dodger said:

i tried listening to the the track over and over again but as soon
as that bridge comes up he's lost me.

why did he do that? i'm sure he knows it sounds exactly like that
manilow song.

made what had the potential to be a superb song into a cringefest.

Needlessly bombastic, reminded me of "Strays of the World."

Simply OK.

vainandy said:

lion of Judah would have been a better opener, huh?

4 a leading track 2 a album it doesn't grab me...

perhaps on more listenings i'll repost later

IstenSzek said:

well it is magical when some god dude appears and offs the world and takes all the "chosen"... and the bridge starts off as a pleasant quote, then becomes a little more frantic in tone each time, until it just plays as a spastic cartoon electric horn.
[Edited 7/25/07 9:44am]

im trying...im trying to dig this song...its not a skipper anymore (the only skipper for me so thus far is future baby mama) but its not something i love.

I don't really see anything "open worthy" on the album. For me, an opener would be something fast and funky but starts out with some sort of a long intro.

thekidsgirl said:

me too! me too!!

I like this track. Typical Prince, I wish the chorus was more singalong-able. The verse has a nice melody, but the chorus is one-note-multitracked-mush.

Musically I think it's really strong, and the lyrics seem to hold up okay, even if they're not exactly brilliant. Takes the energy really high by the end and carries some of that magic WE all know & love that not everyone's experienced.

Thank God I don't know the Barry Manilow song you're talking about! All The Midnights reminds me of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and that's bad enough!

The bridge is cringe worthy. Love the guitar and the build up. Would have worked better as a closer, really.

I've dug this song since i first heard it. But the other day I reliazed something about it af remembering the story mavis told about a song Prince wanted her to record about God being like a dog in heat...i know y'all know what I'm referring to. Well...I reliazed that this song is a complete and utter Gospel song....from "Imagine" to "evermore" and evey "the one" and "Kingdom Come" in between. Being an athiest...I still love the song a great deal and appriciate the ideas it has to offer. My main point though is that Prince can always find a way to make a Gospel song sound as mainstream as they can...Chelsea is also an example of this to a degree....Am i completely off base or does this ring true?






PS:
also...someone, not long after it came out...described the guitar effect at the end akin to Fred flintsotne and Barney starting/stopping running or driving/braking....U've almost ruined the song cuz that SOOOOO is what it sounds like...really...

NDRU said:

I think the chorus is very singalon-able....it's what usually comes to mind first when I get to humming the tune....

It's growing on me, but I can't hardly understand much of what Prince is saying. Is it me or is the production of this tune a little too muddy? It is a nice, but overbearing social-political song about the world's ills as of now. The melodies of the verse are infectious and guitar licks makes this song a standout, IMO.

silverchild said:

Muddy?...i unno...but it's not crisp and clean like a freshly starched shirt....more like a holey, wrikled sweater...but I think that was done purposefully(is that a word...lol)! The planet has been thru some shit and will go thru more shit...the production reflects that...IMO....
[Edited 7/25/07 19:33pm]

BobGeorge909 said:

Good point! Thax 4 clarifying that to me...

Love this track!! When I'm not listening to it, I find myself humming it The word "epic" was used by some other folks and that's exactly the word that popped into my head when I heard it. That guitar solo...come on!

goddess09 said:

for the first time in years i found myself doing the exact the same...i am still not sure if i like the song...like herb4 mentioned, the bridge is horrible...however, if im humming it, can it be bad? check back with me in a couple days.

Can you say "Empty Room" NPGMC Soundcheck version/"When I lay my hands on u"?
Come on Prince, not very original.

I really like this song. I also like the bridge. Though, because I am random, I would've put a guitar solo in there to build the song and get people all excited and brought it back down. And then rock it out. I'm sure this song is gonna sound awesome live!!!!

Just listened w/ new earbuds; that bridge: the keyboard reminds me of The Who and the brit wit shows my mother watches.

BobGeorge909 said:

the song u speak of is god is alive and that song alone makes this album so sub par 2 that one
[Edited 7/26/07 9:40am]

One of the best songs Prince ever composed, at least for my taste.

10/10 points.

Ok now I am getting obsessed with this song...can't stop singing it!!!!!

BobGeorge909 said:

I don't hear any melody on the chorus except the "So it shall be written shall be sung" part.

Not that I don't like the song. It's probably my favorite track on the cd.

the music is great but the song is anything but singable, it's lacking a strong melody

I just listened to the song in headphones for the first time (expensive headphones) and it really brought out much more clarity and depth to the song.

Seemds to me the chorus is hitting over and over with one note to sound like a resounding huge complicated reckoning toll (it's about the end of the world happening now). It's really a spooky song, sort of a huge announcement of religious finality and belief that it is time for everything to end (revelations style). I guess some believe that the chosen will go on, and the others will perish. That's a scary message.

I like the anthem feel to it..this and future babymama, are my non-stop listen too's. I always pray when I get a new Prince cd, that there will be atleast 2 new songs, I can connect with. By george I found them!! The rest is just icing on the cake!!

GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! PRINCE YOU'RE JUST A BAD MUTHA.....