Ok, just for funsies...

Decipher as many of the pictures from the album cover of ATWIAD.

For example, the big ladder in the middle of the spread coming from the pool to the sky is in reference to the title "The Ladder"

Your turn...

Remember, only for the final ATWIAD cover


[Edited 1/10/06 9:23am]
[Edited 1/10/06 9:27am]

Is this like a Rorschach test?

If so, I see a great big vagina.

Well, there's the girl on the see-saw and the old man crying.

Oh, and the titty. Don't forget the titty.

I could never understand why that guy from The Cure (Ian Smith?)
was included in the art work.

The Raspberry Beret!

And the American flag (America).

gee, umm are those daisies in your yaaaaard?
from "Condition of the Heart."


and the Tamborine on the steps there.


is that baby a boy when I wanted a girl? -Pop Life
[Edited 1/10/06 10:08am]
[Edited 1/10/06 10:11am]

The tamborine, err....tamborine?

i played this game, like, 21 years ago. this thread is giving me flashbacks.

muirdo said:

It's Robert Smith....

8up said:

That's Wendy!

OK. When I bought the album (yes album) the day it came out, a friend came over to my house and we studied the album cover looking for clues. I think it came out around the same time that Prince said he was going to "retire". We wanted to find clues about why and how long. The ladder has 18 rungs, I think. So we determined that he would stay retired for 18 months. We tried to figure out the other pictures in the cover art, but I forget what we discovered (it has been a long time!)

Oh yeah, I think we decided that the guy in the white hood at the top right hand corner was Prince.

Isn't the guy with the big white coat supposed to be Dr. Fink?

alwayslate said:

Hmm...I never noticed the daisies?

How about the clown, anyone? What lyrics or title is that from?

And I'll add another one...that girl behind Prince is Clara Bow from Condition of the Heart.

lyric: "There was a woman from the ghetto who made funny faces just like Clara Bow"

FrancerulzV99 said:

Yes, it is.

And I would figure that the womanly figure that looks like mountains represents "Temptation"

i thought i remembered reading once that prince didn't want any one character to be 100% anything, so he asked for certain features to be added to "throw off" being able to line up any of the characters with people in the revolution, yet he wanted there to be recognizable similarities.

yeah, more weird shtuff from princeypants.

the womans body disguised as mountains.....temptation

The little boy will escort you

that lyrics is represented by the little boy holding a balloon with the title in it.

What about Prince disguised as a monk?????

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Good God, I never ever noticed that until a second ago...

I'm amazed.

UndercovaBrotha said:

And could the ladder leading above her belly have any meaning??

Also, something I never really noticed until now, the waves from the sandbox ocean are moving away from the shore....

i think Prince is the one wearing Dr Fink's clothes.

he is also holding a tiny ladder.

Thank God Prince went with this one instead of that original with real people. That cover would have sucked donkey balls

awesome album cover!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Ladder and the belly....way to heaven through her stomach? I'd expect Prince to place the ladder a few inches lower if that were the case, concetrating on a different part of the anatomy,it's pretty close though...

Second time a ladder appears on a Prince album cover.

.
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[Edited 1/10/06 14:37pm]

Universaluv said:

But that would follow the meaning of the song temptation when he discovers that love is more important than sex and the ladder being focused on the womb rather than the twat....lends credence to that.

Apparently every song of the album is alluded to in the cover art. Here’s my rundown:

Around the World In A Day: the lyrics “The little one will escort you…” – I believe this is reference to in the little boy holding the balloon. He’s your escort.

Paisly Park: The woman crying on the left side is reference to in the lyrics.. Another reference from the lyrics is a “girl on a seesaw” that girl is also on the left hand side on a blue seesaw. The old man on the right hand side might be a reference to the lyrics “see the man cry as the city is condemned where he lives. Memories die, taxes, he’ll still have to give.”

Condition of the Heart: The lyrics “There was a woman from the ghetto who made funny faces, just like Clara Bow…” The woman behind the Prince with the cloud outfit is Clara Bow. Also, “daisies in your yard” are referenced to and shown by daisies throughout the background.

Raspberry Beret – Obviously this is referenced to the cover by the woman wearing a purple colored beret. Another thing that may not be that obvious is the overcast clouds on the cover. Remember the lyrics “now overcast days never turned me on…”

Tambourine – Obviously referenced in the cover by a tambourine next to “cloud suit prince’s” left leg, and being held by Wendy (white face, black dressed). Also, this song’s lyrics of “I don’t care for one night stands and trolly cars that juggle seventeen” are the only thing that I can relate to the clown on the cover who is “juggling objects”. Correct me if I’m wrong on that one.

America – title represented on the cover by the African-American baby holding an American flag. And I can only guess that the lyric “The Bomb goes…boom!” is reference on the cover by the jet “warplane” in the upper left hand corner? I may be reaching with that one, though.

Pop Life – About the only thing I can find reference to on the cover is the lyric “Don't U know straight hair ain't got no curl?” and that lyric relating to the girl with the red STRAIGHT hair. Additionally, the lyric of there being no water when that fire blows might be referenced on the cover by there being no water on one side of the “basin”. Again, I might be reaching on this one.

The Ladder – Obviously, this is represented by the ladder coming out of the water going into the sky. I can’t help but to also think the girl sitting on the concrete step with the violin reference the pronounced violin beginning of this song as well. What do you think?

Temptation – By the womanly figure that makes up the mountain-like background.

The revolution is here thoughout…prince with his cloud guitar…matt fink with his dr.’s robe, wendy melvoine dressed in black with white makeup, lisa coleman playing the violin.

I think that about covers it for me…over and out!