DigMeNow said:

I think U might be right

Joyinrepatition said:

Now I see what Dig was talking about, cuz before I didn't know what he was refering to. But yeah, to me, I always thought they were birds.

Thats better

DigMeNow said:

he must've saved a few quid by doing the artwork himself..just a bit of daft doodling!
i can c lots of purple with snow & stars...
i spy a horny pony, high heeled boot, slice of melon, pair of stripy trousers, a rugby ball, a lollipop, pair if eyez & a toadstool...

Joyinrepatition said:

ahh, now tht is better!
i spy the O+> & back 2 front writing...this is the kind of graffiti stuff we'd do on our work books at school..
sweet!

I've always wondered what the 6 red stars meant.
In the order that they appear.
The one's close to the numbers 1999 could be... quotation marks?.


But what about the other two?

psychologically battered n2 believing his own hype by people who interpret colourful creativity as something mysteriously profound bcause they do not understand it,so he must b sending 'secret messages'.

that poor.man.

tony23k said:

maybe the other 2 stars are there beside the C which looks like a moon as well as mouth/teeth..?

Would those happen to be Vanity's lips in the P?

ChariotLove said:

hehe

Jezebel said:

whats funny about being surrounded by super sleuth agents on a self-indulgent mission 2 bolster the imaginary magnitude of so-called prophetic art, raping hiz mind of a grounded grip on reality & puffing him up with illusory notions of personal grandeur that he figures must b true,only 4 him 2 discover @ 50 that it iznt,& all the people who hovered about him hiz whole life,directly contributed 2 his unstable mental & emotional state.

let me know when i can start laughing @ spiritual rape & parasitic coersion n2 a delusional world,by people whose main intention was simply 2 get ahead,while we,years later,watch the same thing happening in a web forum, disguised az curious interest,even though its already obvious hiz mind has turned 2 mush from such absurdity, yet we insist it still haz some relevance 2 hiz & our over-all peace and happiness despite the fact that art scrutinized 2 closely, iz stripped of the mystique that made it beautiful in the 1st place,much like his mind has been stripped of the ability 2 reason b4 reacting,no thanks 2 the so-called muzic industry,petty bootlegging yes-people,parasitic workers & fans that should have bought morris day a watch bcoz at least then WE'D ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IZ.

thank God he'z still got a heart that doeznt have what it takes 2 shatter the kneecaps of every individual 2 have ever falsely projected guruizm on2 him and numbed him out completely.wives & accountants included.amen.

ChariotLove said:

im sorry chariot love i started this thread as i was genuinely interested in the art and the various symbles that we have seen over the years emerge through his fashion, albums etc

I love the scrutiny of this piece of art whether it was a simple doodle or took years to create, Im not trying to psychobabble about it


It is easy sometimes to pas by the beautiful when upon closer inspection the finer detail emerges and ths is what i have found with this cover. I have possessed it for years, heard al the rumours as people are wont to do but only a few days ago while unwell got the album out and decided to squint at the miniature drawings and was surprised at the depth of this work.

I meant this thread to celebrate the artistry not scrutinise Princes innerself.

You sound embittered maybe with good reason.


peace

ChariotLove said:

Coo coo...

.
[Edited 3/4/08 1:33am]

At school we were made to pull to pieces poems and artwork to find out how the artist felt and what hidden meanings thing had!! Sooooo boring.

A picture is a picture, what you see in it is up to you, the 1999 cover is just more intricate and interesting with lots of little pictures that make sense when you know the songs on the album inside.

Anyone spotted the bananas (yellow) behind the lips in P?

DigMeNow said:

shame shame on u dig 4 not knowing it lol

HotPaisleyGirl said:

You may have found that boring but the fact you were taught to look indepth at an artists work means you now have the ability to spot the bananas, as I said to chariot love, i did not intend to analyse him but merely look further into the picture as with his lyrics Prince has painted a layered picture with many facets and therefore we al see different things within it

Perhaps it was just one particular teacher that made it boring.

I like this type of intricate picture, you see something new or different everytime you look, I would never have spotted a lion head though!

DigMeNow said:

Hear Hear! I rarely comment, but I think that this post (minus the negative comments) is fantastic. We're not delving into P's private life or other off-limit topics, rather we are engaging in an honest discussion about a piece of work that most of us paid money for.

Artwork is (well, more was now that digital music is the norm) a very important part of an album and certainly falls into the same realm of discussing music and lyrics. I'd wager that P put so many inside references and clues for fans who are interested in the connections and parallels between his music, images and art.

Rant aside, I appreciate all the comments in this post! I've learned so much and have made a lot of great connections between P's message in his music and how it related to the pre-Purple rain era!

syble said:

the best reason ever.

DigMeNow said:

convenient perspective, but untrue. he said so himself that it does.

.
[Edited 3/4/08 1:33am]

What's the word in the penis or "1" of "1999" looks like an e something?? org me to help!!

DigMeNow said:

PRINCE design another cover!!!!! Surprise us all!

.
[Edited 3/2/08 20:58pm]

ChariotLove said:

I think most people are affected by what others say even if they set out not to b.

Its human nature to want to b accepted and liked and if you find negativity around you wether obvious or oblique then you may find it hard to withstand that.

