I know this song is a decade and a half old and all, but something about "Race" has really bugged me ever since I first heard it. I love the music, and I think the chorus is catchy and clever, but the lyrics are really wrong-headed. Prince is saying to ignore what went on before, all of the history of racism. It's the only time, it seems to me, that Prince advocated such a stance, and it stands in sharp contrast to "We March," a song that followed shortly thereafter, and definitely unlike "Avalanche," in which Prince chastises people for not knowing their history. Thoughts?
[Edited 9/13/07 10:18am]

The man is a buffet of contradictions. That's part of his mystery.

JuliePurplehead said:

Exactly. Who knows what his beliefs are. He changes them so often.

I think it's that he's very open minded. Everybody's got a story, and he tries to see things from different points of view...which gets expressed at different times in different ways...he's an artist!

Efan said:

"We March," is a stance to be taken in the face of those in control, that have not rested these racial issues. Racism,(that ignorance) doesn't deserve a place in the role of anyone claiming to be an authority figure.
"We March," is a song within the heart of those that know they deserve the power.

I always took as saying 'get over it', which makes a lot of sense.

Obsidian said:

regardless of any topic, i just really like what you wrote Obsidian.
it helps me w/my ever-changing definition of 'what is an artist, really?'
thank you.

Efan said:

I don't think it is full of contradiction as some others have posted. If you look at the lyrics carefully, he does chastise those that have racist views, particularly in the verses before the 1st time the chorus appears. The chorus is his attempt to say that we are all the same.

After the chorus he continues his assualt on the racists and ends that verse with " If we never heard about the evils that those before us committed
Then how my dear, tell me now how my dear, tell me now how now would we know" I take this to mean that racism is handed down from generation to generation and it just keeps going on.

The last group of verses also indicate this in that he says that history and bullshit propaganda is what is keeping the races apart, but also keeping a race itself divided. I believe he is not singing this as a black man. He is singing this as a human being. He is saying that we should all forget about what we have heard in the past and get on with living in harmoney. An idealistic view perhaps but one of his strongest lyrics since the mid 90's.

GoldiLocks said:

I agree. Like he said "I'm a bundle of contradictions". I've seen many different sides to him and when I listen to certain songs, I can see all kinds of diff. views of them, interpretations. I won't know for sure which one was what he wanted us to come away with after hearing it. But yeah, he really defines what an artist is in my s

Yeah and I never understood the line "She'll be screaming like a white lady when I count to 3", what the hell does he mean??

NouveauDance said:

Is the message of "Get over it" directed at racists or the victims of racism? Or both?

mashedpotato said:

Great analysis. I really like what you wrote. I hadn't considered that he was saying simply that racism is a learned behavior in this song. I was operating under the assumption that he was saying don't teach the evils of history at all--don't tell your children what happened in the past and they'll never learn that there's racial hatred. That's how I interpreted the line, for example, about the white girl who is entrusted to the care of a black lady. I assumed a black woman had adopted a white child, but now I'm thinking that the black woman is a caretaker instead of her mother. Maybe I've misinterpreted this song all these years. Now I'm glad I asked. Thanks for your response!

I don't look for my political,sociological ideas from Prince, plain and simple. He has never really been political and even when he is, it's just posturing.

I remember hearing the song 4 teh first time & like u astonished at politics of Prince in the song.

But it was the time of the whole wbs dispute/anger with SLAVE period. Thus Prince was sayin ok u were wrong and we know dat, but all we can acheive out of this is ignor the hate and wrongness and do the best for the black child 2 be born and raised.


Sam 8)

I prefer it 2 the TRC.

Didn't U know that there r manufacturing plants all over the world, and along with that r different products.

wlcm2thdwn said:

wlcm2thdwn,
do you REALLY think that has ANYTHING to do w/politics?

GoldiLocks said:

actually, scream like a white lady is a favorite quip of the one and only Little Richard, Prince loves to borrow from his heroes

Efan said:

Both hopefully.

