The Rainbow Children- One song from Greatness

Yes I'm sorry I really like this album, it is a staggeringly fantastic album: the musicianship is truly inspired, the melodies subtle yet insidiously lingering, and every song but one breathes of Prince on fire. I can even forgive him 'The Wedding Feast' because it is just plain daft, makes me smile and really isn't much of a song at all. The Darth Vader voice also is unnecessary and stupid but, hey this is Prince, you want straightforwardness try someone else
Yet one song down the years has irritated me and nettled me. I would preferred that he had left it off completely. Why? Because it is derivative, it reeks of Prince recycling some of the best of his past work for the sake of a funky melody. The song is 1+1+1=3 which,IMO,is no more than a rip off of 'Erotic City'. The song really irritates me because without this the album is just a fabulous, musical trip.

Sorry for droning on but this has bothered me for years. Can you relate?

Didn't like this when it was first issued, but now consider it one of the greats. Even the voice don't spoil it no more. Wedding Feast reminds me of The Beatles 'Wild Honey Pie', just for its daftness.

But don't you think that 1+1 just rips off Erotic City?

An absolute masterpiece of an album, i have to disagree with you though imo 1+1+1 is a total funk fest.
A much more superior track than The Work which I dont not like I just feel it lacks something.

Fuck the funk - it's time to ditch the worn-out Vegas horns fills, pick up the geee-tar and finally ROCK THE MUTHA-FUCKER!! He hinted at this on Chaos, now it's time to step up and fully DELIVER!!

KrystleEyes 22/03/05

The Rainbow Children is an amazing CD. 1+1+1=3 is one of my personal highlights.

Check out the live version on "Live at the Aladdin".

I couldn't agree more. An awful, awful, awful song... ranks up there with Graffiti Bridge... doesn't stink as much because the songs around it are much more palatable.

"...check out the live..." No. I will not. Prince had become a 'Jehovah' and so could NOT play Erotic City... so, what's the point?

I just don't get all the love that Rainbow Children gets. I give Prince credit for trying something different but for me the album doesn't quite work. Aside from the "Darth Vader voice" which I think most people agree is just silly and distracting, the songs just aren't that great. I think that the last four songs ("She Loves Me 4 Me," "Family Name," "The Everlasting Now" and "Last December") are some of his best post 1996 music but for me the rest is very hit and miss, mostly miss. "Muse 2 The Pharoah," "Digital Garden," "Everywhere," "The Sensual Everafter," "Mellow" and "Deconstruction" are all misses for me and that's about a third of the album. Many of these songs are very "new age" sounding and, frankly, boring. "Rainbow Children" is ok but I think it would have been better if it were a bit shorter. "The Work, Pt. 1" and "1 + 1 + 1 is 3" are both decent but fairly average Prince songs. He's done them both before and better. "Wedding Feast" I basically give a pass to because of it's brevity. As I said I absolutely love the last four songs and if Prince was able to deliver a whole album of that quality Rainbow Children would be one of his best but for me there are far too many weak songs for it to be considered a classic.

I wouldn't change anything on the TRC except for the Darth Vader voice, although w/o it I might miss it now, who knows. Great album though!

I only really like 'She loves me for me'.

I love TRC and 1+1+1=3. I would not touch a thing on it-even if you disagree with any particular lyrics, it is a fantastic piece of work just like it is!

I love this cd, due to it being very different sounding from everything that he had done to that point. I think the reason why people hate it is because it's one of the first of of his records that tries to tell a message. What I find funny is that when a group like "Public Enemy" teaches a message of "By any means necessary", no one says much. Yes, his message is a little bit more "in your face", than normal. But, music is the greatest vessel for one to get their message and a reaction to that message through. Judging from all the opinions to this cd, he has done his job.

The Narrator is important as it ties the Ballad Album 2gether. "The Wedding Feast," is a part of the story of the Pharoh marrying his muse, beyond the accomplishment of the tasks at hand.

I think the album is genius and ahead of it's time.

Aside from "Everywhere" the first half is a boring mess with horrid racist and misogynist lyrics.

The last four songs are pretty damn great.

I am listening to it now, I like it alot, I am just now getting into it,

I like how 1+1+1=3 builds up from the start. It matches the lyrics perfectly, all the stuff about getting into her 'suggestive mind' (and the other). Creepy, but great.

tc012009 said:

shorttrini said:

Everything I don't like about Prince music is on that album. Musically it has it's moments, but you could say that about all Prince albums. Lyrically it's largely negative and ignorant. I don't enjoy it as a whole, but I do like 'She Loves Me For Me'. Overall, I think it's one of the worse projects he's ever done.

As much as I don't like The Rainbow Children I will say that I am ready for Prince to try something different again. For the most part I've been pretty happy with the music he has released from 2004-2009 but I think he may be playing it a little too safe. It would be great to see him try something outside of his comfort zone. Even if he produces something I don't enjoy it's good to see him try new things.

Thanks for the feedback peeps, however my main point is that I have a grudge against 1+1+1=3 which is too reminiscent of Erotic City. Ok it rips it off!!! As a result IMO feel that the album loses a lot of its artistic value. I have nothing against the song per se but I don't feel it can be considered so great when it utilizes a previous song so flagrantly

Awesome album. Dark and prophetic. Even cooler live when i saw it from close range in London. I would so love a DVD of a real ona show - not the heavily edited official release.

Many P songs have similar arrangements. 1+1+1 is very funky and feels at home on the album.

It's funny because for many years I didn't really dig Rainbow Children and just recently I finally "got it" (as in understood it) and I now think it is a really incredible album all around...

And to get to the point of this thread...YES "1+1+1" IS a total rip off of "Erotic City" BUT SO WHAT, it is one awesome rip off. I don't see a problem with it. P. has written so many great songs, what's wrong with him covering himself every once in a while....

....And here's a very important point to consider...

Maybe he wrote 1+1+1 so that he could play a "cleaner" version of "Erotic City," more inline with his current spiritual views.Either way, "1+1+1" is funky as hell, I love that song, it's amazing, as is a lot of that album.

And to everyone who doesn't dig "Rainbow Children," revisit it in the future with no preconceived notions, maybe you will dig it at some point in the future. Like I said, I didn't like this album for a long time and now I'm totally diggin' it.
[Edited 4/13/09 12:06pm]

The song really doesn't remind me of Erotic City. I hear the similarities, but the feel of it is totally different. It feels faster & more upbeat, where Erotic City feels darker, more electric, less live.

The vocal is similar rhythmically, yes, but the delivery is so completely different that I don't hear the similarity when I listen.

emilio319 said:

I can hear alot of TRC in Lotusflow3r, but Lotus is more commercial sounding but there are definate nods towards it. I LOVE TRC!!!

To say this album is before it's time is an understatement
time has yet to catch up with this masterpiece, the only lame song
is Mellow for me...im listen to this album at the moment, almost on a daily basis...

muirdo said:

HismajestysSecondComing said:

I agree with this to a certain extent, reason being I actually got into this track thru the ONA live album, since Lotus has come out I started getting into TRC and found this track very weak in comparison to the rest of the album and in particular to the live version. Didnt get the erotic city thing till you mentioned it, but i hear it now

TRC is perfect....flawless...
Remember, this is just my opinion...