Sacrilege!

I don't really listen to most of the classic songs. I'm more keen on the album songs. Back when people use to make albums and you had to listen to all of the songs to feel the artistry and connect with the artist. I like the so called B sides and unreleased/bootlegs. Hidden gems,point in case, my signature is lyrics from a song called "We can funk" featuring George Clinton.

[Edited 5/7/17 16:07pm]

[Edited 5/7/17 16:08pm]

I feel the same way about 1999, it's never been one of my favorites and I do tend to skip it. I wouldn't say I dislike it outright but it's just never been one I get excited about

Purple Rain. It just goes on forever and sixteen days. After about three minutes, I'm done. But then, I'm like this with any song that goes on for an obnoxiously long time (Batdance is an exception for no real reason I can name.) I remember seeing the movie at an aunt's house, and when the song came on, I remember wishing my cousin would fast forward the song because I was seriously bored, mostly because the girl would not stop squealing and fainting and reeling. I was like... ".... No." (I was a strange 14 year old. I thought the Darling Nikki performance was awesome, even though I knew P's character was making a dig at Apples. It was just hysterically funny and melodrmatically evil, like the dark cockles of my heart or some such teenage nonsense or whatever. ) Even to this day I pretty much ignore it. And when people sing it at me when they find out I'm a Prince fan, I'm like: "Stop or I'll punch you."

[Edited 5/7/17 19:04pm]

1999 is brilliant.

DMRS and UGTL

Off the top of my head, I'm not overly fond of (but don't necessarily dislike):

• Something In The Water & Free
• The Ladder & Temptation (usually skip these 2 and end the album early)
• Shockadelica

Raspberry Beret

It just sounds too "pop" and too corny/silly to me.

I was working part time at a five and dime,my boss was Mr.McGee

really??

SoulAlive said:

Raspberry Beret

It just sounds too "pop" and too corny/silly to me.

I was working part time at a five and dime,my boss was Mr.McGee

really??

It was very 'un-pop' when it was released. At the time everyone and their mother was copping the PR sound.

For me it's also 1999. I do like the theme, which is indeed classic Prince, and it's a near perfect pop-single which really lifted his career, but somehow I always skip it. In terms of depth, musically, it fails in comparision with all the other 1999 tracks, I feel.

Moonbeam said:

I have not listened to "Purple Rain" or "I Would Die 4 U" on purpose for years. They're fine songs, I guess, just heard them too many times at this point. Granted, I've heard "When Doves Cry" just as many times, but something about the remastered version on the newer LPs really bumps. Hopefully, the PR Deluxe can reignite my interest in the former 2 songs.

mynameisnotsusan said:

Moonbeam said:

"Adore" I know, I know. While I do like the way the song picks up in intensity toward the end (that "you don't know what you mean to me" is sublime), I find it too sleepy to start. It's my second least favorite song on SOTT, and I can only rate it a 6.5. I really like other big soulful ballads from the Warner years like "Do Me, Baby", "Scandalous", "Insatiable", and "Damn U", but "Adore" just doesn't do it for me.

For me maybe Delirious has never really been a fave, I think because it doesn't sound 'individual' enough maybe - anyone could've done that

I see your and return a for "Delirious".

Is it okay for me to say that I'm not particularly fond of "Adore" OR "Delirious"? Totally forgot about those two earlier. The former just sounds like a very basic and by-the-numbers ballad to me, and the latter is a half-assed rockabilly dance track with an obnoxious lead synth line. For most other artists, those would probably seem like stand-out tracks, but knowing that Prince is capable of writing much better kind of spoils them for me

Interesting....my nephew is a huge Prince fan,he loves the 1999 album,but he dislikes "Delirious".I didn't realize that other fans had a problem with that song,too I love it,I think it's super catchy and fun

mbdtyler said:

Is it okay for me to say that I'm not particularly fond of "Adore" OR "Delirious"? Totally forgot about those two earlier. The former just sounds like a very basic and by-the-numbers ballad to me, and the latter is a half-assed rockabilly dance track with an obnoxious lead synth line. For most other artists, those would probably seem like stand-out tracks, but knowing that Prince is capable of writing much better kind of spoils them for me

For me it is "Delirious" as it appears on 1999. It is the arrangement. It just sounds a little too novelty and seems to be the worst of his sound at that stage of his career. Keep in mind that I like "Horny Toad" "No call u" and "Broken." I have heard live recordings of "delirious"that the band has really added to and I enjoyed quite a bit. "Adore" is a stone cold classic for me, it's all just different strokes for different folks and whatever floats your boat I guess.

SoulAlive said:

Interesting....my nephew is a huge Prince fan,he loves the 1999 album,but he dislikes "Delirious".I didn't realize that other fans had a problem with that song,too I love it,I think it's super catchy and fun

I love it, too!

