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Thread started 10/27/08 3:43am

meow85

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love for The Cross

Nevermind all that bullshit about turning it into "The Christ". It's a shame, but this thread isn't the time or place for it. This is just for lovin' the original version.

I'm not particularly religious, and I'm especially not religious the way Prince is, (that is, I fancy myself a sane person. I digress. razz ) but I love this song. Everything about it is great IMO.

I love the way the song starts off slowly and softly then gradually builds up, the vocals becoming more intense and instuments inserting themselves into the work. By the end, he's not singing about Jesus, he's screaming about Jesus. The raw emotion just hits you. That devotion can inspire a piece like this is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
"A Watcher scoffs at gravity!"
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Reply #1 posted 10/27/08 3:48am

garganta

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meow85 said:

Nevermind all that bullshit about turning it into "The Christ". It's a shame, but this thread isn't the time or place for it. This is just for lovin' the original version.

I'm not particularly religious, and I'm especially not religious the way Prince is, (that is, I fancy myself a sane person. I digress. razz ) but I love this song. Everything about it is great IMO.

I love the way the song starts off slowly and softly then gradually builds up, the vocals becoming more intense and instuments inserting themselves into the work. By the end, he's not singing about Jesus, he's screaming about Jesus. The raw emotion just hits you. That devotion can inspire a piece like this is nothing short of awe-inspiring.


Fantastic song! I never hear The Christ, thankfully.
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Reply #2 posted 10/27/08 3:51am

meow85

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garganta said:

meow85 said:

Nevermind all that bullshit about turning it into "The Christ". It's a shame, but this thread isn't the time or place for it. This is just for lovin' the original version.

I'm not particularly religious, and I'm especially not religious the way Prince is, (that is, I fancy myself a sane person. I digress. razz ) but I love this song. Everything about it is great IMO.

I love the way the song starts off slowly and softly then gradually builds up, the vocals becoming more intense and instuments inserting themselves into the work. By the end, he's not singing about Jesus, he's screaming about Jesus. The raw emotion just hits you. That devotion can inspire a piece like this is nothing short of awe-inspiring.


Fantastic song! I never hear The Christ, thankfully.


Count yourself lucky. The new, improved version is just not that good. Not only that, it doesn't even make a lot of sense. If The Cross no longer fit Prince's beliefs, that's fine. But he should have either retired the song completely, or wrote something entirely new to reflect his converted faith.

BUT

Back on topic: The Cross is genius. Period. Anyone who doubts Prince's songster skill will shut up with the quickness when they hear it. It's that good IMO.
"A Watcher scoffs at gravity!"
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Reply #3 posted 10/27/08 5:57am

Tame

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Only Prince knows why he changed the lyrics. I thought maybe it was because going to the cross is dying 2 the personality, and Prince decided to go within the inner circle of surrendering to Jesus. Either way the song is beautiful.
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight...
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Reply #4 posted 10/27/08 10:09am

L4OATheOrigina
l

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one of my favorites 2 play on my guitar
man, he has such an amazing body of music that it's sad to see him constrict it down to the basics. he's too talented for the lineup he's doing. estelle 81
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Reply #5 posted 10/28/08 1:20am

meow85

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Tame said:

Only Prince knows why he changed the lyrics. I thought maybe it was because going to the cross is dying 2 the personality, and Prince decided to go within the inner circle of surrendering to Jesus. Either way the song is beautiful.

But the fact remains that the lyrics with the words "the Christ" replacing "The Cross" don't actually make much sense. 'Twas a bad idea.
"A Watcher scoffs at gravity!"
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Reply #6 posted 10/28/08 1:20am

meow85

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L4OATheOriginal said:

one of my favorites 2 play on my guitar

It makes me wish I knew how to play.
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Reply #7 posted 10/28/08 4:35am

Efan

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The SOTT movie version is the best one, imo. He nails the vocal and guitar and makes the song even better than it was on vinyl.

