His last few outputs have been uninspiring, and it leads me to conclude that he's completely lost it.

I thought that perhaps he was upset about internet piracy, and was holding onto his "gems" until something can be figured out, but why release anything if that's the case?

Outside of live shows, i personally think Prince is done! Stick a fork in him, folks

RudeBoy said:

His last few outputs have been uninspiring, and it leads me to conclude that he's completely lost it.

Apparently the same was said about him by some industry member or journalist in the UK and they inadvertently challenged him to write "a hit". What he wrote in response was 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World' and it became his only UK number 1 hit.

Maybe when he feels he needs to prove himself he can and will, same for when he was told to write a stadium anthem and he came up with 'Purple Rain'.

The UK media lavished praise on 2010 (mostly because they had to), which means he probably doesn't feel challenged, so no hits are a coming...

RudeBoy said:

His last few outputs have been uninspiring, and it leads me to conclude that he's completely lost it.

I thought that perhaps he was upset about internet piracy, and was holding onto his "gems" until something can be figured out, but why release anything if that's the case?

Outside of live shows, i personally think Prince is done! Stick a fork in him, folks

The question is, who determines if a song is a 'hit' or not. Any song from any album has the potential to do just that. It's all a matter of radio programming. P, it seems, doesn't want to have anything to do with radio anymore. I listen to satellite radio all the time so the 'hits' are almost never played on the stations I tune in.

He's not with a major label anymore so the 'label' would not decide that. Later for the radio, I could care less if they play him or not.

No. He cannot anymore.

A perfect example would be Black Sweat. Thats was his deliberate attempt to emulate the sound and production of current hit music (at the time). But it was still way off the mark and this was reflected in its US chart performance, although it did perform marginally better in other countries.

But so what?

But he doesnt have to write hits anymore. His past catalouge is infinately more exciting and listenable than anything on the charts today!!

Prince never really was a radio artist or commercial artist. His shit has always been different from what radio has going on. And if what's on the radio 'hits' then I don't want him 2b a hit maker. I've always loved P's music for what it is. I think it's what makes him not comparable to MJ and it's why Prince also deserves the title King Of Pop, not because of the hits but because of the jams. Radio has been dead to me 4 a very long time now. It's really his style of producing, bcuz if someone else performed & produce his songs then they would be radio hit(lol)

Can we not see a new thread with this topic?

Apparently, you should be concerned with what YOU'VE lost, which is the ability to use the search function.

[Edited 9/15/10 15:35pm]

RudeBoy said:

I thought that perhaps he was upset about internet piracy, and was holding onto his "gems" until something can be figured out, but why release anything if that's the case?

No one ever said that. That's all conjecture.

Can Prince produce a hit?

Prince can do whatever the hell he wants.

The problem most people have with him is, he usually does.

I think Prince subconsciously self-sabotages himself with his new releases.

For instance his choice of singles for Lotus Flower - just didn't make sense. There were songs that as soon as you heard it you knew would be hits if given the chance (Forever being a prime example) but the tracks he selects seem like odd ones to me.

Perhaps having a third party (record company) assisting in making the choices is what he needs. He may just be too close to it.

I've also wondered if he is too artistically capable now to write a mainstream hit. It seems the more an artist grows in their skills as a musician and songwriter, the less their music appeals to the masses who seem to only be able to handle simple structured songs, three chords and no real exploration in structure or style.

Of course it could just be that the current generation of record buyers - Prince is an oldies artist and someone who their parents or uncles listen to.

I think Beginning Endlessly (an edited version) and also Future Love Song would both be hits if they were promoted properly. Prince doesn't seem to care about having a hit anymore.

