I've heard the several time already and I've made it work for me by taking out 3 tracks that "do not compute," at least not the way I know him.

This track is probably one of the most fun on the whole album. It's so fun to sing along to (which it shares in common with many of the tracks, "The Max," and "Continental" in particular).
There's just one thing I don't get.

What is it supposedly about?
Who is Victor?
And how does this fit into the whole album?

The only thing I can figure out is that it's a precursor to the songs "Race" and "We March" which is about roughly the same thing... has to do with racism and such.

If your'e Victorious-U most likely sacrificed greatly.

Victor is Prince (he says to Vanessa Bartholomew, "My name is Victor"), but yeah, he's playing on victorious. I think it's a culmination of the album, which he starts by affirming that his name is Prince and ends with this talk of "Victor." But I think he makes it clear that it's his own sacrifices he's talking about in the song--his battle with epilepsy (which may or may not be true), his school's integration, his being called the N word.

To me, how it fits into the album is how every other song on it does--he intends it as a whole piece, an "opera" that is telling a whole story. The theme of the entire album, I think, is Prince's personal identity--how he's accepting who he is in this life (he references reincarnation a couple times) and how that person came to be (the video for 7, where he kills off his old personae further ties in to this).

I don't think it's a perfect album, but it is one I love, and it builds up to an ending and tells a whole story cohesively.

Efan said:

Thanx, I'll definitely be saving this for future references.
I do love the album, haha, but after listening to it after being exposed 2 1999 & PR all week, it seems to pale in comparison. Can't say I'm too surprised about that. Yeah, I had a feeling this is one of those albums meant 2b seen as a whole (but I really try 2 do that with all of his albums, cuz I thought that's the kind of thing he does).
But I heard about the "3 Chains O' Gold" movie which features music from this. I really can't see it as a story... but I really don't like the song itself. It doesn't work 4 me. It sounds like he's either 2 over the top or he's trying to do "Bohemian Rhapsody"... It drives me crazy cuz musically, it goes against the image I have of him. This isn't the type of material that he writes.

I took out 2 other songs that are more-less filler (Arrogance & the Flow) cuz they don't really go with anything else and that's not my genre.
Other than those exceptions, the album's really good. And this song is a good ending 4 it.