I just FINALLY saw the "Prince of Paisley Park" special on vh1 classic. I cannot even believe the footage I saw especially Mavis in the middle of cutting God Is Alive and discussing the track.
A couple of years ago I had a dream of Prince making this song out of Alphabet Street.

What are your thoughts of this amazing tune?

paisleypark4 said:

Definately a product of the Lovesexy vibe
It was performed with the band too, live



I would love 4 him 2 do a show of 'spiritual' songs (without any preaching or pushing of any of his beliefs) just playing the music and letting it speak for itself

God [the Dance Electric]
God {the Love Theme}
Temptation
Computer Blue
Hypnoparadise
the Holy River
I Wish U Heaven
Mountains
Heaven
The Ladder
The Cross
the Future
the Dance Electric
God Is Alive
Digital Garden
Everywhere

"God Is Alive" was recorded at Olympic Studios in London,
July 1988, on the Lovesexy tour.
The song was placed on the first configuration of Graffiti Bridge (September 1988) and the original Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic album (October 1988).
A part of the song was often played on the Lovesexy tour, segued from "I Wish U Heaven."
"God Is Alive" is a raw, stripped down funk/rock effort boasting an infectious vocal chant. Mavis Staples shares lead vocals with Prince.
The song takes shape around a primitive-sounding drum machine beat and a repetitious synth bass motif.
Prince inserts fiery guitar chords and licks throughout. He also adds some synth touches, but the arrangement is very spartan and demo-like.
The arrangement and overall sound is close to that of "Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic," which was recorded around the same time.
The song reaffirms Prince's belief that God dwells inside of man.
He urges people to let God into their lives and "take a blissy ride," which will make them "so happy, purely satisfied."
His simple message for a better world is "up with education, down with crime." The title of song is shown in the Graffiti Bridge movie.


God Is Alive
Flash, flash!
Jack just got the news
God is alive! God is alive!

News is comin' like a hurricane
Comin' down hard on those who live in vain
Treatin' each other funky when U know we're all the same
God is alive, this is not a game

CHORUS
(He's alive)

News is comin' like a dog in heat
He's lookin' 4 soldiers with strong feet
That can dance on whoever can't say His name
God is alive, this is not a game (Listen)

All of His children come take a blissy ride
4 all who see Him, 4 all He lives inside
U can be so happy, purely satisfied
God is alive

Live, live!

One step at a time, we need a new rhyme (Alive)
Up with education, down with crime
Alive!

powerful stuff

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. It makes me feel good when I listen to it. This is the type of Gospel music I can get down with!

Man this song gives me chills today. I know it wont be released or anything...but I am glad I have had heard it in my lifetime nonetheless.

The live version I have yet to hear. Is it the same?

paisleypark4 said:

no he used the take this beat version from i wish u heaven and just sang/recited the lyrics from the song

There are so many Prince songs that I'd love 2 hear...and this is one of them.

When I got the bootleg version with Prince's vocals it was titled "God Is A Lie".

To be honest, it's a decent song but I doubt I would even bother to listen to stuff like that had it not been performed by Prince. It's still closer to, say, the song "New Power Generation" than anything on LoveSexy.

This is one of my all time favs! The 30 years version is a welcome update for sure.

I like this song.

I think 'God Is Alive' is an example of the tip off the other side of the 80s apex.

It's a decent track, has that Lovesexy sound, but leans much closer to the Batman era. There's nothing really new here, and there's a lack of interesting melody/rhythm.

The 88/9 period (Rave/24/Batman) stuff is quite sparse, it's still good stuff, but there's been a definate drop off since the material on SOTT. A lot of it sounds like Lovesexy b-side material. And this period onwards is really the first stuff where for much of his recording Prince is hermetically sealed up at PP, and I think it shows.

NouveauDance said:

truth. i love this song but it's not fated for mass appeal or critical appreciation. i think in this period prince started to move from creating music for its own sake towards trying to convey specific messages using the tools he had already acquired. unfortunately he seemed to forget to sharpen the old tools after a while.

I love the song. It's wonderful. I wish it was released by Mavis.

NouveauDance said:

I agree, the music started to loose the melodies and complex yet not overbearing strings we hear in 1999-Sign o the Times (there is reason )change of bandmates and yes the sealing away in PP

I actually went thru a similar phase where my familiar surroundings:friends & family became sparse distant or just no longer there. People who made me light up were gone. I'm an artist and between 94-2000 I had a cool group of friend who were artist as well. My creativity soared during those years. I went thru serious withdraw after we split company.
It's a very human thing...

In This Bed I Scream

People who were friends and bandmates since For U before he was big were gone
A great love of his life was gone

It was bound to affect the out put of music
The success of SOTT was the residual result of the Revolution years

When he did Acknowledge me(with the Lovesexy band) you could hear the change in music already, it didn't have the complex beats that made Princes' sound distinct, it sounding like NPG music, the beat was hip hop, and the layers were missing...

OldFriends4Sale said:

OldFriends4Sale said:[quote]

OldFriends4Sale said:

I also think TRC is great, even if the spiritual message is abhorrent (which it is, to me). It has an ebb and flow that doesn't feel constrained by an arbitrarily chosen musical format. It's not Prince "trying to sound hip-hop" or Prince "trying to sound contemporary"; it's just straight music. It's not telling you it doesn't care what you think -- it really doesn't care what you think, and it doesn't have to tell you it doesn't care because listening to it removes the question from the table.

There is a lot of stuff I like after '92, but in my mind the "real" Prince jumps from to Exodus to TRC and then goes on vacation. I'd like to hear from him again, for sure.

stanleylieber said:[quote]

OldFriends4Sale said:

The both of you are correct. I think that whole 1992 - 1999 era was HARSH. Prince was trying ..and sometimes he succeeded but it was a turmoil era and I stcuk it thorugh still and bought every album despite knowing it wasnt his peak potential (Come, Chaos, The Vault, NPS, even alot of Emancipation).

When he released the Rainbow Children I for sure knew that he was coming around the bend again...finally being done with trying to sound forcefully hip like alot of those NPG downloads... i.e. the High album...Im thankful I heard it, but there it left nothing to the imagination like Rebirth, It, or Good Love. There wasnt any insiration, and I really felt like Rainbow Children was a new direction in experimentation. A trippy album. 3121 was hot too and PE wasnt that bad either.