Elixir is the tempting forces of lust . . .
MPLSOUND is the libido response, the advent of "spiritual decay"
Lotusflow3r is the breaking away from the forces of addiction to find love, the journey home . . .

We all know of Prince's use of Homer's Odyssey in his Glam Slam Ulysses (I think it is called) with Carmen Elektra (a name from the Odyssey). . .the song "Strays of the World" has a similar thematic thread to parts of the Lotusflow3r set (and an underappreciated song IMHO, its complex arrangement, multi-layered texturing and sophistication is lost in the dross of Crystal Ball, it needed songs of a similar vein in order to enhance its greatness, though it seems right at home with the song order in the performance of Glam Slam Ulysses).

And so, one scholar writes:

"LOTUS-EATERS (Gr. AwTockcyoc), a Libyan tribe known to the Greeks as early as the time of Homer. Herodotus (iv. 177) describes their country as in the Libyan district bordering on the Syrtes, and says that a caravan route led from it to Egypt. Victor Berard identifies it with the modern Jerba. When Odysseus reached the country of the Lotophagi, many of his sailors after eating the lotus lost all wish to return home. Both Greeks and Romans used the expression "to eat the lotus" to denote forgetfulness (cf. Tennyson's poem "The LotusEaters").

There has been considerable discussion as to the identification of the Homeric lotus. Some have held that it is a prickly shrub, Zizyphus Lotus, which bears a sweet-tasting fruit, and still grows in the old home of the Lotophagi. It is eaten by the natives, who also make a kind of wine from the juice. P. Champault (Pheniciens et Grecs en Italie d'apres l'Odyssee, p. 400, note 2), however, maintains that the lotus was a date; Victor Berard (Les Pheniciens et l'Odysse'e, 1902-1903, ii. 102) is doubtful, but contends that it was certainly a tree-fruit. If either of these be correct, then the lotus of Od. iv. 603-604 is quite a different plant, a kind of clover. Now Strabo (xvii. 829a) calls the lotus iroav Tlva Kai bi -ccv. Putting these two references together with Sulpicius Severus, Dialogi i. 4.4, R. M. Henry suggests that the Homeric lotus was really the nroa of Strabo, i.e. a kind of clover."

Prince's message, I believe, is that society is in danger of becoming Lotus-Eaters, lost in a mire of spiritual decay . . .

The last track may indicate more of this, but Prince has buried his voice in the mix in response to those who criticized his use of the same in Rainbow Children. Now instead of being transparent, he is making his message opaque in its delivery. I believe the backward vocals and the accompanying music is the same as the beginning of the track, just folded over and slowed down . .

His exclusive promo photos on Lotusflow3r.com, has one shot of Prince in spiritual garb, arms outspread, each hand in symbolic gesture (any takers on that one?). They are great shots and it has me wondering if Prince will rerelase this as a two-CD set later on with all of this material (photos and lyrics) at a later date.


I have more but this is a start.

First post . .

saw Prince in 1988 and 1991 . . . that and Bjork were my two favorite performers. I look forward to how this web site pans out, especially with the forthcoming archival material.
[Edited 4/4/09 4:09am]

oh, I wanted to add that I feel the lyrics of Lotusflow3r are some of his most brilliant; reading the lyrics of the web site opens up a whole new meaning to the release. I think many musicians would kill to be able to write lyrics to a song liek The Morning After . . .
[Edited 4/3/09 16:50pm]

bloomsday said:

I think you are close to being spot on here...

On an interesting side note, in mythology, the lotus flower was also associated with life and fertility, and adorned the garment of aphrodite

bloomsday said:

Huh? The lyrics to The Morning After are incrdibly simplistic and juvenile.

Gohi said:

so says you . . .

Very interesting...Transparent and Opaque.

A Spiritual understanding of being open to the truth that can be descended apon u, I suppose is a slow opening to a beautiful story that has descended.
I don't know everything about Historians of old...yet I do believe they carried legends from the gods of the sky.
Even still...The galaxy maps of continents on planets are named after gods. I don't believe education ever ends.
Thank u.

bloomsday said:

Wow that was deep, i agree with you

. . and I can tell this is a good album, well more than good, for me personally, becomes it becomes an even richer listening experience on repeated hearings. Everything falls into place where each song is at, each disc stands on its own.

Two CDs that did not do that for me were Musicology and Planet Earth because of their blandness. It seemed like songs that Prince quickly composed and did not return to after they grew on him.

