Yes, I LOVE this song. I think it's amazing. And it's one of the songs that remind me of Bowie. I kind of get an 'hours...' feel here, not the wild crazy jams like before, no experimenting or anything, but an honest, somber song that seems to deal with age or self-doubts in some ways.

Minimalist demo feel but Chaos & Disorder rocked harder.

Don't like the clunky way that he sings the chorus, but the overall song is pretty good. I know Lion Of Judah is hard to sing, but damn. I wonder how Wendy & Lisa deal with his JW crap. lol

2freaky4church1 said:

I agree about the chorus but the way he sings the other lyrics ( except for the chorus) works great, IMO. I also happen to like his singing in Digital Garden ( though I don´t really dig the lyrics there).

Actually, I now would almost call this song perfect from start to finish. I dig this A LOT.

2freaky4church1 said:

again more ignorance...the Lion of Judah has nothing to do with JW and as far as I remember the Wendy is Jewish and thus I am sure quite aware of what the Lion of Judah means and the tribe of Judah

again its the ignorance that kills me

Lion Of Judah is another weak song. He's done too many of these type of songs, they all sound the same and none of them were great to begin with.

calldapplwondery83 said:

It’s been quite a few years since I’ve gone from near dread to thinking that another seminal work might be afoot, but that’s exactly what’s happened with “Lion”.

Sleep can be reduced. My ears can find solace later.

Right now I’m just another gypsy beggar down on the cold bathroom tiles desperately seeking a lift; I’m “The Word” set to the motion of James Dean.

mcbliss said:

Name one Prince song it sounds like.

calldapplwondery83 said:

I agree! It's perfect.

Didn't like this one that much in the beginning but like it more and more after repeated listenings. Strike down my enemies .....!!

After hearing this on cd quality -- boring, boring, boring.

The lyrics weren't as bad as what I feared when I first heard the title, but still simply an unremarkable song. It reminds me of Mountains in that way. Maybe a twelve inch where Prince could actually work his band out of a verse-chrous-verse, etc formula would be as amazing as the Mountains 12 inch, but as it stands, completely bland and pointless.

No,no. It's amazing.

I hated it to start with but after a few listens (NOT ONE 2 JUDGE ON FIRST LISTEN)its becoming my fav!!!!

sheesh...opinion opinion opinion..."Don't u miss the way music made you FEEL back in the day?"
How about we stop analysing the crap out of ths album and just feel it?

thebiscuit said:

We are, but see this is a discussion board - the whole PURPOSE of being here is to DESCRIBE our opinions of how we FEEL.

Way cool, I feel a lot of sadness from Prince in these lyrics. To my ear the second chord in the chorus doesn't fit somehow which is something I have never experienced with Prince before. Could be my ear needs to adjust.
He's pushing forwards into new harmonic territory which is excellent, on the edge of his comfort zone perhaps.
Wicked lead guitar sound, reminiscent of some of the effect combinations Robert Smith of the Cure has used which I think are great.
I really hope he plays this at the concert as it will be fierce.

Oh and NouveauDance, you know I was moaning aboat the Mail on Sunday thing? well it's confession time, you were right damn you, I bought it anyway.
Needed to get that off my chest. I think the main thing that was affecting me was that all the Prince haters I ever knew would see it as confirmation that Prince is a sell out. What am I worried about? he couldn't sell out if he tried and music speaks louder than bad journalism.

My fav song on the album so far..

One of my favorite songs on PE this is great

calldapplwondery83 said:

yeah...I think that line form Vicki Waiting is THE single most honest lyric in any Prince song.


Talk of children still frightens me....is my character enuff 2 b...one that deserves a copy made, this i one day I hope 2 c....



ouch...honesty like that is painful....

Yes, and I think it's so refreshing to hear him sing "looking for the energy to take you there", when it's usually "Eye'm ur mackdaddy and Eye will take U places U've never been b4".

The song makes me

Quite clearly the best song on the album....could easily sit on Purple Rain or SOTT - actually anything in the 84-88 era.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Prince is very human in this song.

Lion of Judah is one of my absolute favourite moments on Planet Earth. But to be honest, there are so many. I am thorougly enjoying it.

A friend and I were discussing this album and his excitement is captured here.

