I'm not the biggest fan of Planet Earth...

But, to deny the catchiness of "Mr. Goodnight" and "Chelsea Rodgers" is just silly.

PurpleKnight said:

Are you saying that just because he went through 2 divorces and the loss of a child means he should be singing about those things or even more dark type stuff to show "maturity"? Please. He can sing about what he wants to. I don't see why his lyrics have to be so complex just to make people happy. Me personally, I want a song I can understand. If I'm missing the point, please correct me so I can understand this better.

purplecam said:

You are missing the point, so I'll try to clarify it.

It's not that he can't maintain a positive outlook about things like romantic love. To suggest otherwise would be ludicrous. I don't expect Prince to turn into Nine Inch Nails or Radiohead because he went through some hard times. All I want are lyrics and themes that suggest some sort of growth. A song like Forever has the exact same amount of depth as For You, which was written when he was barely even an adult. That is sad.

It makes me wonder if Prince is really sincere in these songs, or if he's just following a generic formula.
[Edited 12/29/08 13:02pm]

PurpleKnight said:

I see where you are coming from and thanks for making it clear for me. All I can say is wait till the new album comes out. There may be songs on there that have what you're looking for. Stay tuned...

purplecam said:

Exactly. If Prince wanted a "comeback", the whole press would have been bought just like how Mariah did it in 2005 and Britney is doing now. It doesn't mean they had amazing songs, they were just "allowed" to have a comeback.

If Prince releases "hit material" in 2009, radio still won't touch it because he's 50.

i love how people always look 4 shakespearean lyrics in prince's music

damn just enjoy the song!!

L4OATheOriginal said:

What's wrong with wanting something poignant or at least memorable? A lot of his lyrical work in the 80's and even 90's is phenomenal.

Compare the romantic meditations on Forever with something like Curious Child.

L4OATheOriginal said:

No one's looking for Shakespeare. Just a little Princely introspection ala If I Was Your Girlfriend, Strange Relationship - Hell, actually anything on Parade, SOTT, 1999. He's a grown ass man. That Lolita, Mr. Goodnight crap is embarrasing. His strange worldview used to be refreshing in a sea of sound-alikes. Remember Irresistable B, Condition of the Heart, Erotic City.

He used to be challenging of convention and the way society explores sex, love, relationships. His contemporary lyrics are no different from what you hear on the radio with a dash of religious conservatism.

jdcxc said:

You know it's bad when a song has the same amount of depth as the love songs you wrote on your first album.

PurpleKnight said:

Exactly. What do you think it is? Intellectual laziness, too comfortable, control issues in older age, lack of challenging relationships, lack of competition. Let's play armchair psych. His extreme genius one-of-a-kind musical creativity may have left his brain but there is no reason he could not write more interesting lyrics.

Exactly. What do you think it is? Intellectual laziness, too comfortable, control issues in older age, lack of challenging relationships, lack of competition. Let's play armchair psych. His extreme genius one-of-a-kind musical creativity may have left his brain but there is no reason he could not write more interesting lyrics. TNBALM Case in point!

I agree wit that.

more intreresting lyrics are beyond a 12th grade education people

PurpleKnight said:

i find both songs as seperate entities. i find beauty still in his lyrics 2 this day cause depending on where my life is at the moment, it can b such a inspirational lift as it was always back in the day. i listen 2 the lyrics of something like somewhere here on earth and it hits me so much cause of what's going on in my life..


release ur anger ....give in 2 the dark side of actual enjoying the music and not looking 4 the next invention of the wheel.

jdcxc said:

i don't like mr goodnight either but when u listen 2 something like the word they r not thought provoking? the lyrics 2 mellow? not sexy enough? come on now

L4OATheOriginal said:

I'm not saying that all his new stuff is sophmoric but his writing has generally gotten more conventional, less challenging and less interesting as he ages. I'm one that believes that Prince is an underrated songwriter, one of the greatest in the history of popular music. Examine the clever genius behind If...Girlfriend, Strange Relationship and you will find interesting relationship conundrums, complex adult themes, revolutionary gender plays.

Today, his lyrics point to a 50 year-old man controlling young women by wealth and religion. Unfortuately, he equates quoting the bible as being "deep" or "complex" when it is actually didactic and boring.

I'd suggest q-tips, soap, and water,

L4OATheOriginal said:

I actually like Somewhere Here On Earth quite a lot.

I suppose it's true that they are separate entities, so forget that comparison. Taken on its own merits, I still think Forever is just not a good song. It has a boring theme with lyrics that are so straightforward, naive, and bland. The chorus is also so unmemorable that this wouldn't even register as a b-side in any other Prince era.

Some people forget what a clever lyricist Prince can be. Countless songs, from Strange Relationship to Pheromone, have clever uses of metaphors, complexities that Prince himself is unable to resolve, and differing layers of explicit and implicit themes.

