Morning Papers

He realized that she was new 2 love
Naive in every way
Every school boy's fantasy she was
That's why he had 2 wait
If he poured his heart in2 a glass
And offered it like wine
She could drink and be back in time
4 the morning papers

They could take a walk down the oceanside
Make a wish every wave
They could find a carousel and ride
Or kiss in every cave
They could contemplate the entire universe
Or just 1 star
Or just how far was the walk
4 the morning papers

Why is age more than a number
When it comes 2 love?
Should we ask the 1's who speculate
When they don't know what it's made of?
Should we ask the moonlight on ur face
Or the raindrops in ur hair?
Or should we ask The Man who wrote it there
In the morning papers?

Should we ask the moonlight on ur face
Or the raindrops in ur hair?
Or should we ask The Man
Who wrote it there in the morning papers?


Is anybody else weirded out by this song? I never judge who people choose to love but damn, there's got to be an age limit, doesn't there? Age is fairly damn important because if you start lowering the bar on that one, where does it end? Prince's history with deflowering young women once they turned 18 is well known but the fact that he was scouting the women out at 17 or below is just a little nauseating. We are talking serious Elvis/R. Kelly territroy here. And the fact that he chose to release this as a single, which summarily bombed, baffles me. I really dig the Symbol album but I always fast forward this one. There is just some things that I do not want to know about.

Not judging the man but...well

Where does it state that he's singing about underages women?

And why address rumours as facts?

I love this song. one of my favorites from that album. Nice piano, nice guitar, great lyrics and beautiful melody.

Heavenly said:

Quoth Prince:

He realized that she was new 2 love
Naive in every way
Every school boy's fantasy she was
That's why he had 2 wait

Further Quoth Prince:

Why is age more than a number
When it comes 2 love?

Um...what do you think he meant by this? That he wanted to date OLDER women.
I'm no expert at lyric interpretation but this doesn't seem to be very subtle.

And Mayte was how old when she started her association with Prince? Doesn't really seem to be dealing with rumors here...common sense would imply he was interested in more than her belly-dancing skills.

I think you're making too much about the lyrics.

To me, the lyrics seem to suggest that the male character (possibly Prince in the third person) is not engaging in any unlawful relationship with the female character, but rather that an age gap in the relationship is the subject of public gossip and disapproval despite the fact the couple are in love.
.

I love the guitar in this!

My girlfriend is 14 years younger than me, and she's the sweetest thing. Yeah, I guess it would be kinda weird if I looked back at myself at 24 and questioned whether I would be with a 10-year old. But heck no. I don't think Prince is talking about that. He's expressing his love for a "woman" quite a bit younger than him and how people get hung up on the age difference and overlook the love they have for each other.

Doesn't the song say "that's why he had to wait"...?

I think the song is beautiful and I think the lyrics are ok too, it's not icky like Sister, which in all perviness is a good song too!

langebleu said:

I never said unlawful. Just a bit...well unethical. What is Prince, or the character in the song if you please, doing scouting out someone who is every school boy's fantasy? And why exactly did Prince, or unnamed narator have to wait? The implication is that not only is she just young, she is not old enough for some sort of activity. Are we talking tiddly-winks here? Every time I hear this song I think of Elvis and Prescilla and how he could only get off (ALLEDGEDLY) watching young girls wrestle. Not saying P is that twisted but I don't think he is leaving a lot between the lines here.

Sirah said:

I am not criticizing the fact that Prince/the song's male character waited until she was of age. There is a virtue in that. But just how young was she when she scanned on his radar? And if age isn't anything but a number, than why did he have to wait at all? It's a paradox. Either age is important or it's not. If age is important and 18 is an age of consent and P/the unnamed character has to "wait" than he himself is acknowledging that society has certain standards that he is choosing to follow. But if he doesn't believe in said standards, than why doesn't he just say "fuck it"?

Okay, now I've gone and forgotten my own point...

If age is important and 18 is an age of consent and P/the unnamed character has to "wait" than he himself is acknowledging that society has certain standards that he is choosing to follow. But if he doesn't believe in said standards, than why doesn't he just say "fuck it"?

Um, because that would be considered statutory rape in most (if not all) states. That would definitely make headlines in the morning papers.

There are a couple of songs from this time that have this subject matter. We all know that Prince had to wait for Mayte. It's not that big of stretch he's singing about them.

He obviously learned something from this relationship. He's married to a woman closer to his age and has mellowed out. I couldn't get around that Mayte going from Prince to Tommy Lee was her ultimate 'fuck you Prince' I'm going to go out with the slimiest rocker I can find. It's called maturity and she couldn't have appreciated everything Prince was giving (good or bad) as a teenager. Not many people could.

