Where can I find the song "an honest man" from the movie "Under the Cherry Moon"? It's featured in the scene where "Christopher" is at the playing the piano at the restaurant and then him and "Mary" dance together on a patio.

Thx!!!

if i'm not mistaken, there's an a capella version of it on 'crystal ball'. there's also a fairly decent cover of it by a band called DUMP on their prince cover album, 'that skinny mf with the high voice' - which, as prince tribute albums go, isn't bad at all.

I think Anxiety is correct.

I really liked the Dump cover CD. That is a side band from a member of Yo La Tengo. Good and different stuff.

A cover tribute so good, I had to post this:

Dump
That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice?
Rating: 8.4



Despite the shoddy output we've seen from Prince during the past decade, nothing can erase the fact that the man's an absolute genius. Early in his hit-making career, he found himself in the extremely rare position of being allowed to innovate while still receiving massive airplay. With "When Doves Cry," he removed the bassline and redefined funk in inimitable terms. Songs like "Dirty Mind," "Kiss," and "1999" contributed a completely alien sound to our Top 40 catalog-- one that incorporated elements of countless genres while defying classification. And, if "Little Red Corvette" isn't the most clever, subversive, and popular song about pussy ever, I'll be goddamned.

Prince was so ahead the 80's-- such a beguiling and often downright frightening persona-- that he should have never been embraced by anything even remotely resembling the masses. But he was. Alternately media shy and voracious for press, Prince was the picture of arrogance; even Morris Day's on-stage ritual of having women hold up mirrors so he could fix his hair had nothing on the man. Prince is the type of guy who, instead of grinning and bearing the ludicrous scene, sucked a lollipop and rolled his eyes through a USA for Africa reunion at the Grammys a few years ago. He may have been justified for his silent protest of the nauseating rendition of "We Are The World," but that didn't make him seem like any less of a cock.

And though he has occasionally made fun of himself in the past, one gets the impression that he'd hate Dump's tribute to him, the 12-song That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? The title comes from the Black Album track "Bob George," in which Prince took the role of a bad-ass, altered his voice so it was decidedly lower, and asked, "U seeing that rich motherfucker again/ What's his name? Bob?/ Bob, ain't that a bitch?/ What's he do for a living?/ Manage rock stars?/ Who?/ Prince?/ Ain't that a bitch?/ That skinny motherfucker with the high voice?" This kind of mocking should generally be reserved only for oneself and one's closest friends. There's no doubt that James McNew of Yo La Tengo (aka Dump) doesn't know Prince personally, but the fact that he chose to reiterate such an epithet in the title, to poke light fun at Prince, is fine.

It's acceptable because the album's 12 tracks aren't making fun of Prince at all; they're revering him. One's reservations about hearing 12 Prince renditions done by a white guy on an eight-track are dispelled during the first track, a sedate take on "1999." It's an understated, quiet revamp that features only a drum track and Farfisa (courtesy of Stereolab's Morgane Lhote). If Prince was dreaming when he wrote "1999," McNew's delivery suggests that he hasn't yet woken up.

McNew finds similar success on "Raspberry Beret," which retains the tempo of the original but turns the guitar reverb way up. Though he's not quite the spaz that Prince is, McNew is convincing nonetheless, with his sincere aw-shucks delivery. "Pop Life" is wistfully strummed on the guitar, and McNew sounds like he's admitting, rather than proclaiming the lines, "Everybody can't be on top/ Life it ain't real funky/ Unless it's got that pop."

James McNew strays from solely covering hits to obscure territory, once again reinforcing a genuine admiration. "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" (originally the b-side of "1999") is no longer a bluesy, piano ballad; it's a lighthearted solo acoustic number that finds even more sadness in its irony. Purple Rain's non-single, "The Beautiful Ones," bares similar drum programming and hazy guitar, and even finds McNew switching into a falsetto register. McNew usually doesn't attempt to mimic Prince's squeals and yelps, but this particular ballad could be done no other way. McNew was smart enough to realize this, and even smarter to pull it off.

The album's best track is McNew's take on an early Prince single, "When U Were Mine." McNew sings in his lowest possible register over more fuzzy guitars and shimmery, chiming keyboards (that sound a lot like the Bangles' Prince-penned hit, "Manic Monday"). It's full and dulcet, making McNew's downtrodden take on the lyrics, "I know that u're going with another guy/ I don't care, 'cause I love u, baby/ That's no lie/ I love u more than I did when u were mine," even more heartbreaking than Prince's originally delivery.

