Is Prince Washed Up? Or Not?…The Controversy.


Let’s discuss the controversial debate of Prince’s overall career as a songwriter.

Without quoting a prince.org member’s post thoroughly verbatim, this controversy
is based on general reading of recent opinions within the posts.
These comments extend beyond the opinion of one Prince song.

On the one side of the debate are comments such as:
~Prince’s lyrics are meaningless based on Prince reading the Bible.
~Prince is running on empty.
~Prince is tarnishing his legacy.
~Prince has been tumbling downhill 4 some time now.

On the other side of the debate are comments such as:

~Prince’s lyrics have lot’s of hidden meaning.
~Prince’s wisdom never ceases to amaze.
~Prince has been blessed throughout the years.
~Prince stays true to his own vision.

For those that are familiar with my support 4 Prince, Here’s my jazzed up view…

Prince will always be dirty with “Fresh Ideas,” that Prince throws into the musical spin cycle.
Based on Prince’s latest release of “LotusFlow3r,” Prince as a songwriter remains impressive.
From Bria Valente’s, “Here I Come,” which is shockingly fresh through “Colonized Mind’s,” concept of
uploading “experience,” and downloading, “behavior,” To the beauty of the song, “Here,” Prince has an
interesting approach to ironing out the heart he wears on his sleeve.
When we go back to Prince songs like, “Temptation,” “Darling Nikki,” and “God,”We can see more clearly
Prince’s unique way of teaching spiritual discipline airing his dirty mind’s laundry with his April snow-white
intention. In my eyes, Prince will always be a clever songwriter from beginning to fold. ~T

Let’s discuss your personal views on Prince’s overall career as a songwriter…


[Edited 3/7/10 6:12am]

How can Prince be washed up when he's actively been around up to now?

People are saying he washed up" just bcuz of the 2 new songs. I suppose every single song from "For u" to "Purple and gold is amazing right? Theres maybe ten songs I dont like out of his entire catalogue and most are from the 90s (Jughead,Walk dont walk, and sum of emancipation. Wait until the new album comes out and if u dislike all the songs then u should start bitchin.

luv4u said:

So your response is "Not." I agree.

dance4me3121 said:

Amen!

Judging on albums like Musicology-3121-Planet Earth, his inspiration seems to be lost. Too much middle on the road formula.

His music lacks energy.

Lotus/ Mpls were a little better though.

But I miss the energetic Prince sound, the dirty raw sound like 1999, the psycalica like ATWIAD or SOTT, the grandiose funk sound that is The Gold Experience.

I guess those days of the raw funky Prince are over.... damn.

I don't believe Prince is washed up at all. He's deffinately not the same Prince that he was in the '80s, '90s, but then who amongst us is the same...and frankly if someone goes through life doing the same things they did when they were in their late teens and twenties, there's something seriously wrong with them.

I for one appreciate Prince's past, the aggressiveness of his youth; his willingness to buck the system and challenge the status quo and his music mirroring each of those strengths. However, I respect and admire the Prince he is today with his guitar licks, mellow grooves and complete concepts. The musicianship of his today music is as satisfying as sitting down with good friends for an extra-special 5- course meal complete with exceptional bottle(s) of wine, imiported coffee and magnificent port.

thedance said:

I honestly have never agreed with this point of view, but I respect your opinion. The funny thing is, is that folx will complain about something not being new or fresh enough for them, and then when Prince puts out an intriquing album like, "LotusFlow3r," people say they don't understand the music and call his lyrics babbling. I personally think some just aren't really listening to Prince's overall message about the World around him.

sweething said:

I agree...I remember saying to my parents at several points in my life to quit treating me like I was 17. I was 30 and 40 when I had to convince them that I have been growing by the minute. Everyone deserves that respect.

Prince's music is way ahead of most artists. It takes the general public and most fams years to catch up to what he is doing. I know people who are just getting into to his 90' stuff. Any recent CD you don't like take a listen 5-10 years from it's release and I bet you have a different take.

People have been saying Prince is "washed up" since 1985. A lot of the love for his Post Purple Rain Material from the media is revisionist history.

He was thought to have lost it and didn't have inspiration when Around the World in a Day came out.

Under the Cherry Moon bombing was supposed to ruin him. Other than the single Kiss, the Parade album wasn't highly received. Probably mostly because of the horrible performance of the movie.

Sign O the Times was very critically acclaimed, but the buying public didn't really know what to make of it. A double album like that with as much hype as it got only selling 2 million copies was most definitely disappointing.

Of Course, there was Lovesexy. Which didn't get much love at ALL when it came out. The cover of the album turned a majority of people off. They REALLY thought he had lost it then.

What I'm saying is this "Prince is washed up, he doesn't have it anymore" talk has been going on for a long time.

Most artists would kill to be washed up the way Prince is.

