theums said:

I agree with you about the wiser use of metaphors in his older songs but remember, there were sometimes very direct and blunt religious lyrics in his old lyrics , too. It bothers me sometimes because I can not really relate to each and every aspect of his religious outlook on life but I still feel the positive vibe of those kind of songs. A lot of fans complained about his sterile sounding sounds and lack of raw energy and Wendy and Lisa missing and now that it´s all there, at least to some extent, a lot of us still complain .

Yes, the Revolution sound is back, and though many may disagree with me, there were a lot of weaker Revolution songs in the past that didn´t do much for me, like Teacher, Teacher and Make Your Mama Happy who both had great lyrics but musically were not really my cup of tea.
Now this song truly sounds like an old Revolution song but really in a good way. The passion, the urge and desperation are there, he´s doing his own thing musicwise, it´s a typical, great Prince song and it´s simply one of the best songs he´s released in a long time.
Maybe he´s better when he let´s go of the machismo and boasting in his lyrics and shows some more of his vulnerable side, though I do believe that the machismo side is honest as well, just a different side of his personality.
Mr. Goodnight for instance could have been so much better if he had put more effort into the lyrics..the song has such a wonderful, summerly, breezy feel and sweet melody yet many seem to hate it.

The comparisons with Cinnamon Girl do make sense in a way because of the style that´s being used here but come on people,Cinnamon Girl is not a bad song !
Too bad it´s so underrated here. It is one of his deepest and maybe least popular and yet on point social commentaries ever.
People still rave about Sign Of The Times and its urgency but the urgency and the concern is still there, though personally I find stuff like Dear Mr.Man not very deep, at least not as deep as Cinnamon Girl.

Again, I can´t understand the hate that this Lion Of Judah song is getting here.

That being said, a different line than Lion Of Judah would´ve been cool but than again, the Lion of Judah represents strength and, if it stands for Jesus Christ, also for understanding and empathy and compassion and love so , lyricswise, it isn´t that bad of a lyric and much less provocative than a lot of his other lyrics, even those from the 80´s ( as I said, as a non-Christian listener I still dug his old work for the music, the positive and uplifting vibe and the delivery , and this one isn´t even that direct or obvious in its use of religious imagery).

Great, fantastic song. Sometimes I reminisce about the "good old days" too but, honestly , there were a lot of WTF moments back then , too. It´s great to see him do what he´s doing and how he´s doing it, and people should appreciate him while he´s there, healthy , wealthy, wise and still with an amazing and notorious energy level, as evidenced in his live shows and songs like this one.

It´s funny that so many mention the Revolution sound...it´s back again, Sheila E is back again, even Michael B. And Sonny T. are back again, all the ingredients are there...I never espected this album to sound extremely innovative and fresh but I´m very positively surprised.
Some might say it´s a return to form ( yet again) but it´s more than that..with these players back in the mix,and most of the less popular factors out, one can only imagine what his next real big project is going to sound like.

I guess some would rather see him end up like Rick James, JB or MJ instead of doing things the way only he knows how to.

Now, if this line up doesn´t work , nothing will.

I also like how he uses his voice in this song and how he channels a little bit of Jimi Hendrix´singing style in the last few sentences.

Good song.

I like the song but yet again I think his vocals could have been delivered better...meh . but as always the lyrics are awesome just not my fav song.I see myself skipping it in a couple years.
[Edited 7/18/07 11:12am]

The guitar at the beginning reminds me of Purple Rain.

GIGGLYPUFF!!!!

reminds me a little bit of "morning paper" , "money don't matter2 and "a million days". whatever.
Maybe that's why I like it so much.

The guitar work is very cool.
This gets better with time.

Angelic1302 said:

This is the song that I seem to be returning to the most. Great imagery, great instrumentation, and a great glimpse into a rarely seen vulnerable side of Prince makes for a truly great song.

Not really feeling this one. I like the guitar in the beginning--is that Wendy?

NuPwr319 said:

Probably. I wonder if he instructed her "Use the exact same chorus pedal, guitar, and amp you used for 'Purple Rain'" or what? Because it's identical tone and effects.

The song isn't any good. It's a polished turd in my opinion, with Wendy and Lisa's contributions wasted on a lack of melody and solid musical ideas. Prince's vocal performance here is dire (not that he's completely lost it... "Planet Earth" is a great performance).

Not a total disaster like "Mr. Goodnight" and "All The Midnights" but this is not a good track.

brink

lakerlaker52 said:

Haven't heard the song yet, but I got the impression that the vocals are intentionally so. Will listen tomorrow.

People, this is a seriously poor song, on a fairly average album.

Prince can do better, and the combination of Prince and Wendy has been a lot stronger than this.

Perhaps the times were inspiring rather than the combination itself.

T

Tokyo said:

Why do you think it is a poor song? I think it's absolutely stunning.

Really old school sound. Purple Rainesque chords in the beginning. W&L all over it. Lyrics too religious(not spiritual) for me. don't like religion much- it's like propoganda. But hey, that's me. I do like the drama in the song.

mplsmike said:

I love gigglypuff! I used to have a rabbit with that name about 7 years ago...Sadly, I had to give it away b/c I was moving...

Moonbeam said:

Absolutely!

This is a song I could see being delivered on European rock festivals! Splendid!

mplsmike said:

Can't wait!!! I can't believe I'm being so patient. Next week cannot get here soon enough. All my friends are asking..."you got that new Prince cd yet?"

Come on wid it baby! This waiting and anticipating is killin me!

theums said:

Like 'The Cross'?

NouveauDance said:

what was that a metaphor for

NouveauDance said:

Or perhaps the Lord's Prayer in Controversy

Shawnt24 said:

Or asking Jesus for redemption in 'Anna Stesia'.

theums said:

What about the lyrics would you deem to be offensive?

Reminds me of ripe fruit...

Yep, dig this a lot. Unusual mood for Prince, IMO. Interesting vocal arrangements. And I can live with "religious imagery" if he does it like here. Because, as others have said before, it's basically a confession that he feels blue and insignificant (sometimes) and needs his faith to lift him up.

i cant understand the dispute over this song... its a pretty standard prince track which sounds like purple rain, the morning papers, last december, bla bla bla... its not "a turd" , its not crap ... its just a prince song which i think is great. If you cant handle the religious imagery wtf are you doing here prince has been doing this for twenty years.

Hmm, I don't think it sounds like any of those songs at all.

calldapplwondery83 said:

The opening chord sounds like "Purple Rain", but that is the only similarity I see between "Lion of Judah" and ANY other Prince song.

Moonbeam said:

That's right, and it's so obvious, it must be intentional. It is.