Bob Dylan often gets praised as 1 of the greatest rock poets ever, and I think Neil Young too, and Tom Waits,

Why do you believe Prince isn't in the same situation, not taken that seriously:


1. could it be because of sexual content in Prince's (older) lyrics

2. or - the often light-hearted lyrics


What do you think....

Is Prince getting the praise and recognition he deserves for his lyrics



To me Prince's lyrics are often both sexual and also very poetic and beautiful.

Okay, I won't pull the race card. but look at your question.

I think his serious songs are taken serious (see: Sign O' The Times, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Money Don't Matter 2Night), but for everyone of those there's two dozen 'Hot Wit' U's or songs about fiddling with other people's privates.

Also a lot of Prince's work is rather insular, in that it isn't very universal lyrically, not everyone can (or wants to) relate to what's in the lyrics. He's also known for 'dance' songs like Gett Off, Kiss or U Got The Look. Again, lyrics don't need to be deep for these songs, all of which are well-known big hits.

Well, my personal opinion is because of his attitude towards the music industry itself. Prince likes to make his own rules when it comes to the distribution and promotion of his music and music execs don't take kindly to people who dog them out, then expect them to promote their music to the public through radio and television. As for not being acknowledged in the "rock" genre, in my opinion it's still a very segregated genre for people of color to get the praise they deserve. I listen to the rock airwaves all the time and very rarely will I hear even Jimmy Hendrix let alone Prince! Surprisingly, I hear more Bob Marley on the rock channels than I do Lenny Kravitz and or Van Hunt. It's the nature of the industry. Not only that, Prince is seen as more of a multi - genre artist, so to place him in the singular category of "rock" music genius wouldn't be accurate. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Eric Clapton etc. are seen as outstanding rock artists because it's the only genre they play.

I have to agree with NouveauDance here. He has written some very beautiful lyrics, but plenty of tripe inbetween; "So you're having a party, goody for you" etc.... Many of his songs are playful, with the lyrics accounting for very little. I think he's highly respected as a musician / songwriter and rightly so, but I wouldn't point people in his direction based on lyrical content.

As for the category of musical "rock" genius being reserved for the aforementioned artists, I have to disagree with dartluv5. Whilst Prince is a multi-genre artist, to suggest that (especially) Clapton and Young only play rock is a joke. I'm sure Clapton would be the first to say that he's primarily an R&B artist!

NouveauDance said:

I agree completely and would add that some of Prince's best lyrics are comedy, and comedy writing is rarely properly acknowledged.

i take Prince seriously and i think alot of people do. What makes u say the above? Its a pretty strange thing to say considering Prince is extremely successful and well known.

He has written some great lyrics such as SOTT and When Doves Cry, and even some of his sexy stuff is brilliant such as IIWYG and Little Red Corvette, but a lot of his material has fallen far below these heights both in terms of depth, intelligence or emotional punch.

Personaly, I think this could have something to do with the speed at which he works, and his not engaging with the outside world as a man among equals. He rules his world and I don't think this is an environment that has brought the best out of him lyrically, but what do I know? He's a bloody genius and I'm not.

Unfortunately, he has put such a huge quantity of material out there and the really great lyrics are not the rule.

Also, he is so talented in other areas that it throws this into relief at times.
[Edited 11/16/09 8:27am]
[Edited 11/16/09 8:27am]

His lyrics about being Number 1 at the bank, or gloating the people of "Moneyapolis" which is actually a city with a high poverty rate.

Does it really matter?

At the end of the day, if u dig prince then u KNOW what time it is.
If u don't dig him, it is your loss.

Pretty simple if u ask me.

I was thinking about that too, about if the songs are just avenues of fantasy or if he's really intending his lyrics, is he playing around with creativity or seriously inviting ppl to enjoy his romantic side

dartluv5 said:

(Bolded part) I agree with this part of your post. It seems fans want to put Prince in one category, instead of accepting that he plays R&B, rock, jazz, blues, etc. as well. I feel many fans want to put him in one box as just a "rock" artist, and if he isn't playing enough "rock" for them, then he is not given the respect he deserves as an outstanding and legendary artist.

I do feel he is recognized as a stand out heartfelt brilliant artist

He was taken seriously until 1993. He never quite regained that full respect back. And we all know why, whether we want to admit it or not.

With Prince, the respect paid wasn't always about lyrics. It was the whole persona of a prodigy, a young black man from the middle west who doesn't speak much, seems shy but is known for singing about oral sex, and any other sort of copulation, all while conjoining that with the idea of being closer to God with every orgasm.