He's always made the kind of music he wants to make, and people are either gonna dig it, or they aren't.

It's not rocket science, it's just music.

People have been saying "this isn't the same Prince" for over 20 years.

Paris9748430 said:

NONSENSE said:

I agree.

Prince is not washed up. The music critics gave the Lotusflow3r cd three stars. Some of the fans had mixed feeling about the album. The new song that Prince wanted his fans to listen to, had the same reaction (mixed). Which by the way, music critics liked it. Prince has been in the music business for over 32 yrs. He's still strong to that fact, that some fans are not going to like some of his music.

Just about every musical artist I can think of who has been around for many years has lost some passion/inspiration/genius as they get older.

The sooner people realize this the better.

FunkyStrange said:

FunkyStrange you have a point. But Prince is not Finished Yet.
[Edited 3/7/10 3:08am]

dance4me3121 said:

So you like All of N.E.W.S and Xpectation, The Rainbow Children, One Nite Alone, Slaughterhouse, Chocolate Invasion, All the other NPGMC releases too? just curious.

I know i don't personally. I'd say i'm not fond of realistically, say about quarter of his catalogue now. That's not bitching.

No he's not washed up. He's still capable of brilliance.
[Edited 3/7/10 3:03am]

Tame said:

Ha! I was just thinking it looked easier to read! keep it up, whateva yo doing!


....

no.

he's been publicly acknowledged and 'loved' since his return to
more frequent public outings in 2004.

he's got some top big impact performances under his belt that
people seemed to universally consider great or brilliant.

he sold out 21 nights at the O2, to universal acclaim. did a
few otherworldly shows amongst those, played many aftershows.

performed at coachella and montreux for record prices that the
organisation seemed glad to pay, just to get him on board.

he's been releasing albums at a steady pace, which all sold
moderately to poorly but at least he's still releasing stuff.
and to the people who've followed him all this time all of
his recent stuff has at least some great moments.

he's stretched his musical muscles into territory that he'd
not covered or only covered thinly before. releasing albums
of jazz fusion under his own name, solo piano, semi acoustic
and religous concept albums. 3 disc sets etc.

constantly searching for new ways to distribute stuff, like
the newspaper give-away for planet earth. one off deals with
target etc, whom all seemed happy enough to deal with him.

whenever he releases even a one off tune or something on the
radio as a premier, most news sites pick up on it and seem
to be genuinely interested.

at the end of the day, i guess people measure 'washed up' on
the quality of the current output and we all know that is
a matter of personal oppinion.

personally, i've enjoyed most of his stuff since his break
from warners. with a few exceptions and about 2 albums that
i don't care for too much. but overall, i'm content and am
happy to have what he released since it's all good imo.

sure, purple and gold and cause n effect are weird and just
wack. but he'll have to release 5 consecutive albums full
of turds that i don't want to listen to twice, before i'll
personally consider him washed up.

No, he's not washed up. He's still capable of brilliance. He's still a diverse musician and he's in an interesting period of life. He just hasn't been living up to that potential in the recent few years.

sacrifice said:

Now I went and fixed it and messed it up again. This has happened before when I copy and paste...I guess the margin's vary from computer to computer, so it rearranges I guess. Type talk...blah...

citrus said:

Not washed up at all, just coasting.
87 was the peak of his summit, and like a roller-coaster swishhhh
It's been a fun ride down and up and upside-down with double twists and spins.
But make no mistake that as fun as a roller-coaster ride is, its always heading down.
[Edited 3/7/10 6:25am]

Tame said:

This debate has been existing amongst fans since at least 1988 so why bother... The debate is still here, but so is Prince

I hope he gets washed up everyday before slipping into something comfortable cause he sure looks ever so fresh&tidy&nice in clothes. Imagine that.

I see the sarcastic poke at my creative twist...but it isn't any different from the street flip talk that calls something "Bad," when they mean "Good."


I think my response to my own thread is on the dry side.
[Edited 3/7/10 7:13am]

princeys worn and torn like a loveable stinky old nunu i cant chuck away. he is so good to cuddle in times of need, usually at cozy times and in conjunction wiv a good thumb sucking sesh
so no, not ready for the bin but he just needs some revival and sprucing up

so i suggest delicate handling to prolong the enjoyment so it's handwash only in fairy snow
immerse him for a few minutes in cool soapy freshness
rub gently and lather him up until saturated with perky cool
squeeze to lift crap and nasty niffs.
rinse with ice cold sweetness, immerse, rub and squeeze again until brilliant, repeat a few times for a spanking new result
then to prevent shrinkage lie flat in a familiar warm environment and keep away from pollution and sunlight.
there, all unsoiled and ready to caress again. there’s no denying he cleans up everytime

Tame said:

Guess I need to get hip to hip talk Poke taken is stride, lol.

Tame said:

What do you mean?