Prince has at least 3-5 songs on 20Ten that could be hits IF he released them and promoted them. Laydown is prime example! That song is hot and totally relevant right now. But he ain't doing nothing with it. Which is his perrogative! He isn't concerned with mainstream, he is doing his thing and no one is bothering him. The man is a genius, he will always make remarkable music!! It doesn't mean it isn't a hit just because it doesn't make mainstream (especially since he didn't release it!) Beginning Endlessly, Lavaux, Future Soul Song, and Sticky Like Glue also have great potential if marketed! For me, Act of GOD and Compassion are hits too whether they make it on the radio or not!

All he has to do is write about something that's a concern of the ladies at a hair salon for lyrics, put a retro cold electronic beat and effects over a funky live bassline with a very very addictive melody on the song, have a very dancable break, and sing in his masculine voice, and no guitar solo... and make it a warm mix... and.... and... have a music video by a good director where someone else makes up the concept, and directs him a bit. And have some really killer moves in the video too.

Oh yeah and he has to have a repetitive sound effect that sounds completely crazy and wild, and unlike anything on any song out there, but other aspects of the song have to echo the current trends in a way that he owns.

No, the mainstream has moved on a long time ago. He didn't even score a hit during the Musicology era with all the hype and support, that was his only chance. No matter what he writes, it won't be turned into a hit. There are hundreds of artists with the same situation, it just comes out with Prince more prominently because he never ever stopped recording music and is still able to write a catchy hook (yes, he did, on LotusFlow3r for example). It's not like you can find an artist who started out more than 15 years ago that still regularly scores hits in the US. Even U2's last album was completely devoid of any hit singles, even though the first one was as commercial as it could get.

Frank, you kind of left home.

Hits don't matter.

Swa said:

I think Prince subconsciously self-sabotages himself with his new releases.

For instance his choice of singles for Lotus Flower - just didn't make sense. There were songs that as soon as you heard it you knew would be hits if given the chance (Forever being a prime example) but the tracks he selects seem like odd ones to me.

Perhaps having a third party (record company) assisting in making the choices is what he needs. He may just be too close to it.

I've also wondered if he is too artistically capable now to write a mainstream hit. It seems the more an artist grows in their skills as a musician and songwriter, the less their music appeals to the masses who seem to only be able to handle simple structured songs, three chords and no real exploration in structure or style.

Biggest truth on the thread.

ernestsewell said:

Swa said:

I think Prince subconsciously self-sabotages himself with his new releases.

For instance his choice of singles for Lotus Flower - just didn't make sense. There were songs that as soon as you heard it you knew would be hits if given the chance (Forever being a prime example) but the tracks he selects seem like odd ones to me.

Perhaps having a third party (record company) assisting in making the choices is what he needs. He may just be too close to it.

I've also wondered if he is too artistically capable now to write a mainstream hit. It seems the more an artist grows in their skills as a musician and songwriter, the less their music appeals to the masses who seem to only be able to handle simple structured songs, three chords and no real exploration in structure or style.

Biggest truth on the thread.

I always thought he could write a hit if he wants...dance 4 me was quite good..as was black sweat, fury, musicology...

But something is lacking...sometimes the chorus is missing something or the beat is too slow for a dance hit....

On the urban market he proved he can have a hit , but a worlwide hit single...i don`t know.....

It`s a shame because sometimes it seems only with a hit single you get attention by the masses...

Occasionally people ask me if he is still making music ( i live in germany) and i tell them what he is up to and that his albums were in the top five in germany...but the casual listener did not hear about him since 1995 or something...it`s crazy...

BEAUGARDE said:

if P got regular air play he would not only still gets hits every year but he would be far more inclined to write more classic 3 minute pop gems. His thoughts on radio hits and indeed his concept of albums seemingly changed a long time a go re: lyrics to 'Don't Play Me'.

smoothcriminal12 said:

BEAUGARDE said:

Prince never really was a radio artist or commercial artist. His shit has always been different from what radio has going on. And if what's on the radio 'hits' then I don't want him 2b a hit maker. I've always loved P's music for what it is. I think it's what makes him not comparable to MJ and it's why Prince also deserves the title King Of Pop, not because of the hits but because of the jams. Radio has been dead to me 4 a very long time now. It's really his style of producing, bcuz if someone else performed & produce his songs then they would be radio hit(lol)

Don't call Prince the King of Pop. Michael rightly deserves the title of the King of Popular Music. Prince does not do "pop". I hate when Prince fans try to say that P should be the King Of Pop.

