I have just (very belatedly, I know) bought the "Girl 6" CD - which has a couple of really good tracks I had never heard.

One track I really like is "Count the Days", which seems to be directed at somebody in particular - anyone know who? Warner Brothers? An ex-girlfriend?

Also, who is the man who sings some of the key lines on "Count the Days"? (It's definitely not all Prince.) I can hear someone with a beautiful gospel-sounding voice.

Also love the first track, "She spoke to me". This CD is definitely underrated. It's a good chance to get high quality versions of songs you might only have on LP or bootleg (Erotic City, How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore,...)

I'm not sure who it is on Count the Days either, but I agree - great song!

And if you like She Spoke 2 Me, you should grab a copy of The Vault... it's got the full-length cut, about 6 mins, if I recall!

Sonny T. is the lead singer. check the "Exodus" album. Can anyone explain the line " count the days, like Franky Beverly without Maze"? What is this line doing in this song?
[Edited 11/21/04 10:27am]

Well the song is on THE EXODUS album
Well it's beleived to be directed at W.B
Prince was counting the days till his contract was over..
If u never heard of Count the days till now.....
Then u must have never heard of The Exodus Album...
As far as to whos singing...i could be wrong but i think it's sonny t
if im wrong sone 1 will let us know

It is indeed Sonny T singing with Prince on that one.

I always understood the lyrics as being directed at WB, but who knows.

Lyrics (from dtt-lyrics.com):

Count the days
Here's a church, here's a steeple
Here's a muthafucka that I gotta blow away
Here's my chance 2 cure the ills of the people
But not until I make this muthafucka pay
And oh, baby I count the days
(Yeah yes)
I count the days
Here's the interview, here's the time
If I keep your secrets, will U keep mine?
If we hurry, we can catch the train
If it was left up 2 U, I would die in pain
(That's why) I count the days
(Oh yeah)
Whoa, I'm counting (Oh)
Hear me (Hear me)
(Days) (Days) Days
Counting the days
Great day in the morning
My choir sing a pretty song
Every day I'm with your ass is another day wasted
I swear is a day 2 long
Counting
Like Frankie Beverly without Maze
I'm counting
Muthafucka, I count the days
Can I count on? (Hey)
Count on? (Counting)
Count on? (Hey yeah)
I count the days (Days)
Count the days {repeat til fade}
© 1994 NPG Music Publishing - ASCAP

eyewishuheaven said:

- As somebody said, it was Sonny T, bass player of the New Power Generation back then. He used to sing some songs on NPG´s album ´Exodus´....you should check it out, Caroline. Prince plays there as ´Tora Tora´

I agree with you. The extended version of ´She spoke 2 me´ is superb! One of my fave Prince tracks EVER. There is a jazz going on, full of great solos. Amazing!!

i've heard an edited version of this song and, i must say, without the cursing it is a much stronger song. usually curses in songs don't bother me in the least but there's something about the blatant anger that ruins the song for me. i kept the album version off of my ipod and loaded the edited version instead. it makes the song so much better, imho.

SassyBritches said:

I like the unedited version better. The anger is what makes the song for me.

Personaly I like it better with the swearing. Editing out words is kind of a joke when the intent in this song is to kill, from what i've gathered, is a pastor of a church.

Don't u fnd it funny when Sonny says in his most passionate voice

''if we hurry we could catch the train!


That bit always cracks me up!


''if u don't love me, I'll say goodbye''

Thanks for all the info. No, I hadn't even heard of the "Exodus" CD. I don't have "The Vault" either. Are they available from the npg music club? (I am a member, but don't have a home computer to download songs on, unfortunately.)

I should explain that I have been living outside the U.S. for seven of the past eight years, so I am not very up on all of the small-scale releases Prince has done. (They are hard to find in Italy.)

I like the swearing version of "Count the Days". It's an angry song and no one sings "M.F." quite like Prince does!

Chak said:

Bare with me. I don't know if I'm answering your question correctly. Franky Beverly used to be in a group called Maze. I don't know if Prince meant that Maze is no good now that Franky is gone.

Miguel

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

I think it had to do with Prince leaving Warner Bros, just like Franky left Maze. Kinda like Ike without Tina, jelly without peanut-butter, pizza without cheese, etc.

The song came out around the time Prince was counting the days until he could leave Warner Bros. There was also a battle during this time between Warners and Prince over releasing both The Gold Experience and NPG's Exodus album in the same year. Warners held back Gold until a year later.