I can't believe I am writing this right now. I was listening to Sirius radio tonight and I heard an old classic jazz/pop song by Lena Horne. The name of the song was "Today I Love Everybody" and it's lyrics sounded VERY similar to Prince's "Everybody Loves Me" on his latest 20Ten.

I got home and looked it up and it was made popular by Johnny Mercer in 1967, and was written by Harold Arlen. I looked for a long time to see what the actual lyrics are, but they are nowhere to be found....yet.

The lyrics were something like, "Today I love everybody....and after this, tonight, I hope you all love me."

If not word for word, its very similar to Prince's "Tonight, I love everybody/And everybody loves me."

I am sure that he'd not think it likely that many people would listen to him AND Lena Horne that much, and much less Johnny Mercer.

I will keep looking so I can compare the lyrics as they seemed way to similar in other places to be a coincidence.

Btw, "20Ten" blows.

brianr54 said:

Btw, "20Ten" blows.

lol

Today I love everybody

Everybody I see

I hope today is the day I do say

Everybody loves me

The melody is even similar, lol. Well, we knew he was a Lena Horne fan.

I just listened to the Lena Horne song:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...b7eWfZ9EpI

It is very similar. So much, in fact, that I think it could be a case of Prince paying homage to the original. It's not unlike how in the song "Get Yo Groove On" the first line is "Got some money cuz I just got paid." Obviously if you are into good soul music you would know that's also a line from a Sam Cooke song. So, if you are just discovering Lena Horne for the first time you might think it's a rip off. But, maybe Prince is just assuming the musical intelligence of the listener and that a fan of good old music would recognize his reference. Or, it could just be a rip off.

Thanks so much for finding that, you guys. For some reason I was stuck on just finding lyrics when I should have been looking for the song.

I just don't find it all that realistic that he was doing an homage as much as a nic. After all, according to the cover, EVERYTHING on it is created only by him.

I think there are only two worthy songs on this thing, and this is one of them, so that kind of makes it one and a half since this isn't really all his....

Yes. Prince ripped off Lena Horne.

Up next, Snoop Dogg buys socks at Bon Ton's.

Lena didn't mind. Right here she trying to make Prince come:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...I8iWwsiefA

He also ripped off her hairdo in about 1994.

brianr54 said:

Btw, "20Ten" blows.

brianr54 said:

Btw, "20Ten" blows.

come again?

I heard Santana's "Oye Como Va" the other day and realized the lead guitar line @ :57 is the same melody as the verses on "Sleep Around."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NsJ84YV1oA

He even emulated some of the heavy tom hits in the same song. Santana and Lena Horne are artists we know he's a fan of, so it makes sense he might use bits of their work here and there. I think it's his tribute to those who inspired him.

renfield said:

I heard Santana's "Oye Como Va" the other day and realized the lead guitar line @ :57 is the same melody as the verses on "Sleep Around."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NsJ84YV1oA

He even emulated some of the heavy tom hits in the same song. Santana and Lena Horne are artists we know he's a fan of, so it makes sense he might use bits of their work here and there. I think it's his tribute to those who inspired him.

I can hardly believe than the Lena Horne thing is a coincidence, but i'm muuuuuuch more skeptical about the Santana thing.

Given that Lena died on May 9 of this year, is it possible that Everybody Loves Me was a late addition to the album by way of a subtle tribute?

Granted, it probably required acknowledgement of such if so...

brianr54 said:

I can't believe I am writing this right now. I was listening to Sirius radio tonight and I heard an old classic jazz/pop song by Lena Horne. The name of the song was "Today I Love Everybody" and it's lyrics sounded VERY similar to Prince's "Everybody Loves Me" on his latest 20Ten.

I got home and looked it up and it was made popular by Johnny Mercer in 1967, and was written by Harold Arlen. I looked for a long time to see what the actual lyrics are, but they are nowhere to be found....yet.

The lyrics were something like, "Today I love everybody....and after this, tonight, I hope you all love me."

If not word for word, its very similar to Prince's "Tonight, I love everybody/And everybody loves me."

I am sure that he'd not think it likely that many people would listen to him AND Lena Horne that much, and much less Johnny Mercer.

I will keep looking so I can compare the lyrics as they seemed way to similar in other places to be a coincidence.

Btw, "20Ten" blows.

Agreed..

[Edited 8/23/10 19:50pm]

To quote the great Donald Fagen:

"Like you heard an Arlen tune
Or you bought yourself a crazy hat
Like you had a Mango Cooler
Ooh - Morph the Cat"