DIRTY MIND

By the time I picked up Dirty Mind I was already a Prince fan. I had discovered him through Controversy, and enjoyed the ride through 1999 and Purple Rain. So listening to Dirty Mind at that time the album seemed less appealing that it would for me in later life.

I can still remember listening to this with my headphones on cause I didn’t want my parents knowing I was listening to something called “Dirty Mind”. So sliding the cassette into my tape deck, I pressed play to be greeted by the pulsating beat of DIRTY MIND. The extended intro seems to tease with a “where am I going to take you now?” vibe. Heavily influenced by the new wave sounds that were emerging at the time, the album starts with a harder expression of what Prince had been doing to date. I listened as Prince sang in falsetto that seemed to make the song seem even higher in its arrangement. The whole song seemed dirtier than it was, and the breakdown at the 2 minute mark hinted at going someplace but it never eventuated. Though when Prince begins to scream I was transported into the cries from the 1999 album and the song seemed to hint at what would come years later in Something in the Water and Automatic.

WHEN YOU WERE MINE was a track I loved from first listen. The pop rock feel, almost sweet bubblegum belied the darker lyrical content, and the backing vocals started to exhibit some of Prince’s classic structuring of picking out certain phrases or words to accent. It always surprises me how a catchy tune can get you singing lines like “you didn’t have the decency to change the sheets” with a smile on your face. To this day I can’t help but tap my foot along to this.

Prince seemed to have this way of blowing my mind and then losing my interest in a matter of minutes. Following WWYM with DO IT ALL NIGHT just made me start to fidget and want to press fast forward. It’s ok as a song, but just didn’t seem to have the grip on me that WWYM had.

And is if that wasn’t bad enough Prince then throws in GOTTA BROKEN HEART AGAIN. A song so pure and sweet in it’s production that would seem more at home on a Donna Summer or Dr Hook album than on an album called Dirty Mind.

So where was all this filth I had put my headphones on for? UPTOWN didn’t really do it for me. The structure was ok and the only part that really hooked me in was the “where I come from we don’t care about that” breakdown.

Just when I thought the album was totally misleading me, HEAD came blasting through the headphones. With that beat, that funk laden synth line that attacks and seduces in equal measures. The lyrics just made me listen more intently. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing or how genius it was to have such seemingly offensive lyrics with a song that was hard to resits. I love the synth horn arrangement of the main melody stabs, and maybe the synth climax sounds were a bit much but as soon as the song ended, I pressed rewind to make sure I had heard everything in the track.

If Head shocked me, I have to be honest and say SISTER had me intrigued in the first verse, and almost repulsed by the second. The whole incest vibe didn’t sit well with me (and still creeps me out) but it was like Prince tried to just shock us all in as short about of time as possible. At 1:32 long he manages to discuss sex incest, and say motherfucker twice, lol – all while still having a lyrical hook of “oooooh Sister” that is hard not to want to sing along to.

Rumour has long held that PARTYUP was a Morris Day written song that Prince acquired for the album thinking that it needed a good jam track. While there is no denying it does the job, one wonders how much of it is Prince and how much is Morris. Of course, while not getting song writing credits Morris did get a healthy career for a while as pay back. Wonder if the guys call it even. The song itself is a good lead into where 1999 would blast off years later. In fact if you play both tracks back to back you’ll enjoy 10+ minutes of funk. And is the first real time Prince started to voice a political concern that would be more targeted and focused on the next album.

On all an enjoyable album with the customary peeks and valleys that were evident in Prince’s early work. And although some songs haven’t held up too well with time, you can’t dismiss the ambition and brilliance under the boil that was due to bubble over on Prince’s next release – and the album that introduced me to him “controversy”.

So what do you all think of Dirty Mind?

Dirty Mind era 1980-1981

engineered by Jamie Starr 1980 Warner Bros.
Produced, arranged composed & performed by Prince

rel October 8. 1980

Dirty Mind

There's something about U, baby
It happens every time
Whenever I'm around U, baby
I get a dirty mind
It doesn't matter where we are
It doesn't matter who's around
It doesn't matter
I just wanna lay U down

In my daddy's car
It's U I really wanna drive
But U never go 2 far
I may not be your kind of man
I may not be your style
But honey, all I wanna do
Is just love U 4 a little while

If U got the time
I'll give U some money
2 buy a dirty mind
Don't misunderstand me
I never fool around
But honey, U got me on my knees
Won't U please let me lay U down?
(Down, down, down, down, ...) {fade}

I really get a dirty mind (mind, mind, mind)
Whenever U're around
It happens 2 me every time (time, time, time)
U just gotta let me lay ya, gotta let me lay ya, lay ya!
U just gotta let me lay ya, gotta let me lay U down!

