prince had much better lyrics in the past.
do you think prince regressed as lyricist?

Yes

thebanishedone said:

some of his lyrics are deeper than others, but some will always long for songs with the passion of the beautiful ones and when doves cry

I think he's somewhat lazy now.

Then again, not every song can be Little Red Corvette or Dorothy Parker.

He has had some decent lines recently, though. "Past my expiration date" in Lion of Judah is pretty fine.

thebanishedone said:

Yes to both questions.

I think as the years have progressed he's become a pretty lazy songwriter in general. There's no revision, no thought. It's just "hey, here's a groove, here's some words, a solo, done." There are exceptions, but I think he continues to work as quickly as he used to, but without the muse/inspiration he once had, that's not an effective way to do things anymore.

Yes to both.

Withing individual songs, yes I think he could be perceived as lazy for not rewriting. Some lines don't really make sense, or are just weak.

But he writes so many damn songs, it's hard to say he's lazy. Other writers that you might use as an example of non-lazy writing probably have not written nearly as many songs as prince. So maybe they're lazy and simply write better lyrics.

If he was lazy he wouldn't write lyrics at all.

dothejump said:

Bingo!

anymore, yes. Wasn't always the case.

At least he writes lyrics...some musicians can't
seem to get past "la la la or de de de"

A little lazy. Prince only has about a thousand songz or so...

thebanishedone said:

I am a songwriter and wouldnt say Prince is lazy

writing songs for over 30 yrs like Prince has with a catalog of probably thousands of songs, creative concepts and arrangements may not come as easy, that doesnt mean he is lazy

he may need to work with a co-writer or co-writers or find some new inspiration/motivation

lets give him more credit

I doubt Prince is lazy

No.

lazy never Prince has put out a volume of work ...I think his thought process he puts in to lyrics of late lack conviction.

There was a time when you'd have to rewind a line for thesimple facet that your mind was blown in a did-he-just-say-what-I-thought-he-said be it political or sensual lyrics.Perhaps it's been difficult to find whats appropriate he lost himself after singing "We don't give a DUCK what you got on,Just need to work that sexy body-all-night-long"

utopia7 said:

I agree... his songwriting while getting better and better at every turn in terms of skill and technical proficiency seems to be having less and less passion. A lot of his recent lyrics sound contrived, come across as disingenuos/artificial attempts at being hip (through cliches and pandering).

Not saying everything he's ever written was profound, but I think these days sounds like forced symmetry, force perfection, forced balance, he's trying to box his creativity into rules and regulations. I don't hear a free spirit. I don't feel a free spirit. I don't hear an open mind.

More than anything his lyrics seem to reflect someone who is commenting on life, rather than experiencing it. As a result it is not connecting or resonating with audiences.

For me, if his songs were clothes, it's like I'd rather enjoy them on display on a mannequin in a glass case rather than wear them. His lyrics used to speak to me personally and his music became like the soundtrack to my life for years and years. Nowadays, its background music. Beautiful yes. Penetrating no.

Sorry Prince... when you stop singing about how much money you have, or your box of chocolates, maybe I'll try those shoes on... until then I'll admire from the emotional, artistic distance you've created between yourself/your art and your audience.

Lazy? I don't know. yeah, a little bit. While I can still sometimes see him trying to reach a little deeper, there's isn't usually the quirkiness or weird psychological thing going on that he used to be able to bring to his work. (psycho, yes. psychological? no.)


but I think that at least as far as his romantic lyrics are concerned, for the most part throughout his entire career, he's been rather emotionally stunted. all his heartache, lyrically, has been someone else's fault. and i think it's safe to assume that most of Prince's relationships went sour because of him.

when are we ever going to get THAT song? hmm?

NuPwrSoul said:

THANK YOU! my sentiments exactly some may disagree with what I am about to say b for me his first forced attempt of a intimate song is THE COUCH ( musicology) this song makes me cringe audio/live.Another theory is there isn't the presence of a band anymore which is a key ingredient for lyrics have life breathed in to them.Like you mentioned his life and music have become distant.Or we all just might be growing up while he gets writers block.

No, are you crazy? His music is still great. One should be so LUCKY!

Not lazy, more meaningful and/or direct.

errant said:

you know what !!! you froze my mind just now !! We would love to hear Prince sing I'm sorry I told you lies ...baby it was only one night etc etc

good point!

Whilst there have been some brilliant lyrical moments, I'd suggest one of Prince's strongest skills is his ability to turn pure cheese into gold.

Let's be honest, there are loads of songs with cheesy, somewhat predictable lyrics out there. They've gained notoriety because he was using sex and cursing at a time when it was very rare in music, but that doesn't make them lyrical genius.

The best example of what I'm referring to on Lotusflow3r is 4ever. The lyrics are pretty corny, but it doesn't stop that from being a great song. This is something Prince can do quite well.

He's not lazy, and there's no doubt he can write thought-provoking, debate-starting lyrics when he wants to, but he's also capable of just having some fun and letting the beat do the work.

I reckon people are more inclined to feel this these days as the lyrics are more religious than sexual (though not entirely). I think some of the references are missed due to that. I certainly don't get those from a personal point of view.

The Morning After is an exercise in crappy lyric writing.

TwiliteKid said:

I agree.This happens to most artists who have been around for many years.They lose the inspiration/muse that they had earlier in their career.

Yes sometimes. My friends often comment that they like his music but not his lyrics. I quite like his lyrics but sometimes they don't make much sense, think Boom...killer tune but confusing lyrics.

No, how many have YOU written?

Oh my..... Exactly how would measure the worth of another man's ART?

No, I don't think so.

Prince is highly capable of writing lyrics in more than one style, and does so with particular intent and purpose.

Whether he decides 2 write something simple, or something more complex, using more metaphors, it's what he decides when he approaches a song.

That's just how it is.

There is plenty of evidence of Prince's lyrical skill in the latest release, and there always has been.

No matter how skilled or intelligent U R, sometimes U just want 2 break it down, and write simply, just because the song calls 4 it.

.
[Edited 6/11/09 7:00am]

Their are alot of lazy artists. Prince is not one of them.