I have been waiting a long time for a song from Prince that has a great rock & roll feel and groove like Let's Go Crazy or I could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. A song where his guitar playing effortlessly soars and takes me to another place- Guitar is that song. It has a very fresh feel and vibe and I predict this will hit the US top 10 singles chart. What are your thoughts about the song and do you think this is the hit we have been waiting for?

I love the new version. But there's no way in hell it's going to be big. It might have more of a shot because of the commercial, but there's no way in hell a Prince single is ever going to be "big" again.

Raze said:

Agreed

Raze said:

i always thought he should do a bond theme. it wouldn't guarantee a "big" single, but at least it would be a notable one.

I do not think this is the "hit" we've been waiting for. It is kinda catchy, but I don't think it's all that good. It's much better than the original though.

For me, Black Sweat was the hit I was waiting for.

I dunno, it'll still be a sweet summer hit.

grr

verizon ads will help in the states.
a lot of songs used in commercials in australia go on 2 make it big as singles-

just 2 name of my personal favs

are u gonna b my girl-jet- apple ipod

you get what u give -new radicals 4 mitsubishi cars

radio airplay will be a big thing. it is pretty catchy, i think old fans who have dropped off over the years will return, and maybe some new ones as well

Guitar #1 AROUND THE WORLD-

if not #1 at least top 10

"no way in hell prince will ever have another big hit"
geez, i know the state of industry is wack and radio sucks, but i still would never say that. possible but unlikely is one thing, but no way in hell?! hmmm.

i don't think Guitar is that hit, but enjoy it to the max and let it be YOUR hit. i agree with Seven, Black Sweat was mine. still bump it like its Top 5 right now.

It doesn't deserve to IMO. Well not that many of the songs deserve to but anyway...

My point is that Prince should work towards solifying his creative legacy amongst people who give a shit about music, not the ones that make 'London Bridge' go to number one. "Guitar" will not cut it. Now that Prince is starting to be 'cool' again, he needs to make some more inspired music (it doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be inspired_ imo. Sorry if that is an elitest way of looking it at but I prefer if he didn't take the route of mainstream exposure.
[Edited 6/8/07 19:54pm]

I like Guitar alot, and I really enjoyed Musicology and 3121... but let's face it. These albums are basically just much better crafted pop/rock collections similar to what he was doing in the late 90's and early 00's. There is nothing close to the vision and imagination of his peak 80's work. There are moments here and there, but it's a different ballgame.

I don't think Prince can pull a SOTT part 2 out of his cap like folks seem to think. Look at what he's been doing for SEVENTEEN YEARS now. That's a long time to tread water, but basically he's been doing it.

Oh I've enjoyed alot of it, and I'm sure I will enjoy Planet Earth. But those wishing for the next "Golden Era" need to just dust off your old 80's CDs, enjoy them for how great they are, and come to the realization that those days are long gone. my 2 cents, anyway

NorthernLad said:

I agree completely with this. As much as I like a lot of the stuff in the last 20 years, there's nothing that indicates there's going to be anything on the level of his classic run of 80's work.

But then, that's true of most of my favorite artists when comparing their current work to what they did in their heydays.

if it does become a hit, then great! if not, then that's ok too. we'll still get the album.
i look forward to it.

When 3121 came out, I said that it was going to be the return of Prince's popularity. A lot of people my age (18 and around there) know and love songs from 3121, and that has consequently driven them to listen to Prince's other works and enjoy them also. I have personally seen a sort of Prince pseudo-renaissance in my age group (I live in Southern Indiana / Northern Kentucky).

Having said that, I now think that 3121 was just Prince's warm up, and Planet Earth is going to be his major comeback. I think Guitar is going to get a lot of top 40 airplay and be well known by younger generations of music fans. I get a lot of people tell me they have seen the Prince commercial and like it.

Yeah, Prince is coming back. Guitar IS indeed going to be big.

I'm looking forward to this.

Raze said:

Why the hell not? Guitar is radio-friendly. A nice little summer ditty. Ever since the Superbowl apperance, and several apperances since then, Prince is back on the radar. He knows exactly what he is doing, and he is doing all the right things. Guitar will be a comeback hit for him!
[Edited 6/9/07 1:37am]

Anxiety said:

I agree! I'd love him to do a Bond song. It'd definately be a more interesting track then any Bond single in recent years!