As for what he did later, I can understand his reasoning for changing the title, but it's still a shame. He took one of his most straightforward religious songs, one that had a very simple and broadbased uplifting message, and gave it a political angle by changing it to "The Christ." And thus an inclusive song became an exclusionary one, to me anyway.
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Reply #8 posted 10/28/08 8:26am

L4OATheOrigina
l

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meow85 said:

L4OATheOriginal said:

one of my favorites 2 play on my guitar

It makes me wish I knew how to play.



never 2 late 2 learn ..guitar hero and rock band won't teach u how 2 play big grin
man, he has such an amazing body of music that it's sad to see him constrict it down to the basics. he's too talented for the lineup he's doing. estelle 81
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Reply #9 posted 10/29/08 2:52pm

meow85

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L4OATheOriginal said:

meow85 said:


It makes me wish I knew how to play.



never 2 late 2 learn ..guitar hero and rock band won't teach u how 2 play big grin


God, no. lol

But around here, everyone and their grandma plays guitar. I'm afraid I'd look like some lame-ass trendchaser if I picked it up.
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Reply #10 posted 10/29/08 4:27pm

Dayclear

I like it. smile
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Reply #11 posted 10/29/08 4:41pm

Imago

Tame said:

Only Prince knows why he changed the lyrics. I thought maybe it was because going to the cross is dying 2 the personality, and Prince decided to go within the inner circle of surrendering to Jesus. Either way the song is beautiful.


This is a great interpretation but it isn't quite what Prince was doing.


'The Cross' was metaphor for Prince's masculine nature.
'The Christ' was a metaphor for his feminine nature.

One need not look very far underneath the surface to see this. What is the purpose of a Cross? To bare one's guilt? Who doesn't have a cross to bare at some time? A symbol of sacrifice? In short, when one thinks of a cross, religious symbolism aside, it involves nailing. To nail. Being nailed. It's a forceful, rather erotic (if you see it that way) metaphor for masculine energy. What the Chinese would call "Yang" energy.

The Christ, in a religious sense was nailed to the cross. Thus when Prince changed his name to prince (which was around the time he changed the lyrics to the Cross), he was affirming that his feminine nature had taken charge. One can see during the symbol years that much of his music became very 'pussyfied' and his constant moaning and whining was seen as feminine (at least in a patriarchal , subversive, biblical sense). And what happens during intercourse? Women get nailed! Nailed hard. Nailed long. Just plain nailed! The Chinese would call this "Yin" energy.

Thus What Prince was saying when he change the lyrics from cross to Christ was that he was no longer interested in being the giver of divine energy (which we now know is erotic energy--his sperm that is), but he wanted to be the reciever of that energy (he wanted to take sperm into him).

So by changing the lyrics, and many will agree with me on this, Prince proclaimed himself to be a big sissy, little bottom.

NOTE: there are plenty of bottoms who are not sissy little bottoms. For example, Micheal Jackson, who is indeed a sissy, and a bottom, isn't a sissy little bottom because in bed, he tends to be at least 5 times the age of the boys he has sex with. This changes the dynamic of his sexual powers in bed.
But I digress,

Prince has always used metaphor and mixed spirituality with sexuality in his songs. The symbolism from the Cross to the Christ is subtle at times--at other times blatant. But if you'll see that Larry Graham played some role in this transformation of the song, the puzzle all fits together. Larry Graham, if you look into the equation REALLY closely, is the new provider of the divine salvation (ie, sperm).

.
[Edited 10/29/08 16:45pm]
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Reply #12 posted 10/29/08 7:27pm

L4OATheOrigina
l

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meow85 said:

L4OATheOriginal said:




never 2 late 2 learn ..guitar hero and rock band won't teach u how 2 play big grin


God, no. lol

But around here, everyone and their grandma plays guitar. I'm afraid I'd look like some lame-ass trendchaser if I picked it up.


don't worry about the others. if it's in u 2 play, u'll do it 4 the love of making music and not what others may think or say thumbs up!
man, he has such an amazing body of music that it's sad to see him constrict it down to the basics. he's too talented for the lineup he's doing. estelle 81
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Reply #13 posted 10/30/08 12:36pm

Imago

meow85 said:

L4OATheOriginal said:

one of my favorites 2 play on my guitar

It makes me wish I knew how to play.

me 2
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Reply #14 posted 10/30/08 1:25pm

meow85

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Imago said:

Tame said:

Only Prince knows why he changed the lyrics. I thought maybe it was because going to the cross is dying 2 the personality, and Prince decided to go within the inner circle of surrendering to Jesus. Either way the song is beautiful.


