So I was hoppin' out of the shower, and 'Hot Wit U' (a song I hate) came on shuffle. Not wanting to get water all over the place by going to skip it, I was forced to listen to it and found myself thinking, "Here's Prince, trying to curry favour with the hip-hop community again. I hate fake Prince'.

But then I thought, "What's 'real' Prince? 'Purple Rain'? Wasn't he (to some degree) trying to attract the rock community, there?"

And when it comes right down to it, I can't think of one single album that could be called, through n' through, real. On even the best albums, there are tracks where he's (consciously or not) trying to attract a certain audience ('Little Red Corvette'), prove that he can play a certain style of music ('Do U Lie'), or impress the critics ('Sign o' the Times').

Don't throw shoes! These are all songs I love!

So then I thought; "Well, is there a song I would call 'real' Prince?". And the answer was:

'Something in the Water'

For the life of me, I can't imagine anyone else coming up with this song. And listening to it, I really get the sense that public or critical opinion could not have been further from his mind at the time.

So, that's my 'real' Prince. What's yours?

Funnily enough, I Wish U Heaven. Everything before was too eighties sounding and everything after has been plastic wankery.
[Edited 1/20/09 11:36am]

Um...it's all real Prince. It's all Prince making the music he wants to make, for whatever reasons, for whatever purposes.

Dont' try to dissect it.

Number23 said:

wankfodder more like!

bleutuna said:

Oh I totally getcha, bleutuna, and I still love the man (especially right now), but it's songs like 'Hot Wit U' that make me ask these questions!

U don't know Prince.....U only THINK U do.

lottielooloo1968 said:

I was being facetious. I don't like obviousness. I think there's probably a new Prince splintered off the main husk with every new song. He seems to let the music define him, so maybe it's the acute vibrations your inner ear defines as music that's 'real' and he's just the mortal, blurred shapeshifter of the SOTT cover as opposed to the pouty sexless pimp of the NPS cover.

Oh my, what a question. But I know what you mean, I would say I have that feeling with Mr Goodnight, because of the lyrics.
But everything Prince makes is real. It comes from his heart, his mind, so it's real. Some of his musical choices not being our taste doesn't mean it's not real.

If him favouring any kind of music group is fake then this whole music business is fake, they all want to make bucks.

And as another real song (too many to choose) I choose Condition of the heart, heck, that whole cd is real, it has got so many feeling inside, doesn't feel commercial.

Number23 said:

i'm not sure he was sexless, but def pouty pimp

CJanssen said:

Ooh, I forgot about that one... good choice! Straight from the heart to the piano, with little concern for anything else. Awesome!

temptation...

bleutuna said:

I couldn't have said it any better. Just cause one might not like a song or album(s) doesn't mean he wasn't being "real" while doing the song or album. It just didn't hit you like other songs or albums did. That's all.

I like your question & I appreciate your point, it touches on similar thoughts I've had for a while.... which songs are Princes most 'honest' songs. The songs he didn’t appear to think about or over process, werent contrived or created in the mould/style/genre to appease his latest flight of fancy.

Songs that are Plain & Honest and convey his inner drama/demons in a surprising and sometimes embarrassingly or painfully open way.

Other posters have named two in the list I created of honest Prince songs just him and his instrument bearing his soul

Most deal with his thoughts about Love versus Sex and his journey towards understanding it

I wanna be ur Lover
Forever in my life
If I was your Girlfriend
something in the Water
Shes always in my hair
Condition of the Heart
Acknowledge Me
Right Back Here In My Arms
All the Midnights in the World
Lion of Judah
Strange relationship
The question of u
Erotic City

Others appear to be petulant responses to public or private criticism

Billy Jack Bitch
Controversy
Walk Don’t Walk
Count The Days

To date I find his most ‘honest’ song is about the process of letting go..
Sometimes it snows in April


What u think?
[Edited 1/20/09 13:40pm]

All prince's songs are honest and therefore Prince is honest.. he is honest at any given moment while contemplating any particular idea. He was honest in his attempts and trying to reach the Hip Hop market, honest in his love songs to X wives, his lust songs to X girlfriends, his rock trends and R&B funk trends. Prince may not be honest in his everyday life but he sure is honest in his music. Its how he feels at that moment...you have to appreciate the consistent inconsistency of the Gemini mind.

bleutuna said:

Definite co-sign on that.

The 'real' Prince is the one found onstage, from any era, playing any song.

...real prince is 'funk-machine'prince...when he composed his 1st song,by him-self!..that's as REAL as it would get...he help create his bands in his pre-teens..that moved him along 2 man-hood well-marked!...that's REAL!..the hunger at 7yrs old was fulfilled!...June 25,1977 2 present...prince has fulfilled his thirst.. of his purpose in life?...mzsexybaby
[Edited 1/20/09 20:54pm]

Actually...That Prince is real

LOVESEXY. the album, is sincere and honest to the core.
As is PARADE.
And DIRTY MIND and recently THE RAINBOW CHILDREN.

There is no 'fake' or real Prince to be decided by what song he writes. Prince has stories to tell through his music, and it is impossible to dissect the 'real' Prince by his music. So we will never know the answer to this, cause for all we know there is no 'fake' or 'real' Prince. Prince is real enough, regardless of what songs he writes.

eyewishuheaven said:

My "Real Prince," is that Prince has a Category of his own. I can slide a song into a different style here and there...yet I just say there's, Rock, Jazz, Country, R&B, classical...and Prince.