JuliePurplehead said:

could it be (gasp) maturation? Or (holy shit), growth? People change as they grow. It's natural to look at things differently today than you did ten years ago. Their beliefs might be the same, but seeing the world as it is causes one to alter the way he deals with said belief. I am bewildered at how people think anyone should have the exact same stance on any given subject after years and years.

BlackandRising said:

I also thought once upon a time that we were all the same until I got my first lesson in Racism 101 a few years back. Prince came into self-awareness around Rainbow Children time.

sorry but i really dont really see how anyone could really have a problem with this song, at all. prince is saying that if people are not indoctrinated to believe that white, black, brown, whatever people are enemies or are different, then "how my dear, tell me how my dear would we know." if our knowledge of racial conflicts and tensions were completely erased, there would be a lot less racism. to take but one example: black people should not be resentful to white people because of their race based on facts of history, and white people should not have to feel guilty about the crimes that people who were the same race as them committed in the past. prince has emphasised (until recently) a desire to move towards a gender-blind, colour-blind society, and that's what this song is about really.

and suggesting prince's TRC, JW politics represents him maturing is a joke. especially when this is a guy who in the mid-nineties complained the record companies didnt want people to hear "a black child going buckwild", and now we're in a world where 50 cent is one of the biggest selling artists in the world while prince is putting out crackertacular stuff like "the one u wanna c" and "guitar". the lyrics of "race" are a much more potent agenda for race relations than regressive, counterproductive crap like "family name"

theghostoftonym said:

But there are several problems, I think, in what you're saying in the first paragraph. It's a bold statement to say that racism is entirely taught and not at all a genetic or biological trait. There is definitely something inbred in people to hate or distrust or dislike or whatever "the other" that I think has to be overcome (which is something Prince addresses in Family Name). And beyond that, the lingering social and economic effects of racism and slavery have to be addressed. You can't just say let's forget all about it and move on, because not everyone is starting from the same place. The ill effects of it linger on and cause much trouble generations later.

Efan said:

of course everyone isnt starting from the same place, but the ill feelings that persist about "the evils that came before" are doing anything but help everyone get to the same place. all they do is create more division, rather than less. slavery etc may be incredibly relevant to the past and to the present, but its irrelevant towards actually fixing the problem of standard of living inequality between people of different races for the future.

and yeah, racism isnt 100% nurture, people will automatically differentiate between people using differentiating traits which will inevitably cause division in certain situations. but if you remove all the history from all the racism in the world today, there's very little that's particularly meaningful or particularly dangerous left. 99% of what makes racism bad is founded in historical events.

theghostoftonym said:

Just laughing out loud right now at this word. So funny.

"RACE IN SPACE.....U KNOW THE REST....CUT ME - CUT U....BOTH THE BLOOD IS

RED"

theghostoftonym said:

if anything family name echos Race by saying that society says that other culture and races r the MINORITY as opposed 2 white being the MAJORITY. if we all didn't have this racist upbringing and just sit back and realize that Race in a space I mark human. human being the common bond. whether we r rich or poor, different genders, different culture heritage etc we're all human. if there were no labels, then in a blink of an eye, we would b the MAJORITY. Human.

I love the song 'Race' and couldn't agree more with the lyrics. As long as we see the world in black or white, instead of coming together as one human race there will always be division and hate on both sides. Racism is taught!
If we don't stop handing it down from generation to generation, we will never be able to live together in peace.
I also see it as a form of racism, if people are not willing to forgive what happened in the past. Instead they teach their children to keep the pain and hate alive. It's crucial to know what happened in the past, so we can hopefully lern from it and not repeat the same mistakes. But the past should not be used to create more hate and bitterness. It's wrong to make a statement like 'I'm proud to be black', but call the person a 'racist' who makes the statement 'I'm proud to be white'. Why is BET Black Entertainment acceptable, when WET White Entertainment would be seen as a racist statement and cause outrage in the black community?

There should only be one race, the human race and that is the message that I am getting from this song. I think Prince never made race much of an issue in his life and is therefore an artist who is loved by all races alike. Prince seems to be a person who is able to see beyond skincolor, and I will forever love and respect him for that.

