KoolEaze said:

Actually, the drum beat, yes, but I THINK I read that the song itself was older, 80s even. Must have been in some Uptown issue.... maybe my mind's playing tricks, though! Can anyone say something about this?

calldapplwondery83 said:

it does have a very Revolution-ish vibe about it. it reminded me of
"it's a wonderfull day" and some other tunes.

first time i heard it on the album that was what immediately came 2
mind "this sounds like Prince & The Revolution".

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Hey Supes!

sosgemini said:

ya but i'm talking about the longevity of the debate around this album. i see everyone here is into it, but it's always a source of discussion. well...isn't all of Prince's work? it's the reason why we come here. hahah

Yes, great musicianship, boring songwriting, dull lyrics and uninspired production.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

u should use this as well

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

shall i repost the portion of my paper written about TRC?

Heiress said:

go for it!!

Heiress said:

Oh, H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks yeah!

scififilmnerd said:

i like it

calldapplwondery83 said:

for real

Not even the all great and powerful Wendy & Lisa could make TRC better than it was. It's THAT GOOD.

Heiress said:

You should!

The Rainbow Children, or how Paradise was regained

And there's always a rainbow, at the end of every rain…
(Papa, Come, 1994)

"Just like the sun, the rainbow children rise
Riding on the wings of the New Translation
See them fly, fly
The covenant will be kept this time..."
(The Rainbow Children, 2001)

The Rainbow Children is Prince’s latest Utopian incarnation. Musically, it is perhaps his most diverse and experimental album. Jazz based, it incorporates elements of funk (The Work, Pt. 1, a James Brown sound-alike), Broadway musicals (Everywhere) and even a slice of satirical operetta (Wedding Feast). It concludes with a Purple Rain style ballad, Last December. And most importantly, it is his first album since Come to be released under the name Prince.

Here more than ever, Prince has a spiritual message to convey. Between tracks, a deep, computer-altered narration booms like the voice of God. In imitation of the Bible, its songs are listed in chapters. TRC’s liner notes are his most beautifully illustrated since ATWIAD, and contain most of the lyrics. This latest spiritual world has been strongly influenced by the strict Biblical interpretations of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but as Music Critic Jim Walsh said:
Why has the news that Prince has embraced the faith of the Jehovah’s Witnesses been met with so much suspicion? Why should such a revelation surprise anyone, coming as it does from a man who has spent most of his 43 years, and his entire recording career, celebrating God?22
The Rainbow Children (TRC) is not only a concept album, but an epic and an allegory, first and foremost a Biblically-based story of God and his peoples, which also seems to find a secondary application in Prince’s relationships with his two wives: a first idealized and artistically "Romantic" relationship with Mayte and the second, more mature and realistic relationship with former employee Manuella Testolini, who was baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness at the same time as Prince, in the summer of 2002. She Loves Me 4 Me is a love song of uncharacteristic simplicity and honesty, quite unlike the Romantic idealizations of Prince’s past; Muse 2 the Pharoah comes closer to the latter. But this is not merely a song about an actual woman; she is also a symbol of God’s spiritual nation, who produces the Rainbow Children, "4 the future of the nation rests in her belly," like God’s symbolic woman of the bible book of Revelation, chapter 12.

In order to understand the lyrics, it’s important to examine the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, as they are understood in the coded "Prince-speak" of TRC. Likely the first Jehovah’s Witness text book that Prince would have likely encountered was entitled: Knowledge that Leads to Everlasting Life. They emphasize preparation for a new world to come on the earth, a paradise; insisting on the importance of political neutrality and spiritual separateness from "the world" of wickedness, which includes rejection of political organizations, in favor of divine protection:

The children will be laced with the protection of the word of God
The opposite of NATO is OTAN
(Muse 2 the Pharoah)

In the same song, Prince also shuns superstition, including his formerly much-cherished astrology:

And if the number 13 is such a bad luck number
When there’s no such thing as luck
Then the berries, talons, arrows and stars
Are all superstitions, what the-
(Muse 2 the Pharoah)

Above all, Prince emphasizes the preaching of his beliefs:

Don’t let nobody bring u down
Accurate knowledge of Christ and the Father
Will bring the Everlasting Now
Join the party, make a sound
Share the truth, preach the good news
Don’t let nobody bring u down
The Everlasting Now

Thematically speaking, The Rainbow Children (TRC) is far from revolutionary. Rather, it is a culmination of several repetitive themes: The search for a true love, reconciliation with the father figure, which may be a metaphor for God, as he repeatedly makes the difference between "the Father" and "the Son." Family Name is a funky call to racial unity, Muse 2 the Pharoah says "Thinking like the keys on Prince’s piano will be just fine."