OK, I've fleshed out my criteria for classic status as follows:

To be counted as a classic, the song:

• Is included on at least one of the compilations: The Hits 1, The Hits 2, Girl 6, The Very Best of Prince, Ultimate Prince, or 4ever
• Charted in the top 40 in either the US or the UK
• Have 3 million or more Spotify streams

Here are my ratings of the classics on a 10-point scale:

• Soft and Wet: 9
• I Wanna Be Your Lover: 9.5
• Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?: 9.8
• I Feel for You: 9
• Uptown: 10
• Dirty Mind: 9.9
• Head: 9.9
• When You Were Mine: 9.5
• Gotta Stop (Messin' About): 8.4
• Controversy: 10
• Let's Work: 9.9
• Do Me, Baby: 9.9
• 1999: 10
• How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore: 9
• Little Red Corvette: 9
• Delirious: 10
• Moonbeam Levels: 10
• When Doves Cry: 9.9
• Let's Go Crazy: 10
• Erotic City: 9.9
• Purple Rain: 9.8
• I Would Die 4 U: 8.9
• Take Me With U: 7.5
• The Beautiful Ones: 9.9
• Darling Nikki: 8.7
• Paisley Park: 9.4
• Raspberry Beret: 9.8
• Pop Life: 8.5
• She's Always in My Hair: 9.9
• Kiss: 8.9
• Mountains: 10
• Anotherloverholenyohead: 9.8
• Girls & Boys: 10
• Sign o' the Times: 10
• If I Was Your Girlfriend: 7.5
• U Got the Look: 9.5
• I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man: 9.9
• Hot Thing: 8.8
• Adore: 6.5
• The Cross: 10
• Alphabet St.: 9.7
• Glam Slam: 9.8
• I Wish U Heaven: 10
• Batdance: 9.5
• Partyman: 8.9
• The Arms of Orion: 7.5
• Thieves in the Temple: 9.5
• New Power Generation: 8.9
• Gett Off: 9
• Cream: 9.9
• Diamonds and Pearls: 6
• Money Don't Matter 2 Night: 5
• Thunder: 9.7
• Sexy M.F.: 8.4
• My Name Is Prince: 8.8
• 7: 9.7
• Pink Cashmere: 9.8
• Peach: 10
• Nothing Compares 2 U: 6
• Pope: 6
• The Most Beautiful Girl in the World: 8
• Letitgo: 6.5
• I Hate U: 9.5
• Gold: 9.8
• She Spoke 2 Me: 9.5
• Dinner With Delores: 8.9
• Betcha by Golly Wow: 6.8
• The Holy River: 9.8
• Don't Talk 2 Strangers: 7.5

The other sub-7 ratings for me:

"Nothing Compares 2 U": I've never really been a fan of any of Prince's released versions of it - they all have seemed to lack a bit of something (or have too much Rosie Gaines for my liking). That said, I appreciated it live when I heard it more.

"Pope": Hard to call this a real classic - it's ok, but seems like a bit of a throwaway.

"Letitgo": I really like Come, but the singles are my least favorite tracks on it, for some reason. The vocal delivery is what lets it down the most for me - maybe it sounds too relaxed?

"Betcha by Golly Wow": It's pleasant enough, and his vocals are really nice, but like "Adore", I find it a bit too sleepy to fully get behind.

I get the appeal behind Sexy MF but

Diamonds and Pearls - Just a horrible horrible song

Batdance - A mess

The morning papers - dull

Money dont matter - Dull

1999 - Never liked this. Always skipped it on the album

Black Sweat - No melody and a rubbish chorus

Arms of Orion - See Diamonds and Pearls

Glam Slam - Another dull song

3121 - just rambles on and on and ....

When 2 R in Love - See D & P

U Got the Look - Worst song on SOTT

Forever in my life - 2nd worst song on SOTT

Nothing compares 2 U - Prince version is the worst.

Tried to stick with just the singles but a few additional tracks jumped onto the list.

[Edited 5/7/17 23:45pm]

Moonbeam said:

Little Red Corvette... just doesn't do it for me

[Edited 5/8/17 0:52am]

Well, what is important with songs like 'Purple Rain' or 'Let's go crazy' is the guitar work, the lead guitar on the two tracks is superb and innovative, the two songs are like an extension of what Jimi Hendrix had begun to do.

For 'Raspberry Beret', the interesting side is the orchestral approach of the song, with violins an so on, which is reminiscent of the music of either the Beatles or Gainsbourg in France ('Melody Nelson', 'Bonnie and clyde') ; in short, an attempt to blend rock, pop, and classical music (Mccartney was fond of classical music, he composed some classical stuff in the eighties).

The album '1999' seems to have been influenced a lot by the english New Wave movement of the early eighties, the music was drenched in a lot of synthesizers then, so i'm not very fond of the overall sound.

On a personal level, i don't like at all 'Arms of Orion', too cheesy for my taste, but i don't know if this song can be qualified as classic Prince song.

[Edited 5/8/17 1:09am]

[Edited 5/8/17 1:10am]

tbokris said:

Raspberry Beret and U Got the Look never did much for me.

SoulAlive said:

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.