GiGi319 said:


^As far as African-Americans, when discussing topics that occurred in the past, like slavery or even topics like racism, there is nothing wrong with discussing those topics. It is very important for our children to be aware that these type of situations existed or exists. Also, understand that "we (meaning African-Americans) have moved on" by living our daily lives just like every other human being-but this world has still not reached the point where it welcomes various cultures/races with open arms or accept each other as equal human beings. So the fight continues, and I don't mean physically, I mean by educating our younger and older generation to respect various races/cultures, and making them aware that each of us has as much right to exist on this earth as any other human being.

Most of us because I can't speak for all, make our children aware that the world is not peachy keen and not everyone will accept them for who they are, but as long as they embrace who they are as a human being and their culture, then no one can take their dignity, pride and strength away from them unless they allow them to.They may find a few stones and rocks that some may try to put in their paths, but just knowing about our ancestors and how they survived slavery, jim crow and segregation, has taught many in our generation how to survive, have strength and "make a way out of no way" such as moving those stones and rocks out of our paths, and claiming our space in this world. Which is why it is important to know of our history. I know you mean well and would like to see all these race issues erased, but we still have a long way to go.

Gigi319

^Oh it's very important to know what happened in the past so others won't actually think it's ok to repeat it. When people stop putting themselves on a pedestal as though one race is superior to the other and start embracing people of different cultures and religious beliefs, then change will be made, but I don't see that happening in this lifetime...the struggle continues.

Gigi319

^
It's not wrong to say "I'm Black and I'm Proud". If there wasn't a reason for that, then there would have never been a need for the phrase. That phrase was born out of the turbulent 1960s, not too long after the civil rights era, and there was still major, racial discrimination and segregation going on in America, and unfortunately there still is. It was James Brown that made that statement famous and so the phrase lives on, especially with many within the Black community that know the meaning behind why that phrase remains famous to this day within the Black community.

White media has always had programs their people could relate to, but in the past have showed very little diversity, regarding what other cultures could relate to or identify with on television, back in the day. As a matter of fact, there is WET, so to speak, and today much of the media is controlled by White America. There are also cable stations related to various cultures within the White community, such as Polish TV, British tv, Russian tv, etc., in which cable stations have now branched out to other cultures as well, such as, Chinese tv, Latin tv, Indian tv channels, which I think is cool because of the influx of immigrants now in America, those coming here to live, can turn to a station where they can enjoy, embrace, relate and share their culture. Most of this type of programming isn't found on regular tv, so people seek out what they can relate to, So as far as Black Entertainment TV, that's also a chance for our culture to have programs we may enjoy watching although, although that station could be doing much better with the programming politically, businesswise and socially, instead of some of the videos and garbage they are now showing on there. Quite frankly, as an African-American female, BET is not one of my favorite stations, but now there are other channels dedicated to the African- American culture, not many, as we still have a long way to go, but we're getting there

Gigi319:


^There is, but unfortunately there are those that refuse to accept that and want to exclude others. That's why we have all these racist groups trying to prove to themselves that they are supreme beings, which we all know is not true and a joke.

Gigi319:


^
That may be true, but I can't see how race issues didn't play a major part in his life back in the day, especially being born before the civil rights era, if he didn't, I'm sure his parents, older family members and friends experienced it. I'm sure he, just like many others know the face of prejudice. I just can't see how he couldn't have as he has made his awareness known of race issues in some of the lyrics of his songs.

Gigi319:


^
That's wonderful, and I'm sure there's many that see beyond skin color. It would be a wonderful world if we all did, and I would love to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, but I choose not to, because I want to see it in all its reality and not deny or pretend certain societal issues don't exist, as denying and turning the other cheek, would only contribute to the problem and not the solution of it.

We still have a long way to go, especially with racism on the rise in America and other parts of the world, Unfortunately, the subject of race will continue to be an issue that has to be dealt with and not ignored.
[Edited 9/18/07 12:49pm]