I'm not looking for something amazing from Prince at this stage of his career, but that doesn't mean I have to convince myself to accept something entirely sub-par from him.

TRC, besides having some of the most narrow minded lyrics I've ever heard, showed hints of a new era of musical greatness from the man. That potential has been squandered up until now. This is just boring pop music that can't even measure up to some of his current contemporaries. A telling sign is that the only defence many of his fans are able to conjure is that it's better than most of the embarrassing stuff on the top 40.
[Edited 12/30/08 14:54pm]

bleutuna said:

Jingles and commercials are catchy. We're talking about the greatest pop composer and muscician of our generation. Prince should stop trying to fit onto the contemporary playlists.

jdcxc said:

NO MY Dear that would be Quincy Jones

Donjuandeblacko said:

What does Q have 2 do with P being "the greatest pop composer and musician of our generation"?

daPrettyman said:

quincy is the greatest...look at the resume

Donjuandeblacko said:

I know Q's resume pretty well. Ur comment doesn't make sense when everyone is talking about P.

P is definitely one of the greatest pop composers and musicians, but that title could also go to Miles, Gershwin and many others. Q was not really known for his writing ability (though he has written some great songs). Q is known for production and arrangement abilities. He was also one hell of a trumpet player.

I don't think he listens to other artists' music in the same way he used to. You always got an inkling that he was listening to a wide variety of stuff, not just classic rock and neo soul.

You know, back in the 80s he was a Kate Bush fan; Cat told an interviewer that he hipped her to The Cocteau Twins...

I can't imagine that Prince is familiar with MGMT, Elbow, Feist etcetera. He probably thinks that the bloody Pussycat Dolls are "cutting edge".

GirlBrother said:

If P is observing anything from PCD is how they took what he did for Vanity 6/Apollonia 6 to the next level. It's all about manufactured pop music.
[Edited 12/31/08 9:06am]

L4OATheOriginal said:

Right ON.

Also... about folks bashing Prince's lyrics...

Prince is a brilliant lyricist, and always has been... When he wants 2 be. When U write a song, sometimes it's simple, and sometimes U want 2 say something "deeper"...

I personally LOVE the lyrics of "Colonized Mind".

With Prince's lyrics, one HAS 2 be able 2 read not only inbetween the lines, but in and around every word, as potentially having more than one meaning.

He is very crafty with his words.

U KNOW... I'm a huge Stevie Wonder fan, and always have been, but NO ONE ever says anything about Stevie's lyrics, when they're like the lyrics he wrote 4 "What The Fuss?"...
[Edited 12/31/08 9:32am]

Giovanni777 said:

You are absolutely right about everything you said but what's bolded hit me the most. A lot of what Stevie has written hasn't been deep, special or memorable but no one here would ever dog him at all but they will do it in a heartbeat for Prince. You gave a great example with "What's The Fuss".
[Edited 12/31/08 9:29am]

purplecam said:

Why do people only equate socio-political, bibical, pseudo-philosophical lyrics as being "deep"? No one is saying Prince should only concentrate on lyrics akin to the Rainbow Children but he can be interesting without being conventional or simple. Look at the difference between incomparablen 1970's Stevie Wonder versus that Hallmark crap I Just Called to Say I Love You. Compare the challenging poetic and literate lyrics to the Ballad of Dorothy Parker to Lolita, etc. Prince has, for whatever reason, moved away from introspective, interpersonal, and "adult" songwriting. It's ok to have simple lyrics attached to memorable hooks, melodies and beats but P's relationship songs have become too middle American vanilla. Future Baby Mama could have been written by Usher or Justin Timberlake.

Why are so many in this thread interpreting "hit" as meaning at the top of the charts?

I think of a "hit" as a song that is exceptionally crafted in music and lyrics, that is unique, possibly trend-setting, and infectious. We want those kind of hits. They may or may not land at #1.

I mean Beyonce's Singles Ladies is at the top of the chart. I'm pretty sure the original poster doesn't want a "hit" like that.

So for eveyrone who's saying oh, prince just doesn't care about charts and the public. That's not the point. Where the fucking great and fresh music?

Great music generally pulls its own public reception; he wouldn't have to chase charts. And no more bashing of Purple Rain which is fucking perfect and shouldn't be discounted because it was popular.

Anyway I'm listening to 21 nights right now and it sounds like a fucking Vegas show. The horns. The big band. The 70s "funk" sound. The sound of a urban church choir singer belting out in the background. Spare me. Damn.

jdcxc said:

Thank you!
Some fans call any allusion "deep."


Also I agree with those who have suggested he needs inspiration.
[Edited 12/31/08 11:29am]

I've come away with one thing from this thread: Music hits everybody differently. What one calls a "hit", whether it hits the charts or not, may be a flop in someone elses ears. Plenty of you don't dig what he's doing now but plenty of you do. It's all good either way you cut it.