No

If anything "Billie Jean".

mechanicalemotion17 said:

CynicKill said:

wow there is not a single similarity except the fact both are rock songs

I would say its more inspired. Thats like saying is purple rain a blatant rip off of thriller 9 songs masterfully crafted to reach as many people as possbile and instead of a big music video do a movie.

rock songs about a sleazy woman....what a unique concept!

alphastreet said:

Dirty Diana is a g rated little red corvette both are great

except dirty diana michael doesnt want to get turned out and prince wants to tame a girl whose already turned up.

SoulAlive said:

rock songs about a sleazy woman....what a unique concept!

why sleezy? Little Red Corvette girl wants one night stand while Diana is a groupie like Rick James Super Freak.

When it dropped I definitely thought that. Because I believed Quincy wanted Prince to come to the studio to shake things up with MJ for Bad, and when Prince, true to form, refused, Quincy helped MJ come up with a Princely tune.

But now, I don't quite see it that way,. The parallels are there but MJ had recorded songs like that before DD.

No. Dirty Diana is a bit simpler musically and more conventional. If you take the time to sit down and analyze Darling Nikki, you'll see just how fucking odd that song is.

Prince utilizes a I - bVI - I - V progression in the intro, then a I - bVI - IV - bVI - V progression for the verse, then a I - bVI progression for the instrumental. This may be wrong as I did it off the top of my head, but Michael, as much as a I loved him, never really experimented with this type of modal mixture in the same manner that Prince did - I suspect this is because the bVI and bVII chords in a major key are staples of rock music, and Michael wasn't as rooted in rock as Prince was. To contrast, Dirty Diana is in a major key and essentially just loops a standard minor pop progression: i - VI - VII, with occasional flourishes of V before the chorus to create some tension . Not dissing simplicity, but I find that Darling Nikki is a bit more interesting to my ears.

Throughout the song, Prince really hammers that I - bVI relationship, especially during that breakdown at the end. It's quite intense and awesome.

thebanishedone said:

wow there is not a single similarity except the fact both are rock songs

I agree.

smoothcriminal12 said:

No. Dirty Diana is a bit simpler musically and more conventional. If you take the time to sit down and analyze Darling Nikki, you'll see just how fucking odd that song is.

Prince utilizes a I - bVI - I - V progression in the intro, then a I - bVI - IV - bVI - V progression for the verse, then a I - bVI progression for the instrumental. This may be wrong as I did it off the top of my head, but Michael, as much as a I loved him, never really experimented with this type of modal mixture in the same manner that Prince did - I suspect this is because the bVI and bVII chords in a major key are staples of rock music, and Michael wasn't as rooted in rock as Prince was. To contrast, Dirty Diana is in a major key and essentially just loops a standard minor pop progression: i - VI - VII, with occasional flourishes of V before the chorus to create some tension . Not dissing simplicity, but I find that Darling Nikki is a bit more interesting to my ears.

Throughout the song, Prince really hammers that I - bVI relationship, especially during that breakdown at the end. It's quite intense and awesome.

All of mj songs are chordally simple that how you can tell the difference from the songs he wrote vs rod temperton. There rhythmically more complex though.

heathilly said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

No. Dirty Diana is a bit simpler musically and more conventional. If you take the time to sit down and analyze Darling Nikki, you'll see just how fucking odd that song is.

Prince utilizes a I - bVI - I - V progression in the intro, then a I - bVI - IV - bVI - V progression for the verse, then a I - bVI progression for the instrumental. This may be wrong as I did it off the top of my head, but Michael, as much as a I loved him, never really experimented with this type of modal mixture in the same manner that Prince did - I suspect this is because the bVI and bVII chords in a major key are staples of rock music, and Michael wasn't as rooted in rock as Prince was. To contrast, Dirty Diana is in a major key and essentially just loops a standard minor pop progression: i - VI - VII, with occasional flourishes of V before the chorus to create some tension . Not dissing simplicity, but I find that Darling Nikki is a bit more interesting to my ears.

Throughout the song, Prince really hammers that I - bVI relationship, especially during that breakdown at the end. It's quite intense and awesome.

All of mj songs are chordally simple that how you can tell the difference from the songs he wrote vs rod temperton. There rhythmically more complex though.

Yes for the most part, although Mike did have some interesting moments like the bridge in Will You Be There, Stranger in Moscow, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, This Place Hotel, etc. The original P.Y.T. demo is also a thing of beauty. Michael seemed to have a particular liking for the Dorian mode; i - IV is all over his music in songs like Bad, Jam, Earth Song, Blood on the Dance Floor, Workin' Day and Night, etc.

I mean, Prince wasn't much more complex on a whole, but you still get songs like Sometimes It Snows..., The Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Under the Cherry Moon, Mountains, Computer Blue...especially during that 1984 - 1988 period, you saw Prince expanding his musical vocabulary quite a bit. I'm sure Wendy & Lisa definitely helped in that aspect, but Prince had enough genius on his own to make it happen. His jazz influence and instrumental chops allowed him a bit more freedom as a composer.

But anyways, no I don't think Dirty Diana was a rip off of Darling Nikki. I'm more inclined to think of it as Michael's attempt at giving himself some edge while still remaining within acceptable boundaries (it's also quite misogynistic, in retrospect).

Hell NO!!!!!

They bear no similarities at all, save both songs feature a central character who is a lascivious femme fatale.

Dirty Diana...Darling Nikki...just a coincidence that they appear somewhat similar. Both rock songs about a "frisky" lady who did/wanted to do some dirty stuff...just a coincidence that the song appears on an album where the title track was intended to be a "diss" record towards Prince (which they wanted P to participate in). Just a coincidence that a couple of years after his Royal BADness rose to world popularity that MJ decided to show how BAD he was...just a coincidence that he hired a white girl to be his guitarist. Just a coincidence that if you place the Bad album cover next to Prince's Kiss 12-inch cover, there are some "similarities". Just a coincidence that the "video girl" from "The Way You Make Me Feel" basically got the job when MJ found out she was one of Prince's girls...all of this is just a coincidence, including the fact that more than 20 years later, MJ was still afraid that if he slept, God would give ideas to Prince. Was Dirty Diana a blatant rip off of Darling Nikki? OF COURSE NOT!

For those who haven't seen it...here is a cool redit of Dirty Diana with previously unreleased scenes

What has happened to the MJ sticky threa...it seems to be closed and the latest post I see is Dec 30. If you see something more recent please post a link.

DonRants said:

For those who haven't seen it...here is a cool redit of Dirty Diana with previously unreleased scenes

mechanicalemotion17 said:

Thoughts?

No indeed!

mechanicalemotion17 said:

Ok then.....maybe just similar content and timing, along with that dumb habit of making up rivalries

IKR, especially when it comes to black artists... And then someone comes up and say all songs by black composers or lyricists sound alike because black music is so simple, dumb, underdeveloped, you name it...