When did I stop looking forward to a new Prince track? Before you slam me for being another loser fan who questions why he has lost interest - there does seem to be an awful lot of us who are losing our way with him.

When I heard that the new track was available to listen online , I clicked over to it with some reservation - cetainly not the unreserved excitement I used to have. Sure enough, what greeted me was the oh so familiar overproduced, forgettable, disinterested Pince vocal that had me struggling to get through.

File it next to SST and forget about it.

Princey, where have all the melodies gone? We know you are the best when it comes to musicianship but the last great song you wrote was GETT OFF. Are you even interested in writing good songs anymore? I'm not even a fan of John Mayer but anyone can tell that his new album, CONTINUUM, has melodies on it that Prince can only dream of at the moment.

Ok, so this is it. I'm off. Call me when something interesting happens.

I really like the song. What do you want? Maybe we should stop comparing him with others who haven't accomplished half of what he has. It sounds like a tune he probably recorded a while back, it makes me wonder if he recorded during the "Parade" era, circa 1986, since he mentions that in the song. I think the song fits the movie. I have to admit, some of the songs he's written have been a bit crappy, but that's to be expected when you write hundreds and hundreds of songs. Look at artists who've been doing this a long time like Elton John, I don't see him kickin butt either in the songwriting department.

sharonbell said:

It is a new song.

It is a new song.

how do you know?

sharonbell said:

It has been said that he saw a sneak preview of the movie and that inspired him to write the song especially for the film.

I don't know how you can say it fits the movie when the movie hasn't even been released yet.

I think it is a weak song, as Paid1 says, there's no strong catchy melody to grab an audience first listen. I've listened to it twice and I can't for the life of me remember how it goes. Okay, after a few dozen listens maybe I'll appreciate it more, but this was a great opportunity with a movie tie-in to put out a strong, catchy single that could have charted off the (hopefully) success of the movie. In other words this might be a sweet song but it is instantly forgettable. It is like Prince didn't put much effort or thought into it, sometimes I think he needs to push himself a bit more rather than sitting down and 2 hours later he finishes the song off.

I don't, however, agree with Paid1 that his last great song was Gett Off, he's done plenty of great songs with catchy strong melodies since, I even think there's some strong melodic catchy songs on 3121, I mean Lolita is incredibly catchy, it's just a shame he didn't continue that through onto this song.

It's the soundtrack to a movie that's all, like your opinion is your opinion, that's all!

pald1 said:

You must have got knocked into a coma in late '91 because there have been more than 3 dozen better songs than Gett Off in the last 15 years.

And the John Mayer comment? Again, it needs to be explained that Prince has been there, done that no matter whose name you want to bring up. Trying to bag on Prince by saying something as ludicrous as Prince dreaming he could come up with melodies as good as John Mayer? Read that out loud and try not to spit when you laugh.

sharonbell said:

Very true but people also need to stop comparing Prince to his past too which is what a lot of people do, here and outside of the org. You can't expect what he does today to be like or compare to 1986. Music has changed let alone Prince and as long as people keep expecting another Sign O The Times like song or album, they will keep being disappointed and we'll have to hear more stories of people being done with Prince.

TheBigBang said:

'3 dozen better songs.' Wow! Better back that one up and mention them all, sonny.

Re: Prince having been there and done that....this comment highlights my argument even more, making Prince's current mediocre songwriting skills even more depressing.

As for John Mayer, as some one else said above - 'like your opinion is your opinion.' Couldn't have said it better myself.

You are right about gett off being one of the last great songs,
My theories for the sudden crap nature of his post 87 music is

1. he suffered a stroke, it was kept secret.

2. his doctors have him pumped full of Paxil

3. Wendy, Lisa, and the rest dont ghost-write his music anymore.

4. He's just old now, it happens.
[Edited 10/9/06 19:03pm]
[Edited 10/9/06 19:09pm]

he's being "violet the organ grinder" ....

organ grinder (wikipedia):
Reporters would sometimes describe him cynically ... given the repetitious nature of his music. Later depictions would stress the romantic or picturesque aspects of this activity.... [Some people did not] appreciate hearing his single tune over and over again.

I love the song and can't wait 2 c the movie!

It's not a throat grabber like so many of his other tunes but give it a minute it'll grow on you.

"My only competition is...

well...

me...

In the past"
[Edited 10/10/06 15:05pm]

this song is just like the album Lovesexy or much of Sign o' the Times when they were FIRST released, it sounds weird, out of place with current sounds, not popular, and not as good as what he did in the past, but upon many listens you start to get what he is pushing...

I didn't care about this song much, but now I can hear the vibe, or the experiment he is doing... at least in my perception. I like it now. It's got this dreamy odd sound driven by those piano chords thhat keep repeating, they sound sad. The whole vibe is distant and chilly. Almost like the old fashioned songdance energy has been evaporated like dry ice that still floats intangibly around. Pass the doobie...

metalorange said:

JESUS CHRIST man! Watch the trailer online...if you can't figure out the theme of the movie, you shouldn't be on the internet. It's very obvious taht the song was written with the movie in mind. The melody, the words...it's pretty simple.

I think that it will definitely be a favorite of people who go to watch the movie. Maybe, to appease some of you, he should have done something like "Bob George" and sung about shooting all the penguins with a laser after telling them to put on that new wig he bought them.

pald1 said:

You are just plain up fucking mean to Prince!!!! Prince is cool and does his best in everything! Try to respect Prince for what he wants to do w/ his music now. You did then.

BlackandRising said:

Exactly, if you listen to the song in the context of a kids movie it's a really nice song.

BlackandRising said:

I think it's a weak song, apart from it being about a 'song of the heart' I doubt very much the film makers imposed restrictions on Prince as to what it should sound like, and in that sense there's no reason why he couldn't have done a perkier song and the film-makers would have still accomodated him because he's Prince. Or he could have done a far more classier slow song. Let's face it, this song is no 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' or 'Hakuna Matata'! It's supposed to be the first single off the soundtrack and I think that it will just bomb like all Prince's recent singles, it hasn't even got the 'grab you by the throat-ness' of Black Sweat and that did terribly.

toddband45 said:

What are you, his big sister?

herb4 said:

Those lyrics ring even truer today than they did then.

pald1 said:

But this is still just another loser thread whining about it.



Next!

FunkMistress said:

Nothing says 'loser' more than a person branding herself 'funkmistress.' Shudder to think what your daily life is like.

pald1 said:

Where is the honest criticism of the song promised in your thread title? I'd love to read it.

FunkMistress said:

Predictably, you obviously have no idea what the word, 'honest' means.

pald1 said:

the song is gay, but cute and suited well for Penguins

pald1 said:

I understand and respect your opinion regarding the song, but I don't understand why you would compare someone like Prince with a 30 year legacy to John Mayer, who's kind of getting started in a way. i don't get that.

pkidwell said:

Yes, the penguin community will buy it in droves.

wonder505 said:

You're thinking broad strokes and I know it hurts. By generally comparing one against the other, it's pretty obvious that Prince, with all his history, is in different (higher) league. So, let's narrow the comparison a bit.

If I'm allowed to compare recent albums, it's my opinion that (as a Prince fan, even), Mayer's CONTINUUM blows the shit out of 3121 in terms of melodies. This coming from someone who is relatively new at the songwriting game too. Ergo...new Prince, cemented with the release of this new song - just can't get a decent melody off the ground right now.