Kind of a weird question. Just wondering if anyone familiar with P.'s songwriting can tell me if he usually writes songs in the studio standing or sitting. And moreover if he prefers composing at the piano or with the guitar. I am certain he is one of those rare people that has the ability to hear/visualize (I once heard him use a painting analogy in this context) the entire arrangement in his head all at once.

I read (in Dance, music, sex, romance), that he does some songwriting lying on his stomach in bed and that he had a bed brought into one of the early studios for this reason.

I immediately thought of that shot in under the cherry moon, where he is writing cute lyrics to leave for his lover on the bed... the slow track shot over his body, which seem to linger on his ass. One of those moments in that pretty awful movie which make you love it anyway.

he also did his first vocal tracks lying down on the floor ... which just seems so weird.

also (i just finished this book a few minutes ago.. so its fresh)
he brought in candles, scarves and drank a little wine (which he never did usually when recording) to create the mood so he could record 'how come u don't call me anymore' and another song from around the parade sessions
(grr can't find it now)...

robinesque said:

Lying down, that's interesting.

Maybe it depends on where Prince starts writing a song...I wonder if Prince sat down at a piano...would it be a key that reaches for a melody? Or if Prince was standing with a guitar...Is it the room, or the atmosphere that brings something on...Or...When inspiration comes naturally with something to say...Is it the words that need to find a piece of paper...and as Prince begins to write them in the bathtub, he hears the music and is graced by the fact that He doesn't have an electric guitar with him or what? I d u n n o... As for me as a poet...I have a chalkboard in my shower. How Prince writes is beyond me.

i heard he writes his songs floating.

robinesque said:

what book did you read?

Okay, sorry, saw the title of this thread and thought it had something to do with peeing...

Guess not...
[Edited 7/18/08 21:02pm]

what book did you read?[/quote]


Per Nilsen, 'dance, music, sex, romance: Prince the first decade'

I liked it

condition of the heart was the other song, recorded with the mood lighting (thought to be about susannah melvoin)

quote from craig hubler of sunset sound

'he was used to having a bed in the studio, just kind of lay there on his stomach with his notepad in front of him to write his lyrics. so we arranged to have a queen sized bed in the studio, which we set up in the performance area in the middle of the room.'

(he then talks about having to get purple sheets and bedspread)
I thought it was cute.

There is also a story in there about wendy tugging at his underarm hair while he was trying to play piano.

Something like synesthesia?

hmmm. I just watched the Oprah Interview. Kind of hard to watch that one. I felt embarrassed just watching her attempts at natural communications. Anyway the part with him at the purple piano in the cloud room suggests he spends a lot of time working out songs there. Also the short segment with him in the control room shows a lot of personal decorations and candles all over the place so I am sure he must do that atmospheric stuff a lot. I wish a book of photos would come out one day showing him at work in the studio at Eden Prarie washington ave. like the beatles at abbey road.