There's no doubt that the album works so well because of its brilliantly conceived source material. When McNew veers to far from Prince's original vision, though, the disaster that could have been That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? is realized. McNew's take on "Erotic City" is jarring lo-fi indie thrash that aims for obtuseness and goes overboard. Additionally, McNew doesn't have the swagger to pull off lines like, "We could fuck until the dawn/ Making love till cherry's gone/ Erotic City, can't you see?/ Fuck so pretty u and me," a tenth as effectively as Prince did.

Even so, That Skinny Motherfucker with the High Voice? is impossibly successful overall, with eminent arrangements and usually flawless execution. Previously available in cassette form with five fewer tracks, it sold out soon after it was initially released in 1998. Luckily, Shrimper decided to release it to a (slightly) wider audience. If it were up to Prince, himself, though, it would likely have never been made; he's now petitioning for a law that would stop artists from recording already copyrighted material. In a recent post on his official website, Prince even wrote, "I have a problem with people who had nothing 2 do with the creation of my life's work making $ from it." Perhaps, then, McNew should have not directly quoted the man for the title, but settled on something more honest: The Crotchety Motherfucker with the Waning Fanbase.

-Richard M. Juzwiak

squirrelgrease said:

nice read...thanks!!

i just listened to that song and i swear i hear like kids playing by the sea in the left speaker.

Mrok said:

i thought that song was called Alexa de Paris - i have it on a maxi-single of letitgo . . . if i remember correctly! beautiful song!!!! or are you talking of the song he's playing on the piano? my bad . . .

Lenae said:

From what i remember, i think it starts out on the piano and then he ends up waltzing (spell) with Mary across a patio (with a beautiful ocean back drop). This whole time "the song" is still playing.....

Check Crystal Ball

Mrok said:

That song is Alexa De Paris. An Honest Man is the song played during the opening credits of the movie.

psykosoul said:

I'm going have to check it out. Is "Alexa De Paris" a hard find?

Mrok said:

isnt that part of Parade?

Make sure you get the full version of Alexa De Paris - it's the b-side to the Mountains 12"... (running time is 4:54). Incidentally, I think the piano tune in that scene (that Chris plays while Tricky and Mary dance) is just a slowed-down version of Alexa... can anyone confirm?

And could anyone tell me where the original version of Old Friends 4 Sale appears in the film?

We're talking about two different songs here.

Alexa de Paris is an absolutely stunning, gorgeous instrumental. It plays during the scene you described. (aka the "cabbagehead" scene ) As eyewishuheaven said, it was only released as the b-side to Mountains.

An Honest Man is a vocal performance based on a note that Christopher writes to Mary in the movie. ("I want to be an honest man/I'll be your slave, just understand" etc.) It also sucks much ass. Should you wish to suffer through it, it's available on Crystal Ball, as has also been mentioned.

sosgemini said:

When's the last time you listened to Parade?

FunkMistress said:

i...just...realized, Venus De Milo....

sosgemini said:

Okay, I was a bit worried!

FunkMistress said:[quote]We're talking about two different songs here.

Alexa de Paris is an absolutely stunning, gorgeous instrumental. It plays during the scene you described. (aka the "cabbagehead" scene ) As eyewishuheaven said, it was only released as the b-side to Mountains.



i think 'alexa de paris' was also re-released as a b-side on a version of the 'letitgo' cd single...i'd love to get my dirty mitts on a copy, just to have a nice CD version of it in my collection.

Anxiety said:[quote]

FunkMistress said:

You right, you right.

Unlike your quoting skills.

eyewishuheaven said:

Old Friends 4 Sale appears during the scene where Tricky is back at the apartment drunk and pissed because Christopher didn't meet him "at the club in 2 hours" It's just Claire Fisher's orchestral arrangement playing in the background, not the original song.

Hey, thanks!

FunkMistress said:

rudeboynpg said:

It's featured 32min into "Under the Cherry Moon". It's a guitar like instrumental....

Mrok said:

Thank you everyone for your help. I got a copy of "Alexa De Paris" and it was the song i was looking for.

thx again!!

Anxiety said:

Yo, It's on the UK Letitgo 4-track CD Single: Alexa De Paris Extended Version, Pope Album Version & Solo Album Version. You should be able to get it pretty cheap ($10-$15).