Most strikingly, Prince reprises his very first utopian messages from Sexuality. In the title track, he reprises "Reproduction of a New Breed leader stand up - organize!" before calling the Rainbow Children to "rise!" in a rousing chorus. 1+1+1 is Three reverses a line from Sexuality, in reference to "tourists" (here called "The Banished Ones"): "What’s to be expected is 3 minus 3- absolutely nothing." Only here, Prince finally ousts the "tourists" from his Utopian world, so the result is positive. This may also refer, like 3 Chains O’ Gold, to the split elements of love. "There’s a theocratic order," he repeats, as the elements are reunited under God. "Love is God, God is love..." (Anna Stesia)

Clearly, on TRC, Prince is no longer struggling: He is candid, on this album, about the moral changes he has made in his life (especially in The Everlasting Now). He has found some answers that satisfy him, and paints a happy ending, where "accurate knowledge of Christ and the Father will bring the Everlasting Now," in other words, paradise on earth, now and in the future.

In conclusion, TRC ends much like his other utopian albums. On Around the World in A Day, Temptation leaves Prince on the next step of his journey, in his battle against temptation. Lovesexy ends with "hold on to your soul, there’s a long way to go." TRC’s last words are a final call to unity, under God:

In the name of the Father
In the name of the Son
We need 2 come 2gether
Come 2gether as one.
(Last December)

Heiress said:

Cool...what do you/did you study ?

Just some thoughts....I think it´s "Fly upon the wings of the New Translation" , not " Riding on..." , but I don´t have the booklet here and I´m too lazy to look it up.

I´m not so sure if he really shuns superstition or if he´s trying to make people realize that there´s more behind symbols and signs than we are really aware of, see Freemasons, the Dollar sign, the Illuminati, secret societies etc.etc. The War was another example of Prince as the great conspiracy theorist.

Keep in mind that the JWs originally also were heavily into these symbols and signs, I think their founder´s tombstone has some of those symbols on it. I might be wrong though.

I like your interpretation of his two relationships...the Lilith story also comes to mind, though I know it´s Jewish and probably not part of Prince´s current mythology...but I guess you catch my drift...in this case Mayte being a bit like Lilith towards the end, and then Mani/Eve comes.

Then again, he´s also used the Eve and even the Nefretiti myth when it comes to Mayte.

Really interesting ideas....is your thesis somewhere on the net ?

KoolEaze said:

Orgnote me w/ an email and I'll send you the whole paper...

I guess when it comes to religious or mystical symbolism, I've seen them used for both "light" and "dark" purposes, as a manner of speaking. So I guess here I have to try to come as close as I can to judging his original intentions. His past work has clued me in more than anything, as well as the Romantic art tradition in general.

As far as symbolisms go and JWs, I have a copy of the "Studies in the Scriptures" volume with the pyramid, etc, but in the end all it is is a rather convoluted explanation of the scriptures and a Christian's obligations.

RE mythology, world mythologies kind of come together when you compare one to another. Contained within, I believe, is the story in the form of folk tale of the human race and the Bible fits right in as part of that.

So suffice to say, yes, TRC is epic!

CreamyThighs said:

Sure they could. Did you hear GirlBros?! Now THAT's an inspired album.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Yes it did or at least lets us know where your coming from. And if you want to argue, it won't be about TRC.

I really like Everlasting Now and Mellow, but the main thing that prevents
me from fully appreiciating The Rainbow Children is...



The everlasting pressence of the dark side

I know it's shallow, but I dont care!

thekidsgirl said:

i know. i agree. the musicianship is excellent but for me the message prevents me from enjoying the album. just the cover art - that strange pic of 'demon' prince - is enough to make a person go hmmmmm

XxAxX said:

yeah, the album as a whole is just so frustrating to me cause the good moments
are so heavily eclipsed by the not so good.

and the album are is by far my least favorite (right after NewPowerSoul)

XxAxX said:[quote]

thekidsgirl said:

You mean that pic on the CD itself? I love that pic!
BTW, I revently saw a picture from around 1996 over at housequake.com, which has to be inspiration for the drawing. It's basically the exact same picture, except for the direction his eyes are looking and the colour of his sweater.

scififilmnerd said:

Nope. TRC was the most inspired genius, musically incredible thing he ever did, and he DIDN'T NEED them in order to do it so as far as I'm concerned this theory ya'll like to throw around about his music not being as good w/o them was thrown out the fuckin window, jack...yeah I said it

calldapplwondery83 said:[quote]

XxAxX said:

are you talking about the same pic? the pic where he looks like a demon vampire bat?

calldapplwondery83 said:

yep that's the one that scares me

So on which albums did the musicianship suck? I think the musicianship is always good, that's not what what makes a good album though.

This is prince's sexiest album ever and he doesn't even talk about sex in it. TRC, everybody knows you've got it what they don't know is that you actually enjoy listening to it.
[Edited 11/30/05 19:53pm]

CreamyThighs said:

That's not true. They have a hand in everything he's done since they were together. His music is informed by what he learned from them and vice versa. The same goes with Sheila, Andre, Dez, and Fink even. It's probably true he didn't need their direct input, particular not with this album.