But as i said this thread was to discuss the artwork.

Maybe the end of buying princes music as a mere digital representation will bring us back to the entirity of the package as said above, we can appreciate the album - the whole thought process behind the covers and princes art direction wether it be his own actual hand or represented by another artists is tantalisingly full of symbolisim, unique little signs and messages not just designed to be a selling agent for the album but perhaps a representative of the music contained within. Backwards writing is fun tiny lyrics hardly perceptible, and strange scripting making it hard to decipher the mesages is also fun and intriguing.

His music is available through aol and plenty of pics and videos are available there alas not to the uk only usa but still its there and its interesting to see these videos to PE emerging in a more traditional way in that they are not too cryptic I spent years with only my mind to decipher what I listened too. When we study an album cover or the lyrics sheet within we gain a little insight into the intention of the album perhaps and the story within in a visual form.

I have to say that looking back at covers i once not dismissed but was perhaps more eager for the sounds, I can retrospectively enjoy a previous time and yes perhaps gain a little insite into the public mind of an otherwise private person.

In the same way as I would discuss an author or a painter I want to discuss this interesting fact about prince is that he is creative in ots of different aspects which equal the sum of the whle and therefore I am grateful you all are taking time to look beyond the obvious.


And after all that, I dont thnk that is writing in the 1!

It seems to me there is someone trying to provoke other people to serve their own purpose.

DigMeNow said:

hi. u seem a nice person so i am happy 2 have this conversation with u. i understand,most of us wouldn't think it affected him if we r unaware of him saying so.

2 me,he's been saying so 4 a very long time,perhaps in ways that aren't readily clear to us,but saying it nonetheless. i guess it depends how deep we r prepared 2 look n2 his actions,instead of his words.

about a week ago,he stated on this website,that he did not like his personal life being put under a microscope.who would,famous or otherwise.

an artists art,is a personal expression,& in that regard,looking n2 to it too closely,sort of all up inside it looking 4 something more than what is already there,creates a subliminal attack on the artists psyche,even unintentionally. innocently invasive.

some might argue that the personal life of an artist is different from their art,and that the 2 can b separated.he might even argue that himself bcause his ego might enjoy the attention put on hiz art.he may not even understand why he gets that niggling nagging feeling inside,and just buries it.

art bcomes caged under a microscope,just as a personal life does,and it bcomes very difficult 4 an artist 2 remain unaffected by the interpretations other people make of their art/personal life.they can end up taking on those interpretations, & actually bcome the public belief of the artist,instead of who they really r.

eg: "every1 says i'm a guru,so mayb i should act like 1.in fact,they're saying it so often,mayb i am a guru.i will do my best 2 live up to that reputation,which has been placed upon me,by my audience.i'm not sure what i will do when i face spiritual challenges i am unprepared 4,i might even lash out in frustration and let the real me thru,but wont they b confused?and call me a hypocrite?and tell me i'm so full of contradictions?oh well,bizness is bizness and i have a job 2 do.no one will ever understand me anyway so what does it matter?"

it matterz alot,2 the health of the artists mind and spirit.usually they dont understand why so many people r all up inside everything they do,bcause they feel distanced from their audience,psychologically alienated from years of being misunderstood and/or objectified,and without the skillz or opportunity to speak 4 oneself,an artist might use other means of getting their point across,like legal threats.

i already realise,as fans, we just want mostly to understand this mammoth genius,the workings of his mind,the juicy but somewhat over-rated aspects of his private life,his lyrics,his art...but there comes a point when a red-line has 2 b drawn in regard 2 how far we go in that delving.

i think he has made it perfectly clear,he just wants 2 make muzic,perform,express himself,& live his life,without us being all up inside all of those things nearly all the time.

that iz his right & privelege as a very hard-working man,with tremendous patience,highly respected among his peers and sincerely loved by many, bcause he deserves it.

it might be more about what our over-all purpose iz,as fans of him personally,and hiz music.

& it might just simply boil down 2 appreciation,a free type of thing,that needs very little discussion,in order 4 him, and his work, 2 maintain a sense of sacredness.


"last night,a stranger took my picture"

Many artists have to deal with people analysing their work, from musicians to artists. Whether there are secret meanings or not, people are always going to be searching and looking for something within someone elses work , maybe hoping to make some sense of something or for understanding as to why
Some artists may deliberately put hidden messages in their art ( music or otherwise) for people to find something, other times it simply is what it is.
I dont feel that looking for something in artwork is really delving into ones personal life, well perhaps not all of the time or even deliberatley. Looks to me like they might even be having some enjoyment out of looking at this from their own perspective
Cover art is just that....art...something to be admired and even discussed. Art can open new ideas and expand minds, it does not necessarily have to refelct, nor infringe upon the artists personal life.

Now if u go digging around in his trash can I might get worried.

As far as I am concerned, Prince deserves a personal life and privacy much like all of us, any famous person does, but I dont see how being analytical of his art imposes....then maybe Im just not clever enough

chillichocaholic said:

on the contrary,ur smarter than u give urself credit 4.in fact i'd go as far 2 say that nearly all of us have been selling ourselves a little short in that area.no pun intended.

have a lovely evening.