Serious said:

Being black I'm the same way lol ...

Love2tha9s said:

My assumption was always this:

Prince, at the time anyway, was leaning more towards a viewpoint that Blacks had been thru the same types of atrocities as Jews, but not given the same level of outrage, condemnation and recourse, both in the States and worldwide, as Jews were afforded. The perception being one of African Americans being told to "get over it" concerning things like slavery, etc...and he probably fell in line with others who would, say, compare how the holocaust was viewed in the U.S. to how slavery was viewed, how Jews were "given their own country" as where black slaves were given land (40 acres and a mule), only to have most of it stolen back by the KKK or even the government. Within that discourse would come a natural comparison between the plight Jews have faced and the plight Blacks have faced.

So when you get to a song like "Family Name", Prince brings up the whole "get over it" argument he probably felt is used too much towards blacks ("You might say, 'What U mad about?'..")...then goes on to compare the names blacks have been anchored with ("Lynch", for instance...not a good name for a race who was regularly lynched publicly to cheering crowds) to the names Jews have ("Rosenbloom", "Pearlman"...Rose In Bloom...Pearl...get it? lol)...I never even slightly got the impression that Prince was blaming Jews for stripping away blacks' family "names" and african heritage.

So why compare black family names to the family names of jews? I'm guessing to illustrate how blacks in this country have had it just as bad, if not worse, than Jews have had it...but that he believed people in the U.S. aren't nearly as willing to acknowledge it to the same level, probably because slavery is "our" national shame, as where the holocaust is another country's shame (as well as being more recent). He also wanted to point out areas in which he probably felt the majority of U.S. citizens didn't really appreciate the full level of harm centuries of slavery and racism placed on the black race...I actually thought singing about how being saddled with your slave master's last name was an ultimate insult was pretty damn clever, myself.

Prince was becoming a bit militant at the time, which turned off some of his fans...it's ok in everyone's eyes if he's being militant towards sexual attitudes, of course lol ...when the target is politics or religion, it's a bit dicier.


...
[Edited 6/25/09 11:52am]

Byron said:

I don't know that he used "aside" out of laziness...it's certainly a possibility, however.

Look, I know you understand what I'm saying. The mere mention of the Holocaust is going to result in comparisons being drawn. If that wasn't Prince's aim, then why bring it up in the first place? Why call out Mr. Rosenbloom, Mr. Pearlman and Mr. Goldstruck?

L4OATheOriginal said:

I've only read about half a dozen replies and I've already snorted and giggled several times, this thread is gonna be lots of fun if it isn't locked!

Genesia said:

EXACTLY.

ernestsewell said:

P was asking the question was it worse to be Jewish and b persecuted and lose your life or be a slave and lose your identity. In his view, losing your identity is worse. If you killed, atleast you still knew who you were.
You may disagree and think jews suffered more than slaves, but that doesnt make either viewpoint racist.

Genesia said:

so ur making the assumption that these last names only belong 2 those of the jewish faith?

some need 2 recognize that prince is of african decent so issues of slavery will ring closer 2 "home" 4 him than the holocaust

thepope2the9s said:

To even compare those 2 groups of people who have been suffering so much is disgusting IMO. It's the same as if somebody was comparing if it's better to die of AIDS or to die of cancer and is telling the families who have lost someone of AIDS that their loved ones could have it worse.

The song is anti-semetic bullshit that pits blacks against jews. It's one of Prince's lowest moments, and shouldn't be defended.

The song is anti-semetic bullshit that pits blacks against jews. It's one of Prince's lowest moments, and shouldn't be defended.

Love2tha9s said:

BINGO we have a winner

Love2tha9s said:

First clue is on the title track when he says the Rainbow Children are flying on the wings of the "New Translation". That is the version of the Bible that JW's use. It's unlike any other translation. It debunks Christ being the son of God in being the Savior of the world. They don't fully acknowledge the trinity of God, Son, and Holy Spirit. (You can even see a pic of his New Translation bible in the 21 Nights book.)

The banished ones are those who don't believe in the JW g-d, and dispute the word of g-d. Unlike Protestant religions, JW's believe they are the ONLY ones going to heaven, and yet out of 300,000,000 people just in America, apparently only 144,000 in total are going to heaven. I've yet to find where Christ said THAT in the New Testament. It's heresy.

