What was the official story behind that and am I right that his absence caused a huge stink (it's kinda hazy since I was kid when that all went down)

Maybe he just didn't want 2

It wouldn't have worked. Prince is a lone wolf and enjoys having control

Reading the lyrics to Hello will give you Prince's side of that story...
go to dtt-lyrics.com, B-sides.

Can someone post the lyrics to Hello

Because Prince IS the world.

scriptgirl said:

)

Hello (Hello) Hello (Hello) {x3}
I tried 2 tell them that I didn't want 2 sing
But I'd gladly write a song instead
They said OK and everything was cool
Till a camera tried 2 get in my bed (Hello)
My bed (Hello) (Hello)

I was sittin' pretty with a beautiful friend ("Oh darling")
When this man tries 2 get in the car
("Hey Prince, come on, give us a smile, eh?")
No introduction, "How've U been?"
Just - "Up yours! Smile, that's right, U're a star!" (Star)

U call 'em bodyguards but I call 'em my friends
I guess I'm used 2 havin' 'em around
And cameras by nature like rewards
That's the trouble I get when I'm Uptown

I'm not afraid 2 die cuz I know there's a better place 2 go
(Don't be afraid cuz there's a better place 2 go)
I eat what I want, whole wheat toast
(U can eat what U want, anything is cool in moderation)
And I'm happy, and that's 4 sure

We're against hungry children, our record stands tall
But there's just as much hunger here at home
We'll do what we can if y'all try 2 understand
A flower that has water will grow
And a child misunderstood will go
Hello! {x3}
(Hello)

Everybody

Gotta he..., gotta he... he... hello!

I haven't lost my desire
I wouldn't beg U
Instead of playin' deduction of what 2 do
They called me rude often
When I called their hand
They judged me and told me that we're through
"Why can't U be like the others?"
I cried out over and again
"Why can't U learn 2 play by the rules?"
But maybe at last it's the end
Because I am not like others
I'm unique in the respect I'm not U

I know in my heart I would try 2 love U
I wouldn't try 2 hurt U despite all the ways U try 2 hurt me
U call me a fraud, an uncaring wretch
But I'm an artist and my only aim is 2 please
Between U and yours, myself and mine
Isn't life cruel enough without cruel words, cruel words?
U see, words are like shoes
They're just something 2 stand on
I wish U could be in my shoes
But they're probably so high, U'd fall off and die
4 U words are definitely not shoes
They're weapons and tools of destruction
And your time is boring unless U're putting something down
What would life be if we believed what we read
And a smile is just hiding a frown?
Come now, isn't life a little better with a pair of good shoes?

© 1985 Controversy Music - ASCAP

He said in interviews that he felt uncomfortable participating with so many other great musicians, and was afraid he'd clam up. The song and video he gave to the project, "4 The Tears in Your Eyes", was beautiful IMO.
The gossip goes that Bob Geldolf was cool with this until the photo/bodyguard incident got a lot of press and then he bad-mouthed Prince a bit in future interviews. Prince's ultimate response was "Hello". Which I believe to be one of the rare occasions where he not only directly responded to his critics, but his point was very straightforward and clear as well.

paisley16 said:

Now that is what I call a useful website!

Thank you for that, but can you talk a bit more about the bodyguard incident?

because he didn't feel like it.....gosh!

Well, as I said, Prince pretty much tells it straight up in the song...

"I tried 2 tell them that I didn't want 2 sing
But I'd gladly write a song instead
They said OK and everything was cool (by all accounts, Bob Geldolf had nothing bad to say until this happened)Till a camera tried 2 get in my bed"

"I was sittin' pretty with a beautiful friend ("Oh darling")
"When this man tries 2 get in the car
("Hey Prince, come on, give us a smile, eh?")
No introduction, "How've U been?" (not even a "hello")Just - "Up yours! Smile, that's right, U're a star!" (Star)

While everyone else was recording WATW, Prince was out and about in LA. The photographer pushed his way into the car to take a pic and Chick/bodyguards basically beat him up and they got arrested. Prince had to bail them out I believe.

"U call 'em bodyguards but I call 'em my friends
I guess I'm used 2 havin' 'em around
And cameras by nature like rewards
That's the trouble I get when I'm Uptown"

Not much else to tell. He ended up getting a lot of grief, unwarranted since if that hadn't happened, Bob G and others would have nothing to say as no one would have even asked why Prince wasn't there since he did give a great song for the album and provided a video for broadcast during Live Aid. Prince said in the 1985 Rolling Stone interview that this led to Chick "fearing for his job" and ultimately resigning. Of course, later facts about Chick's drug use (and possibly allowing pics to be taken for pocket drug money) probably came into play there as well. Move on to "Old Friends 4 Sale".
Now that I'm thinking about it- it was believed at the time that Chick was Prince's "best friend". I guess the evidence of that is how at least twice he wrote songs directly involving Chick.

because he was a rude boy back then.

