What different ways and to what extent has Prince used the element of a "crystal ball" in his work?

That lightning ball he plays with in Sign O the Times...

Expert Lover (obviously) and the CB 3 disc set he later released

His has a lyrical penchant for 'the future' and time (especially pairing it with things that don't quite rhyme, like wine and mind)

Next to the drums.

squirrelgrease said:

Ooh yeah, good one!

all of his albums post 1999 (the year) are crystal balls

but obviously mention in 'hot thing' and the song 'the ball'...
plus violet the organ grinder

Some cultures (perhaps someone else knows which one(s)) believed that during orgasm, you could glimpse the future (I usually see myself heading home and that's it.). Prince seems to use the term "Crystal Ball" in this context. It's most evident in the song, "Come", where he clearly states, "If you had a chance to see the future...".

The song, "Pheromone," has this visionary concept, when Prince says, "I can see the castle."

It's funny sometimes he seems to be talking about looking into a crystal ball (the OCCULT object of choice by fortune tellers in the movies), and then other times it's about going to a crystal ball (dance).

ufoclub said:

Oh no you di'nt.

Prince is in with the Devil, he can see the future but his curse is his fans.

ufoclub said:

Now that you have mentioned the "forbidden word" this thread probably will get closed soon...
[Edited 2/7/10 4:35am]

Soulstar77A said:

I think some people will notice the classic occult Illuminati nod as Prince is only showing one eye here. And the Pontiac Grand Prix front clip also mirrors this with it's single headlight.

Food for though.

squirrelgrease said:

Oh, Prince has mentioned the "third eye" before..."If the world was God, the people need 2 use it with a 3rd eye... Who? What? Why? Uh, lookout"

-Y Should I Do That when I Can Do This? - Prince

squirrelgrease said:

Prince the Future, showing only the right eye.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/...folder.jpg
[Edited 2/7/10 14:55pm]

prince graffiti bridge

Tremolina said:

Good one.

3rd Eye

Using a special code he accessed his mind
In search of the reason why
In passion and fashion he began travelin' time
3rd eye, 3rd eye, 3rd eye

The serpent approves
Then appears between Adam's thighs
And he tries 2 release upon Eve the nectar
The injector tries
He tries, he tries, he tries

So abduction complete
All stand on their feet
Look at one another and cry

What have we done?
Could this be the fun
On the dotted line 4 which I did sign?
Oh yeah

I resign from the notion
Cuz yours was the potion
That I'm supposed 2 die 4
I resign

In self-pity so dark
This shitty and stark
Realization is all that will soothe

Ultimately the only one
That can save U is U
Your God is inside and 4 that God U will do
Whatever it takes
If nothing else is true
The only one that can save U is U, yeah

© 1997 Emancipated Music - ASCAP

http://www.dtt-lyrics.com...h.html#eye

squirrelgrease said:

I've forgotten what this sounds like.

anyone who purchased 1999 album knows the center of the record was an eye. But this could also mean "the eye is the window of the soul."

Tremolina said:

whoa... the SoTT cover is really a bug-eyed alien life form staring at Prince as he walks away. Check it out... the drums are the eyes, right? the billowy pale yellow background is actually the enlarged head of the alien! and the grille is the mouth!!

So one can only surmise that the motif here is foretelling the fact that Prince would need to run away from his music because it was being taken over by a --dare I say, spookyelectric? -- alien presence...which TOTALLY explains the name change, OMG!

JumpUpOnThe1 said:

well in all seriousness the presence of the crystal ball on the SOTT cover (huge and dissolved in above the entire drumset and over the backdrop) is often overlooked by many. As opposed the stage prop electric "crystal ball" which is obvious.

ufoclub said:

Ooohh... I never noticed this.

ufoclub said:

ufo, I'm sorry...sometimes I can't control myself. bad me. I've been looking at that "dissolved in" part for ages and wondering about it.