Prince absolutely does pop music. Most of his music is just pop music alone.

Spinlight said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

BEAUGARDE said: Don't call Prince the King of Pop. Michael rightly deserves the title of the King of Popular Music. Prince does not do "pop". I hate when Prince fans try to say that P should be the King Of Pop.

Prince absolutely does pop music. Most of his music is just pop music alone.

I always find that Prince transcends pop music and basically is his own genre. That's my own belief, which is why I said that Prince is not the King Of Pop.

No.

He doesn't have it in him anymore

There are plenty of songs out there that are "hits" that are not even close to the worst that Prince has written/recorded. With that being said, surely this thread's title is a rhetorical question. Stop smokin' that stuff

of course he does but without the correct video and promotion that he especially needs now its just not gonna happen........since TMBGITW hes had plenty of songs that could have been hits even recently.........Dreamer, Chelsea Rodgers could have been massive.............Dnace 4 me.................but is business sense is useless

What other 52 year old do you know is producing hits these days?

'Can Prince produce a hit' is the wrong question to ask. The question is 'Can Prince promote a hit?'. Promotion has been the problem since he left WB, not the quality of the music.

After setting the record for consecutive years with a top 10 hit while at Warners (I'm not sure if that record has been broken since), Prince has only had 2 top 40 hits outside of warners. THe Most Beautiful Girl in the World, which he reportedly spent a fortune promoting and Betcha By Golly Wow as the leadoff track to Emancipation.

He has certainly had hit worthy songs since then. The problem has been that while he didn't think WB paid him enough, he's not willing to spend his own money to promote his own music the way WB spent theirs to promote it for him.

The low point is 20ten, where he apparently doesn't even want to spend the money it takes to even release the album.

[Edited 9/20/10 5:36am]

It is the label's duty to spend cash on the promotion though. Prince can't make radio stations play his music all by himself. And no matter what, it's never gonna happen, US radio doesn't play stuff by 50 year olds, time to get over it and enjoy the fact he didn't wrap it up like David Bowie did.

I don't know why but Channel 2 Radio in Iceland (national radio station, second most popular in Iceland) is playing Compassion and the song is on their chart @ 28 in it's third week, moving up from #30. www.ruv.is/topp30

the singles market is dead...its all downloads now and who is going to download a prince single ??....not me and i would imagine no-one over 30 ...which is where is big fanbase is....would download singles.....the charts are and always have been a mainly teenage market...prince is too old now....i think he still makes great music but prince could write the greatest song you have ever heard and it still wouldnt be a hit....his hit making days are over unless something like a film tie-in or whatever......i mean ....when was the last time bruce springsteen had a hit?....or anyone in their 50s apart from the musicial prostitute that is madonna who flashes her bits at the latest hot producer who passes by to try and keep having hits.....no prince wont have another hit.....thank god....

LiveToTell86 said:

It's not like you can find an artist who started out more than 15 years ago that still regularly scores hits in the US. Even U2's last album was completely devoid of any hit singles, even though the first one was as commercial as it could get.

Bon Jovi gets at least one hit from each album and they started out 27 years ago. Beyond that though, I would agree with your statement.

LiveToTell86 said:

It is the label's duty to spend cash on the promotion though. Prince can't make radio stations play his music all by himself. And no matter what, it's never gonna happen, US radio doesn't play stuff by 50 year olds, time to get over it and enjoy the fact he didn't wrap it up like David Bowie did.

if he wants to be his own label, it's his job to spend the money to do the proper promotion.