Actually, the reason is that Prince was at the absolute height of his popularity and it would have hurt his career to perform with those other people at that time. If it would have been a few years before or after that time, then he probably would have done. it. This seemed obvious back then, but not so much now as the music industry has changed a bit.


.
[Edited 3/1/07 20:51pm]

FunkiestOne said:

I don't know if it would have hurt his career per se, but he was SO BIG right then, plus it was happening on the same night as the AMA's- his presence would have attracted way too much attention. Also, then, as always, Prince doesn't like being told what to do in the studio- it's been that way since the very beginning. And if there was any truth to his own given reasons for not participating, "clamming up"- that would've been focused on, talked about, and might have hurt a bit. Of course, ultimately, his non-presence attracted too much attention due to above mentioned incident. IMO, he couldn't win at that time- it all happened at such a pivotal point in his success. He wasn't there for whatever personal reasons, but he couldn't avoid the cameras anyway.

I just get annoyed when people don't realize he gave a great song and video to the project- some acted as if they cared so much about the cause (i.e. let's hate Prince for skipping WATW, he doesn't care about starving kids, etc.), but yet never even bought the album or watched Live Aid.

...
[Edited 5/12/07 23:29pm]

oneradyear said:

extended version....

He didn't participate b/c at that point he was so socially disfunctional he couldn't interact with others. Hell, he had only recently been able to work with other band members on his own music. Prince couldn't function in an environment that he didn't totally control.

Also, Michael Jackson co-wrote "We Are The World" and considering the rivalry I don't think Prince wanted to sing an MJ song.

In many ways, that whole fiasco was the beginning of the end of Prince's mass popularity. Since then there has always been a certain percentage of people who simply hate the guy.

Yes, those other factors are true too with him being a control freak and maybe being nervous around the others. But think back to that time and Prince had recorded six albums and had never made a recording with another artist...no duets or TV appearances etc. He was painting a picture just with his brushstrokes, and it would have fucked with his groove it to do the We Are The World thing.

But he did it his way (giving them a song), and it all turned out fine in the end.
[Edited 3/1/07 22:31pm]

paisley16 said:

Yes I saw the same interview.

I'm kinda glad that he didn't participate. Looking back on it,it's corny,and he's 2 cool 4 that!

sexxydancer said:

good point!
I have the utmost respect for Sheila E. but always- even back then- felt she looked out of place/awkward in the video.

Why is he so heavily criticized for not joining in this? He helped the project out immensely by contributing 4TTIYE. That's the only reason I bought it. And more importantly, it's funny that people even now still remember he didn't participate when other majorly popular artists of the time (Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Duran Duran, just to name a few) didn't either. They never get any flack for it.

I read that along with submitting the song, he also donated a big chunk of cash to the project.

He's allergic to a situation where he is not in complete control.

He gave 4 The Tears In Your Eyes, a beautiful song and I think he was rightly proud of the food drive he had done during the Purple Rain Tour

We're against hungry children, our record stands tall
But there's just as much hunger here at home
We'll do what we can if y'all try 2 understand
A flower that has water will grow
And a child misunderstood will go
Hello! {x3}

I read somewhere that they had collected more donated food than any other tour up until that point.

Nobody could say he didn't care.

It's a shame that it kind of became a turning point with the media. They'd helped to build a huge star and he wasn't playing nice. Gotta love him.

sexxydancer said:

Not only that, Prince made a good a point: We have our OWN problems in the USA with poverty, homelessness, and famine and here they are trying to get together to help other people outside of the US. While excellent in theory, it just shows how the US has had a history of helping others abroad while shamefully and purposely neglecting their own.

mynameisnotsusan said:

Exactly.

Duran Duran was on Band Aid's "Do They Know it's Christmas" and Madonna was at Live Aid.

I forgot about Sheila E being on We Are the World. I always thought she was representing the whole Purple Kingdom by being on that record. I too, thought she looked uncomfortable with those other musicians at that session.

scriptgirl said:

I always thought the reason Sheila was there was because of her close, longstanding friendship with Lionel Richie who co-wrote We Are the World. She used to be his percussionist and was/is very close to Lionel, his then-wife Brenda and is Nicole Richie's godmother. Doesn't she specifically thank Lionel and his wife in the liner notes of Glamourous Life? That made more sense IMHO than her representing for Prince. BTW, anybody remember Lionel Richie's video "Running with the Night" (I think) that featured Sheila as the female lead. LOL! Reminds me of a cross between Beat It and West Side Story. . . but I digress