone other than Prince or one of his Paisley Park associates- easily stands up to anything else playing right now on MTV. It looks great and, most importantly, it fits right in . Now, if he would just do the same for his next album and let someone who understands him and his oeuvre (sp?) try and produce at least a couple songs for him he'd probably really shine commercially/artistically. Again.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:39 (twenty-one years ago)

But it does seem like he got a little savvier

he's gotten.

Post-lunch dead brain 5th grade grammar.

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

emancipation had more first rate songs on it than any of his other 90s albums. he should have done a jay-z and released an emancipation 2.0 version.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I wonder: Prince has been selling out arenas on this tour, multiple nights, too (at least four in Chicago). But had he done multi-night stands a few years ago, circa, say, "Emancipation," could he have done just as well? It seems like for much of the '90s Prince preferred playing smaller venues and theatres.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

For 'preferred' read 'had no other choice but to accept'

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 01:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Huh, I always assumed it was "have enough gas" in the lyrics. That would make more sense anyway.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 02:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I really don't think Prince played small venues just because he had to. I have friends who saw him at sold out Madison Square Garden gigs in the late '90s, so that shows he can still draw. He just didn't do any arena *tours*. But could he have? Obviously Ned says no, but I bet he could have done it, chart hits or not.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I suddenly wish for "Ned says no" to be the next big ILx meme.

― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I suddenly wish for "Ned says no" to be the next big ILx meme.

sorry but it can't happen. because, um, ned says no.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Given the lyric of a song I'm supposed to be reciting soon, you'd be surprised how appropriate that meme is.

Back to Prince: he aimed for bigger venues but I think the results were a bit patchy -- I know he played Irvine Meadows here a few years back, and while that's not mega-arena size it's still a pretty big spot, though I gather he didn't sell it out. The running theme I gathered during that time was that he was rushing through medleys of his past hits, so if someone can confirm or deny that would be nice. If anything the presentation and talk about the shows this year is almost more of a codified depiction of the legacy. As it stands, I suspect the tour(s) right before this one, the One Night Alone type things -- which Chaki saw here in LA and made myself and Dan deeply jealous over -- was a way to clear things up and start fresh.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, the other big draw for Musicology has been his "last outing for the hits" shtick.

― Barima (Barima), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish he had done a "last outing for the naughty songs" before having a religious awakening and swearing off swearing.

― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)

P.S. Ned, thanx for the e-mails. Also, in Ghana, the shift keys for @ and " are reversed! It's really fucking with my typing.

― Barima (Barima), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

It'd be best if he'd do the naughty every tour instead.

― Barima (Barima), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Wouldn't it always? Barima, I can send you loads of ridiculous e-mails whenever, but that might not always be helpful.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, this has been bothering me:

Believe it or not,
I started to worry
I wondered if I had enough class
But it was Saturday night
I guess that makes it all right
And she said, "Baby, have you got enough gas?"

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

prince is into fart-swallowing. he then likes to keep the cycle going and have his partner reciprocate and so on and so on.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 23:25 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah thanks

― i'm eating here, Thursday, 13 May 2004 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

On the "Hit and Run" tourstop in Chicago he played mostly full versions of songs, all the way through, with a couple of digressions for jams and medleys (and later he played a secret 3am show with Macy Gray and Common!). Plenty of hits, misses, etc. And, oh yeah, "She is Always in My Hair"! The "One Nite Alone" show didn't have medleys, either. The shows you're wondering about, Ned, I think were the ones featuring Prince and friends - Doug E. Fresh, Larry Graham, Chaka Khan - and was medley intensive, ISTR, and just as many cover songs as Prince originals. Then again, a bootleg I just got from Prince's 2004 San Francisco Valentine's Day show(s) is full of cover songs, too.

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Thursday, 13 May 2004 02:06 (twenty-one years ago)

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