Who has heard this track? I've been jamming on it, I love it. The bassline in this song is fierce! This was a song that Prince wrote that was supposed to be included on The Time's shelved "Corporate World" CD. It's ashame that the CD never saw the light of day, because "9 Lives" is funky!

A little bit of history about this song:

9 Lives
This song is easily one of the best tracks on The Time's Corporate World album: a melodic rock number with a strong chorus. The verses are rapped by Morris Day, while female vocals join in on the chorus. It was planned to be the first single release from the album. It was offered to Cat later in 1989 when Prince had ceased production on the album.

Source: http://www.dtt-lyrics.com...s/A-Z.html

I know this song It's one of three unreleased Time tracks from the 'Corporate World' album.It's a good song.

SoulAlive said:

I figured you probably would know it. It is a very good song indeed. "Corporate World" is a good song too.

It is one of the weakest by the Time.

Brofie said:

because???

Brofie said:

I have to respectfully disagree with you on that. I this song.

Zannaloaf said:

That's what I'm wondering too.

http://prince.org/msg/7/320445



Cool 1990 is the one I would love to hear.

squirrelgrease said:

Me too. I would also love to hear "A Man Called Jesus". I've never heard that track before.

psychodelicide said:

Mavis Staples did a version of A Man Called Jesus on the Voice album.

psychodelicide said:

Have you heard Mavis Staples' version? It's on the Voice CD (1993). Out of print but not too hard to find.

motherfunka said:

Thanks for the scoop. I'll have to try to find it.

fms said:

I have now. Need to find that song. Thanks.

squirrelgrease said:

hell yeah.

does that track even exist? or is it just speculation?

minneapolisFunq said:

I'm going by SciFi's thread as posted. He's definitely done his research and there's most likely a strong basis to believe that the song was at least recorded.

I love 'Nine Lives'. Great track, not the usual Time sound but it still works.

squirrelgrease said:

Well alrighty then.

Militant said:

"Nine Lives" definitely has a different sound to it. The keyboards almost have a dark, eerie sound to them. But I like it.

I prefer Murph Drag. Love the samples in it

Rhastus said:

"Murph Drag" is good too. I love the funny lyric, "Only people with money can do this dance".

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Agreed.

I was thinking, back in the day when Prince was singing about sex and all that, that he would love to have a chick with nine lives. It would give him more time to bone her.

Corporate World---the unreleased Time album from 1989

Murph Drag
9 Lives
Donald Trump (Black Version)
Love Machine
Data Bank
Shake!
Corporate World
The Latest Fashion
Release It
My Summertime Thang


In June 1989, back from video shootings to "Batdance", [Prince] starts to work on a new THE TIME album, entitled [Corporate World]. The project started as a collaboration of [Prince] and [Morris Day] with some small input by [Jerome Benton] without worth mentioning. The other members of the original line-up weren't involved in the project at this time. The sessions were held at Paisley Park and lasted most of the summer. Work on the album was completed in early September 1989 and contains the following tracks: Murph drag, Nine lives, Donald Trump (black version), Love machine, Data bank, Shake!, Corporate world, The latest fashion, Release it and a reworked version of My summertime thang.

Most of the tracks were newly written and tailored for the project, except Data bank was based on a jam that was recorded with the Revolution on 17th June 1986, My summertime thang was originally recorded with [Morris Day] and [Jesse Johnson] in March 1983 for possible inclusion on [Ice Cream Castle] and Nine lives was originally recorded with Cathy "Cat" Glover (lead vocals) and Margie Cox (background vocals) in December 1988 / January 1989 for a planned but finally aborted album by Cat.

"Corporate World" (1989)[Corporate World] was set for release on 14th November 1989 with Nine lives planned as the first single release. However, the project was put on hold when Warner Bros. Records wanted to involve all the original members of THE TIME. The company were adamant that "Graffiti Bridge", the planned third motion picture by [Prince], should feature the complete original line-up of the band, like the successful influence in the "Purple Rain" motion picture 5 years ago.

