I was thinking about the lyrics to this song. How do the ladies(men can reply as well) of the org feel about it's lyrics? What does being a Kept Woman have to do with love? The reason I say that is because Bria said she wanted to make an album about love and all it's good qualities. Is being a Kept Woman something to brag about?

Tamar's version was waaay better imo.

If zoetruluv knows what she's talking about, for Bria it may be something to brag about all in the name of love for Prince and his music.
[Edited 1/12/10 11:50am]

Tamar's version IS soooo much better. That album deserved to be released much more than Bria's...

mayrain said:

If anybody wants to be a mistress...then this is the song for you. I think that it's about money and that's why sometimes she cries because she wants more out of the relationship.

Boogiebear... and don't let the name fool you.

[Edited 1/12/10 12:11pm]

boogiebear said:

Ha u no?

I was listening to this song- Tamar version- this morning.
Her version IS way better.

I don't care for the lyrics, tho.

The music is great but the lyrics....

I can't imagine anyone singing "I am a kept woman...." except Tiger's hoes...
[Edited 1/12/10 16:49pm]

Well Prince does have Neanderthal attitudes to his girlfriends, all of his ladies have been young and naive, and the ones who were strong independent women like Susannah Melvoin, Susan Moonsie and even Vanity to a lesser degree found it hard, as Prince has rather sexist ideas for his women. In numerous books, its said he liked being in control, and Mayte in particular was always having to do stuff to please Prince, any sign of independent thought or something that did not please her man, would bring his anger, still Mayte probably outgrew him like most of his women do. He gets resentful when women outgrow him like he did with wendy n Lisa and even Susannah, Prince hates having a woman dominate him and I suspect he beat his women too.
That song is probably a Prince fantasy of his ideal woman, he controls her mind, but in return he dresses her up like a Barbie doll. Why do you think he always goes for naive teenage or early 20s bimboes with 40 inch busts and an IQ of 75-85 every time.
Basically Prince here is probably another woman beating thug, all this bible crap probably means hes more sexist than ever.

sounds like shes his concubine and shes proud of it. why? i have no idea. some peoples idea of success in life ranks really low on the bar.
[Edited 1/14/10 18:04pm]

I believe that if the Love is True, a woman will want to be kept. If at the end of the day, Love puts its open arms around you, where else do you need to be?

I'm not saying a woman wouldn't have her own mind and idea's about business or making money, however, taking care of a home and a man is a full time lifestyle.

I'm the type of person that appreciates those roles in a marriage.

Tame said:

That's good for you, but I to me it's a prtnership and that means taking care of each other.

Tame said:

i think we all appreciate being "the woman" in the relationship, but clearly that is not what this song is talking about.

Kept Woman is different than wifey. That's why she's alone most nights in that house he bought her. Why do I hear Single Ladies? Where my ring at?

i'd love a kept bloke meself, but kept woman feeds fantasy. it must work for some people, two consenting people using each other as playthings, rather delicious idea
in the song she says sometimes i cry, but i think in frustration, not cuz shes miserable. she just wants his big dick and more diamonds

I don't see the fondness for this song-don't like it

I just went to "the site" and read the lyrics again...
It's pretty sad.

Tame, I get what U're saying about taking care of your man. I'm the same way. But that is a story of a young girl who sits and waits for him to come to her. She says, "Now I hug my pillow more often than not" and "Sometimes I cry"...
He doesn't like when she raises her voice, and he just wants to watch her dance?

That is not a healthy situation.

I don't think Prince thoroughly thought through these lyrics... I don't think he meant to put women down. I think he was more on the lines of taking care of his girl, loving her and hoping she would miss him when he was away etc, etc.

Doesn't "Kept woman" mean a mistress or someone whose time is on paid for and is on call. Basically and lives her life for the money she is given in exchange for her companionship?

Sometimes I wish Prince really would come to this site to read how we receive his songs.

Neither of their versions is redeeming. The song is just boring and lyrics are just very 'pre-Women's Liberation movement'. P's guitar solo in Tamar's version doesnt really seem necessary. You can't bring life to a dead song by a solo at the end. That said, Bria sings it as though she really means it, perhaps because her and P had already began their "thing" together. Tamar's singing it much more forcefully, but there's more distance between her voice and her identification with the song IMO (not as into it)... which I think is a good thing (from a political point of view).
[Edited 1/12/10 21:17pm]

Tame said:

•mistress: an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

•A mistress is a man's long-term female sexual partner and companion who is not married to him, especially used when the man is married to another woman. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kept_woman
mistress (lover) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to Definition‎: Definition. Historically, the term has denoted a kept woman, who was maintained in a comfortable (or even lavish) lifestyle by a ...

Definition - The mistress historically - Roleurther:

[list]Boogiebear... and dont't let the name fool ya.[/lis
[Edited 1/12/10 21:57pm]

lezama said:

Bria SINGS?

boogiebear said:

So basically, the woman is the lover of a married man. Can't have been too hard to imagine.

lezama said:

Yeah exactly.

I love this song and I think both versions have their merits.

for me "aretha" said it best in the song

"do right woman"


Take me to heart
And I'll always love you
And nobody can make me do wrong
Take me for granted
Leaving love unshown
Makes will power weak
And temptation strong


A woman's only human
You should understand
She's not just a plaything
She's flesh and blood
Just like her man
If you want a do right all's day woman
You gotta be a do right all's night man

They say it's a man's world
But you can't prove that by me
And as long as we're together
Show some (*equal) respect for me
If you want a do right all's day woman
You gotta be a do right all's night man

(*it's not 70/30, or 60/40, it's gotta be 50/50 then i'll be that "kept woman" )

zaza said:

Am I the ONLY person who thinks that Bria's version adds extra interesting elements and her vocal delivery is an enjoyable alternative way of doing the song.

leecaldon said:

I think it sounds whiny.

No! This thread was really about the lyrics and how girls feel about them. Not about who sings it better and why. I agree Bria seems to have a more personal feeling for the song and it is "softer". Tamar's version is much more drama and energy which I like more for this song.

I am not 2 sure she is bragging about being "Kept".Maybe being a "Kept Women" was in the past... a way before she became free, seems that way 2 me. I get the feeling she is singing from a place she had been once. Things from the past can make it easy 2 relate 2. Singing with more appeal and energy for me seems 2 flow better when u are the words which become emotions and vice versa. I listen 2 the cd and see and hear her story, I hear her speaking a few lines through it which highlight the "kept women" story. Especially knowing what Vegas is like...It's easy 2 be involved with $ in exchange for company. Look at her story then listen 2 the words I got a new perspective. I listen 2 all three stories that are detailed in the Lotus. Even back in 3121/Planet Earth Seems a bit like she was shown a different life she had ever known before, she was living a certain way and had been treated a certain way by men, until she got "shocked in2 the new world". "let her inhibitions go" opened her heart 2 a "Spiritual healer" who layed her body down giving her something she needed instead of it being just a thang. Everytime.. "he takes his time" (I see LOVE) So she read what she needed 2 so she is where she is because of that. She surrendered, I see the 1 u wanna c again in connection 2 kept women.I hear coming over in christian dior (her own now) and dancing b/c she wants 2, not cuz she is gettin "paid" 2 again the 1 u wanna c. Hey I could be way off but thats the way I felt things. It's the "good things about love" which she has learned
[Edited 1/14/10 15:32pm]