From Onion AV Club...

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-turd-in-the-caviar-24-songs-that-almost-derail,49441/

"Free"

Prince made classic albums before 1999, but his 1982 double album let him show the full breadth of his genius, from the apocalyptic pop of the title track to the thrilling weirdness of songs like “Lady Cab Driver” and “All The Critics Love U In New York.” Then there’s “Free,” an unexpected bit of flag-waving of the red, white, and blue variety, instead of Prince’s usual purple freak flag. While it’s kind of strange and cool to hear some unabashed patriotism thrown in the middle of a bunch of songs about sex, obsession, and partying—since those are also things that make America great—it’s still a funkless drag of a track.

"Darling Nikki"

The cultural significance of “Darling Nikki,” the sole inessential track on Prince’s classic Purple Rain, lies not in its negligible creative worth, but rather in the outrage it inspired. Professional busybody Tipper Gore was so horrified by Prince’s dirty little ditty about a “sex fiend” he encountered “in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine” that it helped inspire her to form the Parents Music Resource Center to fight profanity and sexuality in pop music. “Darling Nikki” is filthy all right, a nasty, paper-thin funk vamp that would sound perfectly at home on one of Prince’s sprawling, overloaded later albums. But on the otherwise tight, perfect Purple Rain, it feels like a throwaway B-side that somehow made it onto a masterpiece. There are plenty of reasons to object to “Darling Nikki”; the sexual content is just one of them.

Yet more people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

Great satire!

I was expecting "Wedding Feast" and "Jughead" to be the two songs!

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Yet more people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

I was with them on "Free" I love the song but it is still a strange choice 4 inclusion on that album.... But "Darling Nikki"? Behave Urselves.

comegetwild said:

I was with them on "Free" I love the song but it is still a strange choice 4 inclusion on that album.... But "Darling Nikki"? Behave Urselves.

+1

I think that's a fun idea for an article. And I agree that Free is the weakest track on 1999 by a landslide.

But Darlin Nikki? What in the world are they talking about? All credibility from the first statement is completely wiped out and thensome.

Never liked ´Free´ much, but Darling Nikki???? Darling Nikki was Prince at his best. And I m not talking about lyrics, but the passion he puts in the music. It is raw and edgy.

Both songs get me ready for the "home stretch" if you will for the meat and potatoes race to the finish line of both records..as in..okay here is a little work out for you to...get ready.

RodeoSchro said:

Great satire!

I was expecting "Wedding Feast" and "Jughead" to be the two songs!

This.

comegetwild said:

I was with them on "Free" I love the song but it is still a strange choice 4 inclusion on that album.... But "Darling Nikki"? Behave Urselves.

Got used to "Free" real quick. It shows his more thoughtful-about-the-world side. Plus his point is taken seriously and he gets it across real fine.

I kinda see where their going with Darling Nikki's inclusion... but uh uh

wow, that's why critics are so irrelevant and need to be unemployed, darling nikki described as "neglible creativity". people are STILL just discovering the crack pipe in 2010. just don't give them a pen to write with

Free was a creative curveball that i enjoyed quite a bit. i understand that it doesn't "fit" but...

"Free" i can understand, but the problem with "Nikki" is silly

I think Free is a very beautiful song because of the lyrical content. It reminds us how beautiful the gift of freedom is while most places in the world are not. I think that we should be thankful and glad for what we have because most countries do not have the rights and freedoms that we have. Very inspring song, political and underrated.

RodeoSchro said:

Great satire!

I was expecting "Wedding Feast" and "Jughead" to be the two songs!

I can understand Free but Darlin' Nikki?... These guys are cracked.

The thing about Free is, Prince puts this kind of stuff out there to fuck with people. I don't mean just for that reason, but he does things like this to intentionally throw a curveball just to see who got the moxy to go along for the ride.

I often think that's the difference between fans and casual listeners - the latter just can't handle these curveballs.

So many people i've spoken too, not just prince fans have told me that Darling Nikki is one of their favourite tracks on the album. They are talking pants!

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Yet more people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

I hear ya, I don't even wanna click the link ...

NouveauDance said:

I can understand Free but Darlin' Nikki?... These guys are cracked.

The thing about Free is, Prince puts this kind of stuff out there to fuck with people. I don't mean just for that reason, but he does things like this to intentionally throw a curveball just to see who got the moxy to go along for the ride.

I often think that's the difference between fans and casual listeners - the latter just can't handle these curveballs.

Agreed, but I like both.

To me Future Baby Mama and Mr. Goodnight derail an album (Planet Earth) that is average, but could have been quit good if he hadn't decided to put two contemporary R&B songs in the middle, it just doesnt make sense to put two songs on there which just don't 'fit' with the rest of the material.

[Edited 12/30/10 14:04pm]

kewlschool said:

Agreed, but I like both.

Me too! Just sayin' I can see why people would think Free is the weakest link.

Play In The Sunshine was always a filler track for me, as it came in at track 2 it could have derailed it for a casual fan. But luckily the rest of the album is a masterpiece

songs like Free, Ronnie Talk to Russia, America and Act of God are proof to me that Prince is actually a closet-Republican

This is such bs. Those songs make the albums better. Some folks don't have a clue! These "popsicle salesmen" need to shut up, they obviously don't know greatness when they hear it!

NouveauDance said:

kewlschool said:

Agreed, but I like both.

Me too! Just sayin' I can see why people would think Free is the weakest link.

Great your FAM papers have been reinstated.