Clearly something has been oiled. I'm not sure if it's the production, the songwriting, the editing, or all of the above, but he seems to be back to challenging himself in the studio the same way he has been live. Simply fantastic.

There might not be any greatest songs of the decade like with "When Doves Cry" or "Purple Rain", but right now there are too many high points to mention (perhaps 8 or even 9 out of 10).

There are currently no low points, unless you mean relative to the best songs. And I wasn't very sure at all at first about the inclusion of at least 3 tracks. Fortunately my first impressions proved to be deeply flawed again.

Everything here is so on fire, so fantastically freeing, so utterly consistent, so right on my loose pocket change -- just like that guy who served up “Fury” for the masses on Saturday Night live.

If he doesn’t perform all or nearly all of these 10 tracks in London, something is terribly askew; especially after giving the album away to nearly 3 million folks.

Many of these tracks could make their legend live. A few of these tracks might even become concert staples.

It’s been quite a few years since I’ve gone from near dread to thinking that another seminal work might be afoot, but that’s exactly what’s happened with “Lion”.

Sleep can be reduced. My ears can find solace later.

Right now I’m just another gypsy beggar down on the cold bathroom tiles desperately seeking a lift; I’m “The Word” set to the motion of James Dean.

Perhaps some of the newness will always be exciting, but I do believe that when the dust settles we have a terribly complete album, one absolutely filled to the gills with greatness.

In many ways this is the record that “The Gold Experience” is and could have been if he hadn’t sat on it for so many months.

“There is no song on the album that feels like it might be lacking compared to a live performance.”

That’s exactly it. If he outdoes himself here live, I don’t care, because I have perfect studio productions. Unlike “Fury” where I felt it was all very good on record, but I’d much rather be listening to the version he produced on SNL.

However, there are several tracks I’d love to here in their extended form. I doubt I’ll get them, just like I doubt the album artwork will be good anytime soon.

“I would even go so far as to say that this album stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of The Rainbow Children and Lovesexy in terms of studio delivery.”

Truly. The production on these albums is effortless sounding, freeing, energizing. I’m in a smoky jazz club, I’m driving down the expressway with my hair flapping in the wind, I’m feeling Chelsea’s ass as it’s being shaken (never stirred).

“All The Midnights” was one of the tracks that missed me originally, so did “Mr. Goodnight”. And as you might guess, “Lion” sounded awfully whiny to me. Well, little did I know, his vocal delivery is supposed to be near tears. That’s precisely why I don’t put a whole lot of stock into first impressions.

They’re interesting, but they rarely speak any kind of lasting truth.

And now “All The Midnights” ranks with his greatest segue songs, like “Starfish” and “Under the Cherry Moon”. I don’t know whose best (I’ll leave that for the scientists), but all of this stuff just floats on thin air.

“As for high points, where does one start? Each song has pearls of poetry and pop prowess skillfully interwoven.”

Exactly. That’s why it didn’t even bother to start.

As stupid as it might sound right now, 8 or 9 of these tracks might be great, or at least near great.

I usually don’t care, especially when he is thousands of miles away. But he simply must play this entire record in concert. It’s that good.

We don’t need another hidden treasure. This one should be aired live.

dodger said:

Now I had my pre-teen religious indoctrination like many...but you shouldn't have to look up scripture to understand a songs meaning. It's essentially the same reason that Dennis Miller didn't work on Monday Night Football. Using generic things like "The Cross" and "The Lord's Prayer" are INCLUSIVE enough for the layperson whereas "Lion of Judah" and singing about "Theocratic Order" are EXCLUSIVE. The problem with religion is that everyone thinks ONLY their VERSION is valid whereas there are lessons to be learned from ALL the various religious texts and your preference is no more than your favorite flavor.

PS: The chorus is becoming less annoying with repeated listening...the effects of the purple kool-aid must be kicking in.

I listened to this song on repeat for like an hour and a half this afternoon. Really strong song. Very urgent, Graffiti Bridgeish. The lyrics are open to so many interpretations. Ladies will swoon, brothers will croon, but whos hes really talking to in that room? This is a Saturday driving song.

probably already been mentioned here, but that opening guitar has shades of Purple Rain
(avoided PE discussions til i had the cd)

love it- its really growing on me- after only 2 listen

even more drivel....