Have been thinkiing about this for a while...being a long term fan - pre Purple Rain - I have always thought Prince has done some of his best music when he seems to have been in a bad mood or something has pissed him off.

Work like The Black Album, parts of Graffiti Bridge, Dirty Mind, Controversy etc ect

Most recent example is PFUnk - we all know he got pissed off with us "fams" and produced a really funky track - the best in YEARS in my opinion.

Maybe we should give him the shits again and see what happens hehehe

What ya'll think?

Exactly!

That's why the early symbol music is awesome -> Interactive, Days of Wild, Now, What's My Name, all that stuff!

Meh, Take Me With U, Purple Rain, Kiss, Lets Work, Housequake, Adore, Girls & Boys, Alphabet St, Cream, Sexy MF...


All pretty upbeat. Maybe he was mad when he wrote them, who knows?

To answer the question in the topic.

Hell yes.

The Beautiful Ones. Towards the end he started to get frustrated and mad. "I want U!!!"

songs such as the beautiful ones and darling nikki. u could feel it from his soul. the way he belted out those screams!

I like his love songs best!

LilCub said:

Im not sure he'd thank you for givin him the shits! are you planning a dodgy meal at Croke?

Not necessarily.

His best stuff in when he's angry.

When Doves Cry, Thieves In The Temple, Le Grind.....

It's a worthy topic, but the answer is no.

I refer 2: (Most of) 'Sign O' the Times', 'Lovesexy', and 'The Rainbow Children' as case examples of Prince on a spiritual high.

Yes, when Prince has felt tortured, alone, or in pain, his creations R outstanding. But I think you'll agree that he can create wonderful music in nearly any mood, although the music does reflect the mood.

The worst thing 4 any artist is complacency... somewhere neutral, or in the middle of a high or a low. Prince even writes great material in this state, but his best is when he's either moved and inspired, or when he's in pain... just like any artist in any form of art.

Peace.

~G
[Edited 6/10/08 8:47am]

An artist needs a big pool of human experience from which to create, so it stands to reason that times of extreme feeling or emotion - be it joy, sadness, loneliness, anger or anything else - would provide creative "fodder," so to speak.

Yes, I think he's created some amazing music during times of anger or distress. But he's also created some amazingly beautiful and joyful music, as well - like Alexa de Paris (which I think is the "happiest" piece of music he's ever written - you can feel the joy bursting from it), Pink Cashmere, a number of pieces on Emancipation, and any number of other compositions.

I personally feel that whenever you listen to Prince's music, you can tap into what was going on in his head and his heart at the time. Beyond that, I think that we respond to things in the music we identify with. An angry person will gravitate to angry music. A happy person will gravitate to happy music.

The things you think are great are the things that speak to you in a way you like - or identify with.

Genesia said:

Nice!

Genesia said:

yes. I don't like to listen to "angry" artists any more than I like "happy" artists, because it's limiting to only tap into one emotion.

Good music is based on true emotion, be it positive, negative, or otherwise!

Ya know...one of the other things I've wondered about with respect to Prince is if he doesn't actually fuel (knowingly or unknowingly) the kinds of situations and emotions that feed his creativity.

I mean...I'm sure that, on some level, he wants as much as anyone to be happy and at peace. But he certainly goes through a lot of periods of incredible volatility and turmoil. (At least, it looks that way from the outside.) You have to wonder if, in some way, he doesn't thrive on that.

Have any of you heard the unreleased Prince song, "When Doves Scream"? It's the same music as "When Doves Cry", only with some different lyrics. The first time I heard it, I was like, "Woah, I like it. Prince sounds really pissed off on this track". Sounds like he was letting off a lot of steam on that song.

Giovanni777 said:

Thanks. I just know how it works for me...with acting. There, it's all about reacting in an authentic way to imaginary circumstances. In order to react authentically, you have to have some idea what a situation might feel like - and having a broad array of experiences helps.

Music, writing and other artistic endeavors can be a little more immediate and real. But it's still the experiences that drive it.

days of wild chaos & disorder, now.....the O+> upset era.. created some of his baddest underground 90's material

Genesia said:

I have the very same feelings about that at times....

"I Hate U" has lots of emotion....love, hate, anger
all rolled up into one...and he definitely gets his listener to feel it,
as is true with many of his songs, if not most.

But I wouldn't go so far as to say that his best music comes from
being angry....pissed off....as you say.

Another song where Prince sounds pissed off is at the end of the song, "The Dance". Prince screaming, "It's just not fair! It's just not fair! Ahhhhh!"

psychodelicide said:

You'd be pissed, too - if you wrote a beautiful song like that for your beloved and she divorced your ass.

The version on The Chocolate Invasion is anything but angry. It's tender and tentative - as he must have felt when it was recorded originally. I've always found that version to be extremely endearing.

Genesia said:

You know, I've never heard The Chocolate Invasion version of "The Dance". I've always wanted to, to compare the two versions of the song.

Not so much pised off as emotionally excited.

For some reason, when he's content and happy his music is kind of flat and bland for the most part.

But when he's pissed off, or hyperactive, or horny, or depressed, or even just hungry, his music is noticeably better.

Why this is I couldn't tell you. I'd have to be his psychoanalist to figure that out.