I've been listening to Rave again. (Yeah I know, that's why I spend so much time in the General Discussion forum, anyway. . . ) It strikes me that Silly Game is a nice song and that got me to thinking.

How much Motown do you hear in P.'s music? And where do you hear it?



(P.S. Does anyone remember a radio show broadcast out of the New York/Manhattan area that was all Motown, hosted by a guy Felix something or other -- or something Fernandez? Ray Fernandez? It was 89.9 FM I think. I forget the call letters.)

I think there is certainly a discernable link between the Motown Sound and the Minneapolis Sound, although there are also some glaring differences. Without question, Prince can be compared to a singer like Marvin Gaye, in terms of both voice and lyrical content. Marvin and Prince both straddled the line between the sensual and the political, although they did it in different ways. Motown's vocal arrangements in general can also be compared to Prince's own style. Although, Motown vocals were usually layered by using several different singers, while Prince usually does all the vocals on his own. Anyway, that's all I can think of for the moment.

Thanks for introducing this topic 2the9s. Here's my take: Prince is definitely a musical historian of sorts, and undoubtedly has been influenced by the sounds and artists that preceded him, including Motown. The Motown influence seems a bit more subtle than, say, the Sly Stone influence, but it is there if you look and listen carefully. Recall that he was compared to Stevie Wonder when he first emerged on the scene. And if there's any doubt he listened to Motown himself, just check what is arguably one of his finest live covers -- the Temptations' "Just My Imagination" -- that he was fond of performing during 1988 aftershows. He would later put his stamp on "The Way You Do The Things You Do" in 1997 aftershows. If I could point to songs of his own that seem most Motownish to my ears, they would be "In This Bed I Scream" from Emancipation and "When U Love Somebody" from NewPower Soul.

Perhaps more than musical influence, I think Motown had a bigger thematic influence on his lyrics. Even to this day (eg, the controversial "Avalanche") he has been known to inject social and political commentary over grooves both fast and slow, not unlike the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. In fact, I would say that "What's Going On?" is to Gaye what "Sign of the Times" is to Prince. Similar parallels can be drawn with periods in the Temptations and Wonder's evolution also.

I've always thought that 'Sweet Baby' sounds like a Motown influenced song.