Hey, if I was single/multi millionaire and made all the rules. I'd try to talk myself into thinking it work.

You seem to be presuming that the male character has been "scouting". There's no description of how the two people in the story meet.

.

I always assumed this was about his romance with Mayte, and his affinity for the younger ladies in general.
Wasn't there another 18ish love affair with an Anna Garcia, or somone?
And we know Mayte wasn't 18 when Prince met/ became aware of her.

Of course, I could be wrong.

langebleu said:

The fact that he had to wait means that he must have met her before she turned some sort of landmark age and therefore had intentions before the girl's significant birthday. That is scouting sex, no?

eugnj420 said:

No, you are closer I think than some of the other posters here, I believe. I think most have romanticized the song because of the nice way it is sung and the flowery lyrics. But it the end, I think he is putting it right out there. The dude was singing this song with Mayte very obviously in his life and her age very much in question. And, if my damn brain could remember how it goes, doesn't Kirstie/Vanessa ask him about the Princess being only 17 years old.

People, it's right there...just look. This is not a subtle song.

langebleu said:

I'm not saying any of these songs or lyrics are true accounts, but they do seem come about during his relationship with Mayte. Doesn't "melt with you' have something about a girl losing her virginty?

There's a little truth to every lie or fantasy.

GottaLetitgo said:

Right, and "The Morning Papers" I always assumed to be the tabloids, such as The Enquirer.

i like it when he goes "shucks".

I like it

Should we ask the 1's who speculate
When they don't know what it's made of?

I think you are un-romantisizing the song too much. People fall in love, sometimes with people with whom a relationship would be frowned upon. But that doesn't mean it's all slimy and that the singer was "scouting".
I think of it kind of like the story of Emma by Jane Austen. Emma's neighbour, a gentleman of 35 (I forget his last name, sorry) fell in love with Emma early on, but Emma was only a teenager and so she was very immature. The man waited until Emma became a bit more like an adult.
So maybe the singer is waiting for the girl to become a bit more mature or waiting until she was past playing with "schoolboys'" hearts. Or I might think that is the more logical explanation because the age of consent here is 16. I don't know.

Sirah said:

Maybe it is because I have two daughters that I read too much into the song. Here is where I am on it. If my daughter was 18 and in college and met a man who was in his 30's, I would not really have a problem with it. I mean I would check the dude out and tell him things like if he hurt my daughter I would blow his balls off, etc. But if she were 18 and met him and her loved her for a person and I could gauge that than I would be like "cool". But if my same daughter were 17 and some guy started calling her because he saw her at a high school basketball game and thought she was cute, I would have a big problem with it. If he met her in an "underaged" setting and pursued it from there, that just wouldn't be kosher. It's context. It's circumstance. It just seems a tad predatory and that just doesn't sit right.

I am NOT calling Prince a predator. I am NOT saying this song is about Mayte (even though there are certainly a lot of lines that could be read as clues). I just have always gotten a weird vibe from the song that's all. Musically I like it but the (perceived) subject matter has always turned me off.

OK, I uderstand your point of view. I'm sure being a parent makes you view the lyrics a bit differently. It's good, I'm happy that you are a responsible parent and willing to protect your daughters

GottaLetitgo said:

Actually, she mentions the Princess being only 16.

creepy or not...I love this song

best on the album! (well in a tie with 7)

What's the problem with dating younger girls?I'm a girl and that's ,no problem for me, sorry!

GottaLetitgo said:

I mean, age is not "more than a number when it comes to love". You have to take into account girls' opinion on the subject, too. We don't care if a man is "older" or what.

interesting ...i never thought about the song too much...i dig the guitar solo though...

GottaLetitgo said:

-----

That's why he had 2 wait. Did you get this line? If P was in R Kelly terriorty he would not be waiting. Give him some credit for having enough decency and commonsense to wait for his young girlfriends to turn 18.

Why is everyone being so linear and assuming it must be about the outdated USA laws? Sure Prince is from the USA, but the crowned Princess of Cairo isn't. And neither are a lot of his other interests.

Round the world, consent is usually a lot lower.

meow85 said:

Well, that would all be fine and dandy if he was porking her in the UK.

Prince likes young tight snatch.

I have to admit...as much as I love this album,I think Prince comes off as a dirty old man thoroughout most of it.Many of the lyrics deal with an older man lusting after an (underage?) girl...


"Like a flame,she came and I was no longer cold
That's a little shady,for this lady was only sixteen years old"

"Don't look now but there's a river of blood
You must of been a virgin,what am I guilty of?


it's funny,in a way,but I could see how some folks could be offended