I like the way his beliefs are still in his music but he is willing to be more like his old self. I realy respect that he is staying true to his beliefs and still staying funky. Prince has found the ladder and trying to get us to the top Nothing but love and respect.

christtracy said:

Didn't he do this in the eighties?

he was looking for it in the 80's im sure he has found it now.

At least most fans liked The Word...it´s not so controversial as TRC...

thanks "GustavoRibas" that is exactly what im talking about. it is always a risk that i will get ridiculed for my post becouse i dont take the time to articulate my thoughts like most people who post. but glad someone can understand without a 2 page post.

I love The Word because its got a religious message
without being "preachy" in my opinion.

Also the groove of this track is undeniable!
Even if you hate the lyrics, how can one not love that
melody? This song is one of my favs off 3121

Also, I'd like to thank Prince for not using any
cheesey curse-word subsitutions!

I rarely curse either, but I'd never be caught dead saying
"we don't give duck..."

You say it, or you don't, and Im glad this time around
he just didn't

Though, I did count "hell" 3 times

And just in time in 'Lolita' he corrects himself, saying "sh**... uh oh!"

Nik

Nikkie said:

Well that is cuz the girl in the song is just 2 sexy it makes him wanna swear.

i think there is enough religion on 3121 that prince feels confident that he is satisfying his God and keeping low key for his Fans

christtracy said:

I don't know if that is a good thing or not.

I much prefer the way Prince used to deal with religion in his music. The religious lyrics on the new album absolutely sink the tracks they are attached to. Prince's religious message over the last decade vs the '80s is much less inclusive and much harder to stomach. If you weren't on the same page religiously with Prince in the past you could still dig the way he put it across and not feel excluded or like your views were wrong somehow. Now-a-days the lyrics are only tolerable if you are on a similar page as P, and one can't help but feel preached at when you hear them. I don't want to feel like someone is trying to convert me to a certain viewpoint or "enlighten" me as to the real "truth" when I listen to an album or go to a concert. But that's just me and my 2 cents...

christtracy said:

I'm NOT a religious person but Prince has never really put me off my his beliefs. I just dig the music.

Krystal666 said:

His beliefs were not as definitive in the eighties....

thebige said:

I dont agree. Listen to "4 The tears in Your eyes", he is definitely singing about Jesus. So I guess, if you arent a believer in Jesus it was hard to stomach? How about, "GOD"...he is quoting directly from the bible,chapter and verse "in the beginning there was god",,,and what about, "The Cross"?..
He was exclusive to one religion in each of those songs..Christianity.
And today, he is still inclusive....he is just a member of a particular
denomination--JW.
I think the difference between then (80's) and now...is that P's religious
beliefs have crossed over into all of his music. He does not swear or speak of
promiscuity and raunch like he used to...now he sings about monogomy and love and christ,,,,you say you dont want to feel like your being preached at or enlightened thru music, but all music is enlightening in one way or another and all songs are preaching some message of some kind.

christtracy said:

That remains to be seen...are you the same person you were two years ago?...I'm not...

thepope2the9s said:

If I happen to be enlightened by a piece of music that's a beautiful thing. But when the the music is designed to spread an "enlightenment" or "truth" leave me out of it. My point was that I didn't feel preached at when he sang those '80s tunes you mentioned and these days he can't seem to write a non-preachy religious song. Hopefully when he tours this year his calls for a theocratic order will be absent! If you don't feel preached at by his recent work then good for you. We all have our own perspective.

I have no religious tendencies, i am not interested in being religious of any kind at all, but the word remains my favourite song on 3121. i dont feel preached at at all. i think he does it very tastefully. but then im more about the music than analysing the lyrics.

my
[Edited 3/30/06 13:02pm]

thepope2the9s said:

The Prince in the 80's worshipped --SEX. Sex was his god he confused , combined, and preached that message loud and clear.

Now he seems to have his questions, answered and that his meaning of life has a purpose and it's not about bumping and grinding , cursing and treating the opposite sex just mere sex objects. The Prince today has a message that says hey I can be true to myself and treat others with dignity and respect, worship a God by his standards and love my music and the people can embrace my art like a parent holding their newborn baby, now how come the world just can't do that?

I pray Prince can continue to do so without compromising his faith to remain
balance till the end.

IMO, the perfect mix was 'just being inside a church don't make a righteous man' -- Everything after that was white noise.

thebige said:

Used to be, Prince would mute his religious tendencies, saving the preachy stuff for B-sides or non-album projects. It was easy to digest because he kept it on the sidelines. In fact, it added to his overall mystique: What? That little sex dwarf is a Jesus Freak too? Wild!

As for feeling preached at, you're free to reject any and all propaganda. I don't let knowledge of Prince's JW status affect my enjoyment of his spiritual material. Rainbow children's segues were annoying to me on an aesthetic level, not on a philosophical one.

Until Prince shows up at my door and starts bugging me face to face about how to live my life, I have no complaints about his religious activities or music.

Krystal666 said:

exactamundo...the brotha's been working with the same basic m.o. ever since the early '80s.

RosesRred said:

he is just doin what JC said 2 do.
so when u meet u're maker and he asks u...did u accept my son?
u cant say nobody tried to tell u...cuz p did....

Not finally. He already found perfection with Lovesexy

Nikkie said:

At least that was a really smart way to do it instead of talking about ducks

thepope2the9s said:

Riiiiight...

padawan said:

Oh, so you're ok with the whole "woman subordinate to the man" philosophy expressed on the record (for one example)?

Good to know, I guess...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Not really the same m.o. if you think about it. Back then he was engaged in a struggle within himself concerning his sexual aspects vs. his religious aspects. These days it's like he's found an answer for himself to resolve this struggle but he also seems to think his answer is the answer, and he wants to sing about it! So, get on the boat and get the word! You too can be beautiful, loved and blessed!

thebige said:

it's only like that if you think of it in those terms...do i feel as if he's pushy at times when it comes to talking about his new found faith-of-the-moment? sure. do i feel as if he's saying "you MUST think this way or else"? no. i've every right to skip to another song or put something else on if i don't wanna hear 'im attempting to be Rev'rend Nelson. same thing with all the sex n'salvation shit he was pushing back in the day too, you could glean whatever you wanted from all that.

thebige said:

That was one of the more questionable lyrics, one of many, maybe not even the worst - But it still didn't detract from the enjoyment of the album for me.

TRC sounded like nothing before, and nothing after - When was the last time one said that about a Prince record?