I feel Prince has connected with his music by incorporating such a rich mythology. For once in the last fifteen years or so, I feel proud for him ( have been a fan since 1980 or 81). I only wish Joseph Campbell was around to give his thoughts on this release!

Campbell writes as follows:

"We all know the great story: Of how, having sailed with his twelve ships away
from conquered Troy, Odysseus put into a Thracian port, Ismarus, sacked ' the city, slew its people, and-as he later reported"took their wives and much substance," distributing",g these to his own men. Clearly, such a brute was not ready for domestic life; a complete change of character was required. And the gods, who are always alert to such things, saw to it that he should fall into competent hands.

First Zeus sent upon him a tempest that tore the sails of his ships to shreds and blew them for nine days, out of control, to the land of the Lotus Eaters-land of the hallucinogenic drug "forgetfulness," where, like Watkins in his madhouse, Odysseus and his freaked-out men were set floating on a sea of dream. Then follows the sequence of their mythological adventures, altogether different in kind from anything they had ever known."

Oops, I am always one for pointing to sources, this is from a freely-available lecture Campbell gave on Schizophrenia and Mythology in pdf format, a great and informative read in and of itself that I highly recommend:

http://www.mindspring.com...-schiz.pdf
[Edited 4/4/09 4:00am]
[Edited 4/4/09 4:02am]

There is more, much more, to ponder about . . . some of the arrangements of the beginning and end of Lotusflow3r remind me of that centerpiece of Electric Ladyland, where Hendrix has composed two tripped-out masterpiece musical journies, "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" and "Moon, Turns the Tides... Gently, Gently Away" I feel Prince hasn't truly rocked-out because he wants to ward off any obvious comparisons to Hendrix, of which he is not a copycat, but possibly as a musical transmitter of sorts.
[Edited 4/4/09 4:16am]
[Edited 4/4/09 4:17am]

Thank you for this refreshing look at lotus. i feel this album will be picked at for a long time by people trying to discover it's true meaning.

This is a great start.

I don't care one way or the other what you think.

Dayclear said:

Yet, you care enough to respond that you don't care?

It isn't healthy to suppress all that rage, Sometimes I think Wilhelm Reich was right in his book, The Function of the Orgasm.

Reich discusses the relation between psychological health and sexual health and its relation with cultural needs and cultural growth. He believes that sexuality has been seen as a threat to cultural growth -- a false belief -- he contends that many social ills that were present in the 1940s, such as wars, torture, killing, violence, antisocial behavior and many other social ills, are the consequence of the illness in the culture which cannot be denied and man cannot be proud of. He attributes social ills to the wrong upbringing of children which makes them ready for an authoritarian government and leadership, as well as makes them prone to antisocial behavior and deprives them of their potential for work and love.

Reich states that love, knowledge and work are the wellsprings of life. They should also govern it. Reich brings examples from the second World War, atrocities and savage behavior, killings of people and disrespect for human life, and attributes them to the human sickness that springs from wrong upbringing of children and therefore makes society prone to such atrocities. Since atrocities have not stopped since the 1940s and the World War II, we therefore believe his points are valid for the present.

He then talks about the biological effects of his understanding of the human organism, the inner psychological and physical effect it leaves on people, the treatment of such cases that he has taken based on his theory and the treatment approach and technique that are designed for it. He brings examples of interesting and helpful results that he obtained in treating his patients which substantiate his theory and understanding of the human psyche.

Im other words, dude (and I feel this hostility could only be masculine in its source) is that you're not getting laid enough!
[Edited 4/4/09 4:56am]

bloomsday said:

Please tell me how the lyrics to that song are anything but transparent grade-school fluff (and I say that as a fan of the song).

.
[Edited 12/19/09 12:45pm]

mzkqueen03 said:

Exactly! The Morning After has great lyrics of someone in love. BTW, a song can be juvenile and still have a great hook . . . (18 & Over, Ripopgodazippa etc.)

Gohi said:

They bring meaning, they inspire thoughts, they promote a positive listening experience, and his wordplay is inventive.

I also think I stated that it was in my opinion . . .

bloomsday said:

I guess most fans have no thoughts on this . . . perhaps if I wrote about Prince's hair, or if he is banging Bria, or that he screwed us on his new web site, there would be some response.

No wonder Prince doesn't respect his fan base. .

bloomsday said:

haha, you got a point.

WetDream said:

Indeed he has. Though I don't think it is a point relevant 2 Prince fans alone, but 2 modern society in general.

post the lyrics to The Morning After. I only have the Target release. Seeing the words in black and white might help people assess whether they think they're juvenile or not.