In my daddy's car
It's U I really wanna drive
Underneath the stars
I really get a dirty mind
Whenever U're around

I don't wanna hurt U, baby
I only wanna lay U down

© 1980 Ecnirp Music Inc. - BMI

Dirty mind is a masterpiece. A short nervous record where everything fits right in. Almost as if it has been made in a hurry ! Cool, cool album !

I still don't get how "Sister" can be "creepy" to people. If you understand he clearly isn't speaking about his actual sister and its a play on words, it's not that big of a deal.

Spinlight said:

I still don't get how "Sister" can be "creepy" to people. If you understand he clearly isn't speaking about his actual sister and its a play on words, it's not that big of a deal.

Yes but he was obviously pushing it with the lyrics and the intent for the song to be about incest.

Especially the line "incest is everything it's said to be".

My FAVORITE Pre 1999 album!!! OMG! The band was soooo HOT and if I ever had a chance to go back in time they'd probably have to pull me off Dez at a show cause that dude was looking RIGHT back then. My fav pic from this time is of P and Dez in the bathroom. Of course Dez has his legs spread out so they both look the same height.

Anyway, like every track is bomb, I really can listen to this one all the way thru and I like every song. I can't even say "my fav tracks are" cause I'd end up naming all of them. I miss the days when every track on an album was the business, not like today when half the crap on a CD is filler and you end up skipping songs left and right.

I love that he was so bold with this one.. he knew what he wanted the album to be like, knew what he wanted his image to be, as far as the band was concerned. I feel like he may have been slightly ahead of his time with this one cause folks were like especially with songs like Sister and his reluctance to talk about the album when it was released.

Spinlight said:

I still don't get how "Sister" can be "creepy" to people. If you understand he clearly isn't speaking about his actual sister and its a play on words, it's not that big of a deal.

Its "clearly" about his actual sister. Thats the whole point of the song.

Fantastic album - the only song I skip is "Do It All Night"... sounds like a leftover from the Prince album.

Coming off the heels of For You and Prince, this must have been a shock to a lot of people (sadly I was only 3 at the time). It would be like Yanni suddenly releasing a rap album. Or something.

These threads always make me go back to the CD and listen - it's awesome how listening to Prince and Dirty Mind back to back, you can see how he chose the best parts and rolled that into Controversy, then rolled all that into a ball and spit out 1999.

billymeade said:

These threads always make me go back to the CD and listen - it's awesome how listening to Prince and Dirty Mind back to back, you can see how he chose the best parts and rolled that into Controversy, then rolled all that into a ball and spit out 1999.

Great observation - each album builds and builds, taking the best from the last and then adding in a new twist.

The dawn of the Rude Boy era.

Fantastic...#4 on my Prince list.

Spinlight said:

I still don't get how "Sister" can be "creepy" to people. If you understand he clearly isn't speaking about his actual sister and its a play on words, it's not that big of a deal.

It's a play on words? All this time I thought it was about incest. Fill me in on what he's really talking about.

SEANMAN said:

The band looks filthy too. The imagery, the songs all flow so well together. Though I will never understand why "Gotta Stop Messing About' was left off.

I love this album of Prince's!! It's one of the ones that I rarely skip any songs. It was a great sound and Prince's image was cool. It was sexy and funky, though it made him look alot older than he was. But I adore this ablum and time period for Prince, he was really coming into his own!

Dirty Mind is a fantastic album, and it's difficult to pick single songs that stand out 'cause this album works best for me as a whole. But when I look at the songs I played most in my iTunes, then there are Dirty Mind, Uptown and When You Were Mine the Top 3.

If someone would ask me which of them lets me grin from ear to ear, I'd answer immediately that it's Uptown. Uptown is so playful, daring, pushing and intoxicating that I can listen to this song six or seven times in a row.

another one of my all time faves. wish i could sing dirty mind for karaoke

I remember when I had my ex danced to Dirty Mind with only a winter coat on and boxers outside in 40 degree weather. I was so in love with Prince and he knew it at the time, and so, I guess to get me back or whatever, he called me outside and 'Dirty Mind' was playing and he popped out his front door on the porch and started dancing to the song just like Prince from the opening! lol It was crazy. I couldn't believe it, then he jumped back in the house. i still didn't take him back but it was sweet and funny. Mind you, we were 15 at the time. *Wild times*

Anyway, Now he wasn't one to like Prince that much b/c I gave Prince more attention than him. But when I made him listen to 'Wehn You Were Mine' a few days ago, he finally respected him as a man and a musician, b/c he finally related to him in a way of trying to get a girl that really doesn't want him.

Nevertheless, I felt accomplished in having someone (of a younger generation) listen to and finally understand Prince for who and what he is besides judging him on the outside, b/c we all know how ppl go straight to the heels as a reason to not even acknowledge him.

billymeade said:

Fantastic album - the only song I skip is "Do It All Night"... sounds like a leftover from the Prince album.

No way, the nasal voice and the tone sure seem like it was made well after Prince was on shelves.