I still never underestimate the man. I think that he is certainly capable, even after all these years, to pull a masterpiece out of his hat. And he is the only artist out there that is capable of such a feat. I would not be surprised!
[Edited 6/9/07 2:19am]

nurse said:

So negative you two

Have some faith in our lil guy, maybe there is another song on the new album that is going to be big! Ya never know

Seventeen said:

great TV appearances and building buzz didn't translate into hits for the last 2 albums, so why would it this time?

Good point. I just think "Guitar" is the right song though; a good single

choice finally. It's wierd saying that after hearing the demo version or

previous version, whatever it was.

I agree he will never reach the glory that he had in the 80's, and definitely not with songs like kitty songs like Guitar (ok but not great) Glass cutter was the same kinda of vibe and a better song and no one (except for the prince loyal) has ever heard of it. It has been about 15 years and 15 ablums before he has had a grand slam hit, what makes people think he will have one now.

The only way to come close to his glory of the 80's is to mabye collaborate with Alicia keys, beyonce or sombody who is hot and have a hit song. Similiar to what Carlos Santana did with the album "Smooth"

PS his mysterious behavior will always keep him current and popular (just not hot)

Miles D

I totally agree with the people here who said that Black Sweat was supposed to be a hit. That song was screaming Top 10, hell even #1. With Guitar, this song could be a hit too. Come to think of it, any of Prince's songs could go to the top 40, even the top 10 if they are pushed hard enough by the record labels. We are in a state of payola now and if the labels aren't going to pay radio to play his songs, then Prince won't get played. So basically, get ready for the same thing we've had for over 10 years now: No Airplay.

Purplecam ,I think many people just don't know the music industry and how it works. Prince has had top 10 quality of music. He has not had the promotion by the labels to put a song at #1. Musiclogy did not crack the top 10 but was played widely on radio. Hell, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantasic had more quality radio friendly hits than any other Prince album post TGE and it went down in flames.

Question: Outside of the so call "fans" expectations of Prince is his music in the last 15 years been bad or has it been a lack of airplay and media gaga ?

Prince has been blacklisted by certain companies IMHO .People complain about the quality of Prince's music but U2's music quality has dipped in recent years as well but you constantly see them topping the charts. I think both are producing outstanding stuff that is much better than the current musical offerings.

What's the difference ?

Label promotion and the power of that company in getting the music to chart.

OLDHATJ said:

black sweat was too different to be a hit - the groove was there but the topic/lyrics weren't

Guitar is too safe and people will dismiss it as being older, mellower Prince. Not to mention that the track doesn't have enough guitar.

Well, in the R&B world, CALL MY NAME was HUGE. He garnered a GRAMMY for that. But, alot of folks are stuck in a vacuum. Also, if Prince delivers a radio friendly song to the radio, it will get played. There is no conspiracy to keep him off the airwaves. He has put out records on Arista, Columbia, Universal and now back to Sony. Please tell me how this happens if there isn't any interest in him. As to musicology, it sold over a million in the states w/out the giveaway. Purple Rain was an anomoly; he has never, ever moved alot of units; period!!!!!

His career has not suffered per se due to lack of airplay. I tend to think he has the career nmost artists would die for. He is still A listed after all these years and still picks and chooses his projects the way he wants. His fear of a lbel dropping him ended 27 albums ago. No one project for him is make or break

muleFunk said:

That's a big problem with these one-off distribution deals he's been doing since Emancipation. He's paying them (most likely) a flat fee to distribute and promote these albums. They're getting their money whether a song or album hits #1 or doesn't even make the chart. The label has no vested interest in going "above & beyond" to promote these albums, because there's no return on it for them.

And on top that, look at 3121. Prince lost interest in promoting that album practically the minute it came out. So it's a 2 way street.

lwr001 said:

I don't think there's a conspiracy to keep him off the airwaves. Unfortunately, it takes a conspiracy to get on them these days.

Raze said:

lol..good answer

with the kinda music i hear ppl talk abt today- Guitar should be a hit among them. Granted, I don't think it'll be a chart-topper for 5 weeks or something, but it will make him noticed by the current generation and bring him back to the mainstream radio (as far as I know, he has only been on R&B station and stuff like that).