As far as the voice...well, who knows. Maybe he just didn't want HIS voice on it, but rather a deep, more g-d like voice, telling the story.

JudasLChrist was right about the Goldberg thing and the anti-Jewish statements. Yes, we know blacks had their names changed when they came here. But so did anyone else who showed up at Ellis Island 80 years ago. It's very segregated thinking on Prince's part.

He chants about theocratic order and how women are below men. Well in some regards, the Bible has referred to women as the "weaker vessel", but that doesn't mean they're less able to perform any function a man can. Women are very prominent in the Bible, as teachers, preachers, apostles, etc. JW's refuse to acknowledge this.

It's basically Prince saying "My way or the highway." He's even chanted about dead blood (JW's don't believe in blood transfusions) in another song not on TRC. (Slaughterhouse?)

L4OATheOriginal said:

I have to say that theory is out of whack. Mayte was gone before 1999 was over. TRC was released in 2001, recorded in late 2000, early 2001. A year or more had passed since she left. If Mani is the muse, then Prince is crowing himself the Pharaoh, and even the JW g-d says "Pride cometh before a fall." TRC is not a reference to the NPG. That whole album is so above and beyond Prince and his wives and girlfriends. It's full on religious ranting.

One of my favorite albums musically. The lyrics mean nothing to me.

Love2tha9s said:

not everyone hates this album i love this masterpeice. people tend 2 get all overworked on this album because of their personal belief systems and don't want 2 here their hero prince going in2 the JW faith.

this album is semi autobiographical if u really listen 2 it, and knew what was happening in prince's life at the time ..the banished ones, well one of them was mayte 4 sure..the muse is mani ..the rainbow children could b interpeted as the new power generation as a whole and not just the band members.

the only thing i hate is how people always say "the darth vader voice" it's the same voice he's used throughout his career on tracks like bob george, the whole tora tora character on exodus, temptation etc etc ..

JAMES EARL JONES IS NOT ON THE RAINBOW CHILDREN ALBUM so spread the word ..and stop referring 2 it as the darth vader voice
[Edited 6/25/09 10:56am]

L4OATheOriginal said:

That's totally understandable, but no excuse for his lyrics IMO. And as he is so concerned about slavery he'd better not have written slave on his cheek and thus compare his contract situation to the the sufferings the slaves had been through.

Uninspired sophomoric 70’s fusion jazz with dumb lyrics and dumb production.

As someone who had gravitated to Prince for his daring and inspired work, this album really pissed pissed me off.
1999 The New Master was still fresh on my mind, and then this turd!
I thought he had totally lost it.

L4OATheOriginal said:

That's totally understandable, but no excuse for his lyrics IMO. And as he is so concerned about slavery he'd better not have written slave on his cheek and thus compare his contract situation to the the sufferings the slaves had been through.

Hooray! It's like the .org in 2001-2001 again!

Them were the good old days - mostly just fighting over the lyrical content of TRC and starting to call each other racists, misogynists and brainless fams once the threads would get to their second page.

The song is anti-semetic bullshit that pits blacks against jews. It's one of Prince's lowest moments, and shouldn't be defended.

JudasLChrist said:

I don't feel this way at all. To me it just means with the exception of.

There is alot about African American culture that I do not know, at one point I made a remark that a black woman found racist and I didn't mean it that way.
Anyway I took the time to learn more and really think about it.

Unlike the holocaust, slavery went on over 100 years.

People were born slaves, had children who were enslaved, and died slaves never having tasted freedom.
Children were sold away from there mother routinely and as a mother I can't imagine my sanity not being challenged by that alone.

People were seperated from their language and their name and would really never claim it back. People bought slaves from different parts of Africa so that the slaves could not speak in a tongue that the masters did not understand.
These people were under the control of sadistic master who not only abused them physically but also mentally.
When they were freed they left with nothing and they did not have justice or liberty to go along with the freedom.

Lastly it all happened in America. I think whites are more comfortable pointing at the actions of the Nazi's of Germany than taking a look at our on history.

All I am doing is asking my fellow European Americans to spend as much time studying African American history in America as the average African American spends studying ours.