I cant get enough of this song. It is by far one of the best things he has ever written. Ive listened to it constantly for 2 days now and I cant stop humming it in my head.. When I was in a boring work meeting this morning, all I was thinking was "the main problem with war..."

Awesome Awesome song!!

though.

vinx98 said:

but how much of it did he truly write? arrange?

Snap said:

dont know 4 sure as the record aint out officially, you saying its a W&L song? The lyrics are too (cheesy) Princey... Maybe the guitar riff is though. I hear Wendy on Lion of Judah (so much like Purple Rain)..

I like how the song sounds like the most innocuous thing Prince has ever produced and yet the lyrics actually takes a very bitter and straightforward dig at the Bush government and the war campaign. As soon as Prince begins the song with "The main problem with war..." you already know that he ain't gonna mince words with this one.

The best thing about it is the retro arrangement and W&L's voices. God I miss them. I would love a whole album done with this aesthetic. Not to loud, a little sloppy very organic. The lyrics are a bit corny but not as cringeworthy as Judah.

Unfortunately it ultimately sounds like an outtake off of Dream Factory. Its as if they have at least 10 better songs like this still in them. And the end of the track Im a little sad and bittersweet. Just think of what would have happened if Prince and the girls would have worked it out after Parade.....

("so strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade....this is just another song about it.....")

This song is moronic. "The main problem with war is nobody ever wins." Really, Prince? So...nobody won in the war that freed your ancestors? Or liberated thousands more from Hitler's death camps?

Thank you so much for giving us the next installment in The Kindergartner's View of World Events.

But in winning a war you also lose a lot.

forkupine said:

But if it's for a just cause (yes, there is such a thing) and waged properly, the price is worth bearing.

I'm also bugged by him just mouthing platitudes. He used to be able to come up with a killer metaphor (no pun intended). Now, he just beats you over the head with rhetoric that wouldn't win a middle-school debate.

But as a friend pointed out to me today, "well-reasoned, logical statements rarely make for interesting lyrics."

Genesia said:

I agree that it's of course a simplistic statement, but in general it is true. Songs are not meant to accurately describe the world. That's what politics and such are for. It might be a child-like view of things, but that's alright. Emotionally, it's true.

Hope I got my point across.

calldapplwondery83 said:

I understand what you're saying, but he'd be better off coming up with a metaphor (which, as I said, he used to be able to do) than just taking the easy way out.

There used to be some literary agility in Prince's lyrics -- even if I didn't agree with him, I could still marvel at the way he used language. (As a writer myself, it's one of the things that drew me to him in the first place.)

These lyrics are lazy -- that's what irritates me the most. And on a song closes an album? Geez, what a letdown.

I know, the lyrics are a bit cliched, but i doesnt bother me too much because english isnt my first language.

But, musically this is one of the best tracks on the new album for me. Its nice to hear Prince so sober and understated on a pop/rock-song for a turn. I am glad he doesnt spoil the music and melody with all kind of 'bombast'.

Its also surprising in the way that it touches types of music you normally dont associate with him. The background vocals of Wendy and Lisa remind me of sunny Californian pop from the sixties and seventies.
The guitarriff reminds me a bit of folk-rock: someone here said it reminded him/her of the Indigo girls, and know i think about it: the song reminds me of Hammer and Nails of The Indigo Girls, but with a softer drumsound and a bit more 'poppy' melody.

I think part of this has to do with the input of Wendy and Lisa: on their album Eroica you can hear a few of songs that also sound 'folky'. I wouldnt be surprised when Wendy and Lisa co-wrote the song with Prince.

In short: (exluding the lyrics here) a fresh, little gem. Mr. Goodnight sounds like Prince on autopilot, this song sounds him exploring new territory.

Genesia said:

The last war I can think of where anybody won was WWII and there have been dozens of wars since. Maybe Prince was wrong about the past, but maybe he's right about the future and with respect to wars, that is all that is under our control.

RodeoSchro said:

Define "our." Are the people who just tried to blow up several buildings in the UK part of the "our" of which you speak?

ah jeez...we got a Bushie in the house

emesem said:

How does that follow?

Lion of Judah is better! I LOVE it!