This is a great interpretation but it isn't quite what Prince was doing.


'The Cross' was metaphor for Prince's masculine nature.
'The Christ' was a metaphor for his feminine nature.

One need not look very far underneath the surface to see this. What is the purpose of a Cross? To bare one's guilt? Who doesn't have a cross to bare at some time? A symbol of sacrifice? In short, when one thinks of a cross, religious symbolism aside, it involves nailing. To nail. Being nailed. It's a forceful, rather erotic (if you see it that way) metaphor for masculine energy. What the Chinese would call "Yang" energy.

The Christ, in a religious sense was nailed to the cross. Thus when Prince changed his name to prince (which was around the time he changed the lyrics to the Cross), he was affirming that his feminine nature had taken charge. One can see during the symbol years that much of his music became very 'pussyfied' and his constant moaning and whining was seen as feminine (at least in a patriarchal , subversive, biblical sense). And what happens during intercourse? Women get nailed! Nailed hard. Nailed long. Just plain nailed! The Chinese would call this "Yin" energy.

Thus What Prince was saying when he change the lyrics from cross to Christ was that he was no longer interested in being the giver of divine energy (which we now know is erotic energy--his sperm that is), but he wanted to be the reciever of that energy (he wanted to take sperm into him).

So by changing the lyrics, and many will agree with me on this, Prince proclaimed himself to be a big sissy, little bottom.

NOTE: there are plenty of bottoms who are not sissy little bottoms. For example, Micheal Jackson, who is indeed a sissy, and a bottom, isn't a sissy little bottom because in bed, he tends to be at least 5 times the age of the boys he has sex with. This changes the dynamic of his sexual powers in bed.
But I digress,

Prince has always used metaphor and mixed spirituality with sexuality in his songs. The symbolism from the Cross to the Christ is subtle at times--at other times blatant. But if you'll see that Larry Graham played some role in this transformation of the song, the puzzle all fits together. Larry Graham, if you look into the equation REALLY closely, is the new provider of the divine salvation (ie, sperm).

.
[Edited 10/29/08 16:45pm]


lol


You make my brain hurt.

neutral
"A Watcher scoffs at gravity!"
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Reply #15 posted 11/02/08 6:08am

Imago

I woke up to that song this morning music
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Reply #16 posted 11/02/08 3:01pm

motherfunka

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garganta said:

meow85 said:

Nevermind all that bullshit about turning it into "The Christ". It's a shame, but this thread isn't the time or place for it. This is just for lovin' the original version.

I'm not particularly religious, and I'm especially not religious the way Prince is, (that is, I fancy myself a sane person. I digress. razz ) but I love this song. Everything about it is great IMO.

I love the way the song starts off slowly and softly then gradually builds up, the vocals becoming more intense and instuments inserting themselves into the work. By the end, he's not singing about Jesus, he's screaming about Jesus. The raw emotion just hits you. That devotion can inspire a piece like this is nothing short of awe-inspiring.


Fantastic song! I never hear The Christ, thankfully.

Wish I hadn't heard it. I don't remember what awards show it was on (if it even was an awards show), but Prince sang some lyrics and then Larry Graham starts singing. It was AWFUL in my opinion. It was bad enough to change a classic song, but to have Larry singing on it made it even worse.
TRUE BLUE
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Reply #17 posted 11/02/08 10:47pm

meow85

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motherfunka said:

garganta said:



Fantastic song! I never hear The Christ, thankfully.

Wish I hadn't heard it. I don't remember what awards show it was on (if it even was an awards show), but Prince sang some lyrics and then Larry Graham starts singing. It was AWFUL in my opinion. It was bad enough to change a classic song, but to have Larry singing on it made it even worse.

Man, I don't care who Prince is friends with, but Larry really needs to keep himself and his Creepy Uncle moustache away from P's music. I'm glad we've heard less of him lately.
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