After a meeting with [Prince], it was decided that [Jesse Johnson], [Monte Moir], [Jimmy Jam] and [Terry Lewis] should participate and take an active part by writing and recording new tracks for the revised album, which later was renamed to [Pandemonium]. The additional recording sessions took place late 1989 - this time without much input by [Prince].

Murph drag, Nine lives and Corporate world are previously unreleased, but all tracks circulating on bootlegs amongst collectors.

Murph drag is a minimalist funk number sporting a chattering "Controversy"-style rhythm guitar part and a synth providing lead lines like the Minneapolis sound. The song is about a dance only people with money can do. The title is slang for a thick roll of money, so it means that the money roll is so heavy, that it drags a man along the ground. A sample of [Morris Day]'s "What time is it?" phrase is used frequently during the song. Candy Dulfer supplies some saxophone lines, but her contribution is not very prominent. Nine lives is a melodic pop-number with a haunting chorus sung by Margie Cox in a soulful voice and rapped verses by [Morris Day]. He's dreaming about a mega fine lover with a heck-a-pump body sayin' good time. [Morris Day] will die from the heat generated from the moment, that their eyes meet. At the end of the song he says: "This is the '90s and everybody wants a lover, a life-long lover with nine lives". Corporate world sounds like an update of [Prince]'s electro-pop of the 1981-83 era, boasting a slightly robotic drum machine pattern and horn-like synth decorations. Some female voices, including Jana Anderson, add a multi-layered vocal to the soulful chorus. The message of this song is, that big companies should spend money to make a better world, a new-soul nation, where kids can grow up in safe. The song includes a sample of "Don't call me nigger, whitey" (1969, from Sly & the Family Stone's album "Stand!").

9 Lives. (lyrics)

This is the '90s and I need a lover with nine lives.
With my bad self. If I really had nine lives.
Ouh, ouh. If I really...
Sing Stella

(chorus)
If I really had nine lives. I'd want a lover that controlled my mind.
Someone who knows about the heavenly sin. How to kill with love again, again and again.

When she calls me on the phone, she'll ask if I'm alone.
Standin' at my door, lookin' mega-fine. A heck-a-pump body sayin': Good time.
When all the others talk plenty of jive, my lover talks about nine lives.
The first to promise I'll die from the heat, generated from the moment that our eyes meet.

(repeat chorus)

With my bad self.

Life number three and number for are spent makin' love on the magic floor.
It's got no walls so all can see. The way real love is supposed to be.
Don't be ashamed, my lover said. Then she says "Mmm, I betcha I'm mega-jammin'".
Life number five, six and seven. Need you to ask, go like heaven.

(repeat chorus)

With my bad self. Control me.

If I really had nine lives. I'd want a lover that controlled my mind.

To kill with love, we'd never die. We'd never long for, we'd never cry.
If we live for havin' each other's touch. It's never too little, it's never too much.
Play.

With my bad self.
With my... with my bad self.

If I really had... if I really had... if I really had nine lives.

This is the '90s, and everybody wants a lover.
A life-long lover with nine lives.

This is the '90s.
Sing Stella.

Call me up on the phone.
I'll be here all alone.
I'll be waitin' on you, baby.
I'll be waitin' on you and your nine lives.

Silence...



© 1989. Written by [Prince].
Previously unreleased. Taken from the [Corporate World] album sessions.

SoulAlive said:

Thanks for the scoop, I appreciate it. That was a very interesting read. I never knew what "Murph Drag" meant until now.

SoulAlive said:

That's my jam right there.

Those descriptions need to be updated as "Murph Drag" was released through the NPG Music Club.

"9 Lives" is great - I love the beginning - "This is the 90's..." HA!

SoulAlive said:

Can anyone verify this? I've never heard this slang outside of this song, and every description of the song is worded exactly this way, a full copy/paste from Uptown.

Gah, here I go hijacking. I'll start a new thread about Murph Drag.

billymeade said:

I also love the "Nine...Nine...Nine...Nine...Nine...Lives!" opening to this song. I like how Prince wrote a song that was originally intended for Cat called "Nine Lives". I think it's cool how he played into the, "Cats have nine lives" saying.