another great part of the middle, is you can actually hear the springs of the car seat, amazing the attention to detail P gave it, I would love to hear a live version of the song

Whitnail said:

Good ear. Thats an amazing detail.
Speaking of sound, someone wanna tell me whats up with the liquid gurgle sound? Is that nonsense? Or is it something?

Whitnail said:

Good ear. Thats an amazing detail.
Speaking of sound, someone wanna tell me whats up with the liquid gurgle sound? Is that nonsense? Or is it something?

As far as this song goes, it was always one of my faves from this album when it was first released. When I went to see him on this tour a day after my birthday in L.A., March 28, 1983, I couldn't wait untill he played this song live. That's the one I vividly remember waiting to hear him play live during the set. This cut is a tour de force, really. The arrangement of the cut, especially the musical section after he finishes doing Jill, points directly to his arrangements on the first Time's album. The little keyboard motif which leads up to the very Time like horn parts on the keys that's underneath P's blistering and excellent guitar solo. And P's state of mind to include all of those weird ass sound effects on this song. Seguls, an elephant roaring, bells, and some really strange sounding shit like someone gurgling. And on top of that, it all...works somehow. I was informed of the drums on this song and I agree with this; That P only actually played the snare and crash cymbals along with a programmed kick and hi hat. The fills he plays on the snare during the entire song are super tight and they never spill over onto the kick, which is rock solid and perfect. P is a good drummer, but....Forever, I used to think P was playing the full acoustic drum set like he is on Free. But after I was told this and being a musician myself, who also plays drums, and after close inspection, u can hear where this was done. Which is still very innovative. That's one reason that song is so tight. P's bass, keys and his guitar are so locked in. There is no looseness there that u naturally have when drums are played on a full set. And that has nothing to do with a good pocket. Fellow musicians on here know what I mean. Great ass song. And it's more about the music than the lyrics. The lyrics are kinda....ho hum, for me. Didn't sound like something P gave a lot of thought to. He just needed some words to fit a cool vocal melody on top of a vicious groove.

Whitnail said:

Good ear. Thats an amazing detail.
Speaking of sound, someone wanna tell me whats up with the liquid gurgle sound? Is that nonsense? Or is it something?

Good pick. I agree with ya and I've stated this on here before; This song, along with the whole album, is all about showcasing P's vocal ability and his musicianship. One reason P was so good early in his career was that he felt he had a lot he wanted to prove. This was a driving force for Prince. His blend of desire, rage, anger and supreme confidence was an artform in itself and no where was this more evident than on this album. I like to think that all my 1999 album related threads that I have been running on here since 2004 have in some way "influenced" some folks on here to at least, talk about this album. Cuz
to be honest, before here recently, hardly no one, besides myself, ever mentioned anything about this album on this site. To the point that I felt many of ya'll actually didn't like the album. Or had never heard it. It was always the Parade album or Lovesexy. And everything else from the 90's of course. Sometimes ATWIAD. I was surprised about Lovesexy actually cuz Wendy and Lisa was gone and I always got the impression that many folks on here mainly dug P because of Wendy and Lisa. Judging by the posts people made, u know.

Excellent song. I'm pretty sure this was Ready For The World's inspiration for Oh Sheila.

Excellent song. I'm pretty sure this was Ready For The World's inspiration for Oh Sheila.

another great part of the middle, is you can actually hear the springs of the car seat, amazing the attention to detail P gave it, I would love to hear a live version of the song

Have always loved 1999, the album - as radical as Dirty Mind, but more complex and polished.

However, I'm surprised to see a couple of people here reckoning the lyrics to be throwaway, or just there to support a killer groove They're great lyrics, with purpose and depth - and the mention of Disneyland is very deliberate, not just cos he had nothing else to write!! One of the greatest songwriters ever and you're dismissing lyrics in this way!

The whole song is a lament and includes a multitude of things that Prince is frustrated with - the line "This one's for Yosemite Sam and the tourists at Disneyland" is a swipe at American consumerism and culture. Its also a thematic continuation from Sexuality off Controversy, where Prince again uses tourists as a stylistic metaphor. (tourists who "look at life through pocket cameras - what? No flash again?).


A bit more consideration to the lyrical content and it's meaning, will add a whole new world to the song (including supporting why Prince plays some of the sounds he does to bring to life the words)

Have always loved 1999, the album - as radical as Dirty Mind, but more complex and polished.

However, I'm surprised to see a couple of people here reckoning the lyrics to be throwaway, or just there to support a killer groove They're great lyrics, with purpose and depth - and the mention of Disneyland is very deliberate, not just cos he had nothing else to write!! One of the greatest songwriters ever and you're dismissing lyrics in this way!

The whole song is a lament and includes a multitude of things that Prince is frustrated with - the line "This one's for Yosemite Sam and the tourists at Disneyland" is a swipe at American consumerism and culture. Its also a thematic continuation from Sexuality off Controversy, where Prince again uses tourists as a stylistic metaphor. (tourists who "look at life through pocket cameras - what? No flash again?).


A bit more consideration to the lyrical content and it's meaning, will add a whole new world to the song (including supporting why Prince plays some of the sounds he does to bring to life the words)

Mindflux said:

I'm hip to the lyrics but I'm refering to the actual verses not the spoken lines when he's doing Jill. Those are better. I'm the LAST person u have to try to sell the song to. I've dug this song since it's original release date. That said, the verses, to me, is somewhat bland. Not saying that they suck. But I know P's lyrical style. I can tell when he's put thought into what he's writing. And all of the other lyrics on this album are bangin'. No one has to defend P to me. That's just my opinion.

Lately, I can't get enough of this song. It's facinating. Everything is perfect, I love that bass. I adore the lyrics, the little story in it, that nasty part in the middle with Jill.
Is anyone else in love with this tune.
I wonder what inspired him to write this?

Oh yes, definitly. It really is fascinating. It's art. It's a little political, god-damn sexual, sexy, funky, and animated. Only a genius could have created this.