Prince is a poet.....in a way. He's an urban poet. He's the voice of your dick, your vagina, and your soul. It's like comparing Bruce to MJ. Both sang about social issues at times, but their muse, their source, their delivery, their idealism were quite different.

NouveauDance said:

Very good point. I´ve been saying the same thing for years....his older material was less cryptic and more accessible,yet still very personal at the time he wrote the lyrics ( like Beautiful Ones, When Doves Cry,etc.).
His lyrics are still personal but much more cryptic and difficult to understand.Even longtime fans need ages to decypher some of his lyrics, for instance the TRC album. Either that, or they are too dull and naive these days.

However, I think Prince is a very underrated songwriter....the good stuff he wrote was VERY good.

I think there are other artists besides Prince who are good song writers and don't get recognition for their lyrics. My guess is that no. 1s count in the music industry not lyrics. If you look at Pink Floyds the wall, a classic album, everyone loves the concept and the way it's done musically, but people rarely speak about the lyrics.

I guess with the volume Prince has produced, his music and lyrics will be appreciated in time. If you compare the amount of artists out there today in comparison with 30 years ago, I'd say there's an overload. What concerns most is the hype, not necessarily the great lyrics that are written by many artists.

truth is prince has never written a single lyric to put him into the category of some of the artists u mentioned.... i love prince, but he would be one of the last artists i would go to looking for any lyrical depth or enlightenment.

inevitably people on here are going to read this and get defensive of ol' p but throw on a leonard cohen song, any one really, and the weakest line in it will still be better than anything prince has written. that is not to compare these 2 artists, which would be apples and oranges anyway, but to illustrate a point.
some people are better at certain things ( i wouldn't want to hear leonard cohen sing the scream intro to gett off )
i think the closest prince has come to writing anything truly lyrically great is little red corvette... that opening line is probably the most interesting lyric he's written in his vast career.

i think one HUGE component missing from p's lyrical work is humility/vulnerability. i was so excited by the prospect of the radiohead creep cover for this reason exactly, i thought it would be incredible to hear prince sing those lyrics of alienation and self deprecation.
then i heard it and was SO disappointed... ''u wish u were special, so do i!?!''
talk about missing the point of a song! that made me wonder whether he's even capable of understanding the sentiment behind a song that heavy, having lived the charmed purple life for so long i'm not sure he can even come close to relating with something so isolated and self loathing.
missed opportunity. it would go a long way if he showed the world some humility, i think a lot of people would be surprised by something like that from him... and they would relate to it... better than they would to say ''white mansion.''

put on that tune and then cohen's 'tower of song.'' u'll see what i mean.

that last post is quite to the point.



Prince isn't deep. He's a drama-queen.

The lyrics to "sign o' the times" are anything but deep

He's too in love with himself to sustain a sober moment for very long.

He's the best at was he does but he doesn't do deep

I take Prince seriously as a lyricist.

Every Song and Every line are not going to be pearls of wisdom.

Prince has so many Spiritual Songs, Beautiful Love Songs, and songs that touch on every subject with love and concern.

Tame said:

LOL

Rightly said:

ROTFLMAO!!!

assless pants .

porfyrivrohi said:

what does this mean?
You are agreeing with me, I take it?

^ I think he/she disagrees with you, the drama-queen part.

the pained facial expressions of a Purple Rain recital!!!

alladin's cave, with the song Gotta broken heart again. OOoohh those heartfelt theatrics!!!

Th'doe-eyed lill'fella' with an amazing display of vocal virtuosity whilst addressing his maker in Temptation.

That is depth. Gonzo still hasn't surfaced!

well OP... maybe you should listen to 'Hot with U' and 'Chocolate Box'

Prince's lyrics are a thing of beauty...I wish someone would compile them into a book and sell it as poetry. He hits all aspects of life, from silliness to serious to sexual to spiritual.

His mind must be a beautiful place to visit.

Revolution said:

His lyrics aren't so great. Good enough to become faves, maybe, but not Stevie Wonder great (for example).

Listen to the genius of Songs in the Key of Life and compare it with SOTT (arguably their best work, respectively), and you're confronted pretty quickly with P's shortcomings as a lyricist.

Rightly said:

If you think that tag ending conversation w/ God on "Temptation" is "deep", I have a bridge at a good deal. It's the worst thing Prince ever did on record to that point, and even through 1989.
[Edited 11/17/09 20:57pm]