the opening 2 the extended version has those synths, bass, & rhythm guitar. U GOT @ HE, HE, HELLO!

I'd love to hear it someday.

absolutely one of his best moment on record, ever. i love this song
above many others of his and it's nearly always in my personal top
10 fav prince songs. i always liked the "hits" version but once the
extended version reached me i started to adore it. absolute classic
from prince at the peak of his game.

i just can't get enough of this portion on the extended version:

I haven't lost my desire
I wouldn't beg U
Instead of playin' deduction of what 2 do
They called me rude often
When I called their hand
They judged me and told me that we're through
"Why can't U be like the others?"
I cried out over and again
"Why can't U learn 2 play by the rules?"
But maybe at last it's the end
Because I am not like others
I'm unique in the respect I'm not U

I know in my heart I would try 2 love U
I wouldn't try 2 hurt U despite all the ways U try 2 hurt me
U call me a fraud, an uncaring wretch
But I'm an artist and my only aim is 2 please
Between U and yours, myself and mine
Isn't life cruel enough without cruel words, cruel words?
U see, words are like shoes
They're just something 2 stand on
I wish U could be in my shoes
But they're probably so high, U'd fall off and die
4 U words are definitely not shoes
They're weapons and tools of destruction
And your time is boring unless U're putting something down
What would life be if we believed what we read
And a smile is just hiding a frown?
Come now, isn't life a little better with a pair of good shoes?

Great track. This song and She's Always In My Hair literally DESTROYS anything that was on the ATWIAD album.

blackguitaristz said:

To me, the b-sides and extended versions compliment the album. Now there is a thing like playlists, my ATWIAD playlist is VERY much liked.

I think it is what makes me think higher of the actual album, as his rest production was so prolific.



To me it is the punding beat, the guitar at the beginning, then the text, showing us that rare look inside of the man's head. This and F.U.N.K. show the man is a bit off in his own universe, but that is okay.

This totally blows F.U.N.K. outa the water, even though F.U.N.K. sounds like a left over ATWIAD-track with new lyrics, though...

IstenSzek said:

OMG!

BILLY JACK BITCH!

HamsterHuey said:

Good point...But u know, I've never been crazy about this album anyways so....

blackguitaristz said:

Lots of people say that. It is a weird album, it is all over the place, but I love it cuz of Side 1. Even though I have never really gotten to like COndition Of The Heart as much as the rest of it...

But dayum; Tamborine. Paisley Park, the album opener...and Raspberry Beret. Stone colf funk of America. The plain weird-ass Temptation. Pop Life...

I just never gotten to like the ballads as much as the rest of it. To me the album is a start of what the 12"s have got to offer...

Prince could have probably created a more commercially appealing and 'catchy' album with ATWIAD if he had decided to include She is always in my hair and Hello on the album (and maybe even Girl, altough that is one of his few songs i personally thoroughly hate... lol).

I think, such a psychedelic 'pop'-album would have probably confused lesser people who had get to know him during 1999 and Purple Rain.

But on the other hand, i foremost appreciate his decision to NOT play it save on this album, and include more 'difficult' songs like the title-track (One of the most underrated Prince-songs IMO: world music cross-over avant-la-lettre), Condition of the Heart, The Ladder and Temptation.

In a musical sense these songs are examples of Princes arrangements becoming more colourfull, more subtle in some way (giving room for further exercisions in arranging on the Parade album).
Next to that it shows the spirit of an artist who choses artistical expression above commercial succes. In that sense i often think as it of Princes second 'punk' album (in attitude that is). The first one being Dirty Mind.

side a:
around the world in a day
paisley park (extended)
condition of the heart
raspberry beret (extended)
she's always in my hair
tamborine

side b:
hello (extended)
america
pop life
girl (extended)
the ladder
temptation