Genesia said:

I agree, sounds pathetic sesame street rambling....lyrically over the past two albums he's digressed and dumb down it seems to fit a particular pop format. Many song gems though, but I think he needs to go away for awhile. Sounds horrible but he's plateaued in my opinion. That or striving too hard to be the ultimate pop musician in world and industry that's changed. Get him out of the million dollar studios, forget everything he's learned and knows, perhaps new instruments, position himself for a complete musical reinvention. It's gotta happen sometime. I hope.

jacobpb said:

Exactly!!!! This is not the man who penned Little Red Corvette and Dorothy Parker.

Would it be possible at all for P to create a song, let alone an album, that EVERYONE loves? I don't think so.

The problem (if i can call it that) is that P's music is so diverse, that he attracts a very diverse audience.. all of them expecting him to fulfill their particular wishes in music. I guess the best P can do is to keep on doing what he does best, and keep on making music on his own terms.

In fact i don't think his music changed that much throughout his career. Sure, he uses the latest gadgets and whatnot, but it still sounds like P-music. The thing is that what he did was nothing short of revolutionary when he started doing it. Now the rest of the world has kinda caught up, and while P is still doing his thing, it's no longer seen as 'new'.

Genesia said:

like DB said:
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes, turn and face the strain!

hey, fortunately this is not the man who penned all the great old stuff.
are you the same person you were 20 year ago, I hope not.
[Edited 7/11/07 15:10pm]

This song didnt speak to me much at first and now I absolutely love it. It's more stuck in my head than Chelsea or One U Wanna C. I don't understand can truly hate on this album. Play it back to back with NPS once for perspective. SHEESH!

Genesia said:

Genesia said:

Well, Prince is in a different place as a person, who he is associating with, etc. This may shock some people, but I'm not sure he's 100% behind his writing on this song either. Look at the Hollywood crowd he's hanging out with. What stance do you expect him to take? In fact I'm not sure he's 100% behind the songs he's putting out either (WHAAT??) Seriously. Who knows. People shouldn't assume anything. I'm just throwing things out there, based on his personality type and insecurities. And to me, he's doing anything he can for that limelight, status, etc. For me, with 3121, that's probably the best one can do, and it didn't get the radio airplay, well we're in a different time. It should have no bearing on the album because it fit the mold to be played. Also who knows what other projects are going on in his mind..perhaps he was trying to shop a 3121 movie? The influence of past cohorts...also it sounds like this is a transition album, similar to GRAFFITI BRIDGE or CONTROVERSY.

Payt said:

Well Said.

Genesia said:

OK, I think I agree with that. I have not heard the song yet and I think the way it is presented is very important, and I cannot comment on that. I would agree though that the blandness of the line kind of contraticts what he propably meant emotionally (like I wrote before).

You propably realize that I'm struggling for words a bit here, as English isn't my native language.

Since we're kind of on that topic, the one thing that has bothered me a bit the last years (and my point of view generally is to let an artist like him do whatever he feels), that getting his beliefs across seems more important to him that clever lyrics. The main example being the line "the bible's the only book she reads" in the live versions of Dolphin from 2002 (although I think he wouldn't sing it like that nowadays anymore).
Anyway, kinda off topic, so ramble over.

serk said:

The same person? No. I hope I'm a smarter -- and deeper -- person than I was 20 years ago. Which, in turn, should make me a better writer now than I was then.

Unfortunately, a lot of people tend to rest on their laurels when they get to be Prince's (and my) age.

That may be comfortable -- but it isn't necessarily good.

calldapplwondery83 said:

I think you express yourself extremely well in English.

You make a very apt point about his beliefs being more important now than clever lyrics. This is something I have thought about, as well.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I think Prince has always been at his best when he positions himself as a storyteller -- rather than a peddler of straight truth. I think of the songs I find most compelling -- Corvette, Dorothy, Condition of the Heart (to name a few), even Everlasting Now -- and they all have one thing in common: they tell a story. He's clever and interesting in this mode.

I'm bored with him as he presents himself now. He's no different from any number of other artists. And for a maverick (as he's presented himself in the past) --that's the kiss of death.

Genesia said:

He is and he ain't..get over it stop living in the past yours and his..enjoy the now.

This song is embarrassing.


*adds to pile of "embarassing songs from 3121 and planet earth"*

purplesweat said:

HMM... ONE SAYS IT'S A GREAT SONG, ONE SAYS IT'S EMBARRASSING, ALTHOUGH THEY SPELLED IT INCORRECTLY, HMM... WHAT'S ONE TO THINK?

I KNOW... I'LL ADD THE "EMBARASSING" STATEMENT TO A PILE OF BULLSHIT FROM THE ORG.