Is Prince a terrible lyricist but a fantastic melodicist??

I think Prine's lyrics are usually hackneyed and pretty unremarkable for the most part. What do ya'll think?

His melodies and especially rhythyms on the other hand are AMAZING. That's what makes him a genius. Also, his abilities as an all around stage performer.

Soladeo

Prince is occasionally brilliant with his lyrics but I think overall his work suffers from the sheer speed in which he operates. Many of his lyrics feel hurried and probably could have been improved if Prince was willing to spend more then a day or two on it.

WTF??
THat bitch is a poet!!!

Who else could come up with:

She was pure,
Every ounce,
I was sure,
When her titties bounced
Everyway,
She's a winner,
TUrn her gay,
Precher to a sinner...

Brilliant!!!!!



.
[Edited 12/22/04 15:11pm]

"Everybody stop fighting"
"Everybody make love"

Really makes me think

Sign o the times, the best lyrics he has ever written

Who could come up with lyrics like Purple Rain's??? hell who could come up with lyrics like any of the lyrics of his songs?

his songwriting is the last 8 years has been weak at best....

i think Prince is a great lyricist. he kinda created a language/phrasing/timing he worked in and it's completely unique eg. when doves cry, ballad of dorothy parker, sign o the times, the cross, anna stesia, annie christian, raspberry beret...etc etc
i think he's started to run a bit thin though, and a lot of the nineties stuff up to now is pretty dodgy (compare cinnamon girl or dear mr man to the utter unassuming genius of sign o the times).
it's happened to robert smith and bowie too. think how long they've actually been going and think how much subject matter you can cover without some repetition(!).
[Edited 12/22/04 19:43pm]

yeah...who else could think of this shit??



















































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glamslamkid said:

tommysoul said:

agreed...i think he was really challenged by the people who he was surrounded by and the people who had left (wendy and lisa to be specific).....i think he wanted to prove a point and so he made an effort to sculpt the lyrics for this album...there are some beautiful stories told on that album..and while he has written some beautiful lyrics since, nothing matches the force of that album.....


on the flipside of that, i think wendy and lisa spend too much time with their lyrics and come sometimes be too abstract.....

imho....

lovemachine said:

Dead on assessment. On one hand we get Dorothy Parker and Little Red Corvette, on the other we get Animal Kingdom and Dolphin.

squirrelgrease said:

You just seem to hate on animal themed lyrics.

sosgemini said:[quote]

glamslamkid said:

[/quote-----
Dude it is called a sense of humor. I don't want P to be serious all the time.

sosgemini said:

I second that emoticon.

Prince has some lyrical moments, but when I wonder why Pulp is my favourite artist I think back to Prince and hear The Smiths singing:

It says nothing to me about my life.



Really, how much of Prince's lyrics relate to your day-to-day life? I'd suggest not much unless your life consists of shagging night and day, up and done, in and out, every way round.

sabaisabai said:

Some of it does. Even though I am certainly not shagging constantly and not even a believer in God. I can sometimes relate to the mood of the lyrics, even on a completely autobiographical piece like "The Holy River". It's all down to the level he has managed to convey that sincere feeling of just being a human being. Yes, he sometimes manages to do even that.

Then there are of course the love songs: "The Beautiful Ones", "When Doves Cry" etc. It's no wonder Purple Rain was such a big hit, that album actually spoke to people about their own experiences. But you're right, what the fuck was "The Exodus Has Begun" about?

yes he has got some strange lyrics
but thats what makes prince prince

personally i think theres a certain honesty when it comes
to writing a lyric quickly as apposed to
erasing and changing bits until it may aswell be a different song

funkii said:

but thats art.....sculpting and creating...not just throwing down verbage...

la, la,la he, hee ,hee.

Novabreaker said:

Dang. I didn't even notice that. I really do love animals and such critters.

Except spiders and shit...

Prince is a good lyricist when he intends to be; otherwise, the music often comes first and foremost. This is what happens when one writes the music before the words. But it also makes the music funky.

I'll try to explain in another way.. Prince's lyrics are usually very vague, focussing on moods and feelings. My favourite lyricists are more story tellers, something Prince doesn'd do much of. Some songs where he does tell a bit of a story are ICNTTPOYM or IIWYG.. two of my favourite Prince tunes.