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PrintableBorisFishpaw said: What's sexually ambiguous about either song?
They're both sung from a straight male perspective. When You Were Mine is about an open relationship that's finally over and she's now with another man, but Prince still can't let her go and move on. If I Was Your Girlfriend is about Prince wishing he had the closeness in his relationship with his girlfriend that she has with her best friend. Neither song actually implies any sexually ambiguousity. The only ambiguity in If I Was Your Girlfriend is in the reader's interpretation of it's title. The only ambiguity in When You Were Mine comes from the line "when he was there, sleeping inbetween the 2 of us", which conjures an image of 3 in a bed, but was probably not intended to be taken literally. well said 
But I vote When You Were Mine just because I like it better pull your cell phone out and call your next of kin; we're about to get funky | |
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BorisFishpaw said: What's sexually ambiguous about either song?
They're both sung from a straight male perspective. When You Were Mine is about an open relationship that's finally over and she's now with another man, but Prince still can't let her go and move on. If I Was Your Girlfriend is about Prince wishing he had the closeness in his relationship with his girlfriend that she has with her best friend. Neither song actually implies any sexually ambiguousity. The only ambiguity in If I Was Your Girlfriend is in the reader's interpretation of it's title. The only ambiguity in When You Were Mine comes from the line "when he was there, sleeping inbetween the 2 of us", which conjures an image of 3 in a bed, but was probably not intended to be taken literally.  It's pretty straightforward to me. Amibuity never even occured to me until I heard other people's views. | |
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For those of you asking "what's so ambiguous" about said songs, I guess I wasn't clear. We all know (at least most of us) that Prince is a straight male. That being said, the lyrics to both songs leave them open to interpretation as neither mentions a male or female directly. Also of note is the fact that both songs were covered by straight female artists (Cyndi Lauper and TLC). Therein lies my question. | |
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AvramsDad said: For those of you asking "what's so ambiguous" about said songs, I guess I wasn't clear. We all know (at least most of us) that Prince is a straight male. That being said, the lyrics to both songs leave them open to interpretation as neither mentions a male or female directly. Also of note is the fact that both songs were covered by straight female artists (Cyndi Lauper and TLC). Therein lies my question.
I haven't heard the covers... I think the songs were "meant" to be listened to as a male talking to a female... just my feeling... I think him not mentioning a male or female directly is just coincidental... A female singing "If I was your girlfriend" seems to change the meaning of the song... It seems to me about a male who's sad that he can't share a closeness with his woman... the closeness that this woman has with her girlfriends... | |
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AvramsDad said: For those of you asking "what's so ambiguous" about said songs, I guess I wasn't clear. We all know (at least most of us) that Prince is a straight male. That being said, the lyrics to both songs leave them open to interpretation as neither mentions a male or female directly.
Actually both songs DO mention the sex of their subject matter, they are both directed at women. "Oh GIRL, when you were mine, I used to let you wear all my clothes" "Listen GIRL, I ain't sayin you're helpless, but sometimes, sometime those are the things that being in love's about" Also of note is the fact that both songs were covered by straight female artists (Cyndi Lauper and TLC). Therein lies my question.
Who covers a song has no bearing on it's intended meaning, though it can change it in view of the sex or known orientation of the singer. Cyndi Lauper didn't change the lyrics on her cover at all, so it sounds like it's sung from a lesbian point of view. TLC did change some of the lyrics, but not enough, as due to their sex their version makes nonsense of the meaning of the song. | |
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BorisFishpaw said: AvramsDad said: For those of you asking "what's so ambiguous" about said songs, I guess I wasn't clear. We all know (at least most of us) that Prince is a straight male. That being said, the lyrics to both songs leave them open to interpretation as neither mentions a male or female directly.
Actually both songs DO mention the sex of their subject matter, they are both directed at women. "Oh GIRL, when you were mine, I used to let you wear all my clothes" "Listen GIRL, I ain't sayin you're helpless, but sometimes, sometime those are the things that being in love's about" And there u go folks! | |
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