Everybody's looking for the ladder, everybody wants salvation of the soul Such a beautiful song Listening to it now and It's gems like this that made me a Prince fan The man sings and touches your heart He should do more spiritual songs-it's a good fit for his voice. Any thoughts?

LOVE THE SONG! Took me a few years to appreciate it but now it is one of my favs on that album.

I think it is about how some people spend so much time looking for fulfillment that they miss out on living.

A theme touched on in "sexuality" in the "probably live their lives through a pocket camera." Which would not only greatly limit your field of vision but would mean that you were not really experiencing life first hand but doing so vicariously through artificial means, unless of course the flash fails to work again.

the steps you take are no easy road....but the reward is great for those who want to go.



Love this song too. The best on the album. I think it speaks to the challenges people of faith have. Prince has always been more spiritual to me rather than dogmatic as many people are I presume. We all want some assurance that there is something greater beyond the flesh and this physical world but it takes courage and even patience to keep believing and wait till the very end. Ahhh Princey my lyrical genius.

I never understood why folks hated this song.


I like it. I actually like it much more than I like "Temptation" which ends ATWIAD.


Altogether though, AWIAD was a great album just by mere fact that it was brave. There's no other artist in Prince's place that I can think of who would release anything remotely like it in the shadow of Purple Rain.

I do like the song. There's that one weird edit in there that I can never figure out why it's there. But I love the "live" feel (since it was recorded in a rehearsal on the PR tour, I think).

The edit is at the 3:46 mark ,and seems like part of the song was cut out. The volume suddenly changes a bit, on the next beat after he says "answer". Just odd, but it's the song we know, so I'm cool with it. I'm just geeky enough to notice and wonder what is going on there.

Love it...pure Prince

it's grown on me considerably

nurseV said:

it has been some time since i have listened to it, but it's a deep song;
it was symbolic of where Prince would go with his sound in the now.
it's funny, coz he's been spiritual for a long, long time
[Edited 1/13/10 13:28pm]

Same with me, took me a while to appreciate it cuz "Temptation" kept my concentration away from the rest of Around the World In A Day. But yeah, it's a very beautiful, 'make you think' song. Love it!

I think instead of him singing Purple Rain at the Grammies in 85" he should've premiered The Ladder. Can you imagine the hype that would have stirred?

Aaron6 said:

Now that would have been rock n roll... ..but he never did what we wanted him to do

Beautiful. On the ONA Tour he played this in Copenhagen 2002, iirc.

It was 1 of the highlights for me.

This song makes me cry without fail. Every time. It's one of those songs I play when I'm having a bad time or just really lonely. Touches my heart in a big way.

LadyLuvSexxy said:

OnlyNDaUsa said:

Yes, but it comes with a warning. Do not be like the 'king' and ignore all that life has to offer in the hear and now.

Take it or leave it.

Joyinrepatition said:

Yes, it makes me pause the way that "Last December" does. Isn't it funny how that man can make you cry for so many different reasons? You cry for love gone wrong, you cry for your own spiritual yearnings etc. It's remarkable to me, really.

ecstasy said:

A little off topic, but.....u gotta love the crazy, psycho laugh he throws in Temptation!

NelsonR said:

Then The Righteous will Shine forth as The Sun
in the Kingdom of Their Father.
He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew 13:43

I the song and want to hear the full piano rehearsal version, the one at the end of the BBC documentary!

Deadflow3r said:

I often just pause whatever I'm doing and just rock along with it. (Did it on the subway once and got looked at funny.. )

this was my favorite track on ATWIAD for the longest time, but i think i overplayed it. i rarely listen to it now, i need to dig it out and give it a play. beautiful song!

Aaron6 said:

yeah, I wish there was a smoking full tlenght live version. At the time he did the right song... but dang I wish we had the LADDER! Who needs another version of Purple Rain?

OnlyNDaUsa said:

At that point in 1985, Purple Rain was still quite popular. Remember, the tour went a few months into 1985. "I Would Die 4 U" was released in November 1984, and had a Christmas song on the b-side. That carried it right into 1985 as "Take Me With U" was released in late January with a video. The tour went through the first week of April. The momentum was incredible during that time.

The Grammy performance was the same weekend that "Take Me With U" was released. Lots of synergy going on there. So yes, we wanted to hear a live cut of "Purple Rain". He had already released live cuts of "I Would Die 4 U" and "Baby I'm A Star" from the ongoing tour, as a video. People wanted to see this guy live, somehwere. It was rare because most artist who perform on the Grammy's one year don't get invited to perform on the AMA's the same year, or vice versa. They can switch which one they do from year to year, but there was always some unwritten rule that if you were on one show performing, the other show wouldn't let you perform. It was a total battle and nonsense. But Prince performed on BOTH that year (He did "Baby I'm A Star" on the AMA's). That alone was breaking the rules. He was just that BIG back then.

He needed to perform "Purple Rain". That was his money at the time, and what the fans wants (a notion he's long since forgotten). Plus..it was glorious. At that time, it was the ONLY live cut of "Purple Rain" we had until the LIVE VHS came out.

Enrnestsewell, I see ur point, ATWIAD came out that spring right? I think I remember hearing Raspberry Beret on the radio as early as May of 85" so I think if he had of premiered The Ladder at the Grammies it would have gotten everyone excited about the new album that was on the way. I think it would've been a excellent marketing strategy. As you know, Prince has been guilty of poor marketing and promotion of albums over the years, remember the single selection from SOTT? Houseqauke was a b-side...wow!

Aaron6 said:

Yeah then end of April. Which was a few weeks before the single was released. tHE Academy Awards at the end of March.
[Edited 1/15/10 13:08pm]

Aaron6 said:

The albumw as released April 22, 1985.

"Housequake" was the b-side of "U Got The Look". I think the first single was "SOTT", and it did okay, but the second single, "If I Was Your Girlfriend" stalled. That's when "U Got The Look" kick started the momentum again.

ernestsewell said:

Yep.

ernestsewell said:

You are right, unless it was someone really big. Prince and Janet both hold that honor of performing on both the same year. I think Lionel Richie did it too.

daPrettyman said:

According to IMDB...

Prince:
# The 13th Annual American Music Awards (1986) (TV) .... Himself - Presenter
# The 57th Annual Academy Awards (1985) (TV) .... Himself - Winner: Best Original Song Score
# The 27th Annual Grammy Awards (1985) (TV) .... Himself

Lionel:
# The 14th Annual American Music Awards (1987) (TV) .... Himself
# The 58th Annual Academy Awards (1986) (TV) .... Himself - Winner: Best Original Song & Performer
# The 13th Annual American Music Awards (1986) (TV) .... Himself
# The 27th Annual Grammy Awards (1985) (TV) .... Himself
# The 12th Annual American Music Awards (1985) (TV) .... Himself - Host
# The 11th Annual American Music Awards (1984) (TV) .... Himself - Host


Janet:
# The 1st Annual Soul Train Music Awards (1987) (TV) .... Herself
# The 14th Annual American Music Awards (1987) (TV) .... Herself
# The 29th Annual Grammy Awards (1987) (TV) .... Herself - Performer