appreciation-modern classic-WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN

this is the PRINCE i love-this song is such a stone cold classic in many ways.

so traditional yet so utterly different-ya dig?

ive played this so many times and cats be like"THIS IS PRINCE?? WOW!"

piano like a muthafucker-off an album with a few hidden gems


Another tired line

Baby, U sure look good,
Hey baby, what's your sign?
How many ask 4 your number
Before they even know your name?
How many out there tired of playing
This silly o-old time game?

Hey, and when the lights go down
And it's justa U 2
It's when U and your lover, yeah
Do what [... wanna] do

That's when U feel the heat
Hotter than July
That's when U and your baby, baby, baby
When your baby get a ride
Yeah, when your baby get a ride

How can U tell him no
When he loves U so?
Buy U anything
Anything U want
His eyes all aglow
He'll know Ure good 2 go
Duh-dun
Duh-dun
Duh-dun
In front of a restaurant, yeah

Girl, Ud better know
Really, until U do it couple o' times in a row
It's just the same
It's just a game
Go back to do whatever, sleep outside your door

When the lights go down, yeah
And it's just U 2
That's when U hear the sounds
Of what true lovers do, yeah
And when U feel the heat, yo
Hotter than July
That's when U and your baby
When your baby get a ride
Yeah, hey, and when your baby get a ride now

Then when your baby get a ride

That's when your baby get a ride
That's when your baby play with U tonight

Brilliant song, love it, often have it on repeat.

Yep. Great track indeed.

was bumpin' the vault...old friends 4 sale the other day on my way to and from work . such an underrated joint . was especially jammin' on it's about that walk . love this one also though

Don't give a damn what anyone says about that collection.. it's a album of complete perfection.


Lucky we got that much out of the 90's

I'd definately agree with that....I thought Old Friends was a damn good album, much better than I was expecting, and the highlight is the awesome When The Lights Go Down, so jazzy, so smooth...one of his best!

DaveT said:

Piano skills are top notch

I assume and hope its prince

This is a nice gettin ready on a Friday night song..

Probably my favourite Prince vocal.

a) The melodic creativity from verse to verse over what is a fairly simple, but fantastic, riff.

b) His control singing so low in his falsetto. Some of those notes are just sublime.

If I ever need to convince anyone of prince's vocal prowess, this is the track I inevitibly play. It's all very well to push your voice to the limits, but to have the ability to convey emotion with such style and subtlety is what does it for me.

A+

Sdldawn said:

Yeah, I tend to drink way too much as well.

Very cool song, I think that entire album is great!
[Edited 2/27/09 3:19am]

Loved it from the first time I heard it!

YUP!

Incredible song!

I love, love, love that song.

It's on my special playlist.

I've always loved that song from the 1st listen. It's a great song from start to finish.

thanks jony! i love these kinda threads - they make me go back re-visit tunes ive not heard for a while - this track is sublime, lovely jazzy feel - swingin! it also reminds me of my old japan tracks but has lovely off-key moments P likes to throw in the mix pure jazz

i love the live rendition he did at the celebration in 2002

Sdldawn said:

I would presume it to be, Prince can tinkle the ivories with the best of 'em!!

And I know what you mean about being a great going out/Friday night song. Ive had it on myself whilst getting ready to hit the town!!

jonylawson said:

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT....The most underrated Prince slow jam ever....Prince jazzy vocals is on point on this song....The instrumentation is classic jazzy Prince. The bass, piano on point. Wish he would do this song live

DaveT said:

I think you mean "tickle the ivories." I doubt Prince would pee on his piano. At least, not if there were people watching.

I love this song...have for years wondered how people could sleep on it. This is one of those songs I'll pull out when I have the attention of some real music lovers. The song is great, he's great and the sound is superb.

I believe I picked up by a very reliable source that Prince did play the piano on that track. It was live in the studio.

Genesia said:

You're a dumbass.

Great Song.

johnart said:

You would know!

johnart said:

What a great song from a great, totally underrated forgotten classic. This tune is def in my all time top 10.

I have always considered 'The Vault: old friends for sale' a very underrated album.

Apart from the last two songs, the 'new' rather pompeous version of Old friends for sale, and Extraordinary, a stereotypical eighties R&B ballad that just simply sounds 'out of place' on the album, its a very pleasant collection of jazz and blues-influenced tracks, with an organic quasi-live sound.

IMO it is a lot stronger then the official Prince album released that year: Rave unto the joy Fantastic. Which I see as a forced, and misguided attempt to get back into the 'mainstream' again.

Just like most of Chaos and Disorder, it shows Prince and the NPG having fun playing their music, with some delightfull results.

Poplife88 said:

Agree. All the people who complain about the the last 15 years should give this brilliant song another listen. Chaos, Come, Vault, NPS- all have top twenty all time P songs on them.

Riverpoet31 said:

Yes, finally. Someone else who likes C & D! (....at least I think that's what you were getting at?). Great, raw album. Some stinkers, but what album doesn't?