One thing that always bothered me on the recording of this song is Prince using the Camille voice. I remember the Sign of the Times movie version and it was mind blowing! I thought he singing in his natural registar gave much the song more feeling. I feel like using the Camille voice kinda robbed the song of it's sincerity. I have no problem with the voice on other songs like Good love, U got the look, Rock hard.., ect ect but just on that song it really bugs me. The song needs to be sung by a man and people need to know it's a man...not the unisex Camille voice which is more suited for a humorous song or a light hearted one....that song is just too deep for that.

But you know Prince is the artist...he probably knows best and I'm sure there was a reason for it...with it being such a personal song and all.

Well, it was intended for the Camille album where all the songs were going to use the Camille character voice. If it didn't have that voice, it would have stood out. I guess he did't feel the need to re-record it after abandoning that project, anymore than he felt the need to re-record the other tracks used. But I know what you're saying, using his own voice would have made it an even more personal song (wasn't it supposed to be about his jealousy of the relationship Susannah had with her sister Wendy?).

IMO, it's the vocals that make the sentiment of the lyric all the more interesting.

metalorange said:

Yes I think this relationship inspired this song, or at least that is what every biographer and music critic thought. I see it as a man not being able to break through that barrier to true intimacy that only women/sisters share because alot of women reserve parts of themseleves or protect or restrict themselves from men...kinda because I think it is in our nature

NouveauDance said:

I prefer the movie version, but not becuase he's singing with his normal voice.

I like it becuase he's using more soul in the SOTT movie version. I love the camille voice, but the album version suffers from two main things:

1) IT DESPERATELY NEEDS REMASTERING
2) At times, it comes off more wierd than sincere


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[Edited 7/6/06 4:40am]

I funkin' LOVE the Camille voice, but I see what your sayin' Krystal.

This song always makes me kind of sad. I like the Camille voice, but it's also nice to hear in his normal voice.

NouveauDance said:

I couldn't agree more! Even if it confuses people as to the true meaning, I still prefer the album version.

.....

Always loved the song, but I've also always hated the last minute and a half. I'd prefer the instrumental instead of him talking about getting naked and doing a ballet. Sorry, but the talking at the end always killed the song for me.

Crystal Ball or Dream Factory's my favorite Camille tracks.

3121 may one day be on that list.

i always associated that song like this

the sped up, small, light voice is the true vulnerabilty that we men rarely share with anyone else. so prince was putting his true self on the line, exposing it to his lady.

the lower, darker voices we sometimes here that is deeper than normal shows the facade we men put up to show we are bigger and badder than anyone else. princes uses that to show that he still is a MAN but still asks the question

if i was ur girlfriend.....


wow

I can't imagine the song done in a deeper voice...to me, the camille voice here made sense..Prince imagining himself as "her" girlfriend..hence the femininity of Camille

purplerein said:

Isn't it believe that the name Camille came from some famous French hermaphrodite in the 1900s or something? In that context, perhaps the whole album had a theme of finding your feminine/male qualities - IIWYG, Strange Relationship, Feel U Up, Rockhard In A Funky Place - they could all loosely fit into that theme of re-finding your sexuality.

2 me, it's perfect just like it is!

i always loved the movie version, but the camille voice version is so sexy and strangely turns me on (don't deny it know others feel the same)but almost all the camille tracks do that 2 me.I don't think the two can really be compared there both great.

Back in the days i fooled around with the tack.....if you slow it down....it still sounds the same but with normal volcals....

I love both versions.

lovesexyq said:

I totally understand where you are coming from...that song from the very first listen always made me sorta sad.

Still my fave song of his.