I still think it's an incredibly strange song-the vocals, the lyrics, and even the beat. I thought, maybe when I'm older I'll understand why people like it, but..no. My friend says that's her favorite song by Prince and I'm like "not you too!" Tell me why you like it cuz I aint gettin' it.

I looked at your profile to see how old you are and noticed you're a teen...

Do you have BFF? Another girl that you tell EVERYTHING to? Someone you don't mind changing in front of, sharing clothes, even makeup with?

That's what Prince is singing about: How women are really close to each other in an intimate way... sometimes closer than to the guys they're with.

He's asking if he was her "girlfriend", would she then share those kinds of things with him?

I love it... it's a deep concept.

What chocolate1 said...

The line "Would U run 2 me if somebody hurt U, even if that somebody was me?" is particularly great.

So is the way he says, "Then tell me what will!" after talking about dancing a naked ballet.

Efan said:

What chocolate1 said...

The line "Would U run 2 me if somebody hurt U, even if that somebody was me?" is particularly great.

So is the way he says, "Then tell me what will!" after talking about dancing a naked ballet.

Nice!

So it's the message....maybe that's why. Concepts don't rule over the sound of the music in my world.

amberella said:

So it's the message....maybe that's why. Concepts don't rule over the sound of the music in my world.

You asked....

chocolate1 said:

I looked at your profile to see how old you are and noticed you're a teen...

Do you have BFF? Another girl that you tell EVERYTHING to? Someone you don't mind changing in front of, sharing clothes, even makeup with?

That's what Prince is singing about: How women are really close to each other in an intimate way... sometimes closer than to the guys they're with.

He's asking if he was her "girlfriend", would she then share those kinds of things with him?

I love it... it's a deep concept.

Nice. Thats how I put it. I always try to explain it people on what he meant .

Rinluv said:

chocolate1 said:

I looked at your profile to see how old you are and noticed you're a teen...

Do you have BFF? Another girl that you tell EVERYTHING to? Someone you don't mind changing in front of, sharing clothes, even makeup with?

That's what Prince is singing about: How women are really close to each other in an intimate way... sometimes closer than to the guys they're with.

He's asking if he was her "girlfriend", would she then share those kinds of things with him?

I love it... it's a deep concept.

Nice. Thats how I put it. I always try to explain it people on what he meant .

So you're telling me that the many women who do like this song have girlfriends like this?

amberella said:

Rinluv said:

Nice. Thats how I put it. I always try to explain it people on what he meant .

So you're telling me that the many women who do like this song have girlfriends like this?

I have no idea about the girlfriends of people who like this song. How would I?

amberella said:

So it's the message....maybe that's why. Concepts don't rule over the sound of the music in my world.

...and if you ignore the lyrics in a song then you are missing, imo, one of the most important aspects of "good" Prince music... particularly on SOTT.

i heard this song for the first time when i was 11,(14 now) and i understood it perfectly, he even says in the song if i was ur girlfriend (meaning friend) would u tell me all the things to forgot when i was ur man. so if two people where together they should be able to tell eachother eveything, and that if ur truely in love with someone then they should b ur best friend too, and u could b urself just like u would b around someone who is ur bestfriend- ya dig?

jtfolden said:

amberella said:

So it's the message....maybe that's why. Concepts don't rule over the sound of the music in my world.

...and if you ignore the lyrics in a song then you are missing, imo, one of the most important aspects of "good" Prince music... particularly on SOTT.

Maybe but I just don't focus on it. I acknowledge it, though

My pet theory is that this song is about Wendy, and Prince was in love with her instead of Susannah.

/

[Edited 12/10/10 21:14pm]

HobbesLeCute said:

My pet theory is that this song is about Wendy, and Prince was in love with her instead of Susannah.

/

[Edited 12/10/10 21:14pm]

Theory or fantasy?

chocolate1 said:

I looked at your profile to see how old you are and noticed you're a teen...

Do you have BFF? Another girl that you tell EVERYTHING to? Someone you don't mind changing in front of, sharing clothes, even makeup with?

That's what Prince is singing about: How women are really close to each other in an intimate way... sometimes closer than to the guys they're with.

He's asking if he was her "girlfriend", would she then share those kinds of things with him?

I love it... it's a deep concept.

Absolutely one of my (if not THE) favorite Prince songs. I was 15 when it came out

and it pretty much blew me away. Besides the great idea behind the lyrics, the sound

of the song is funky yet strange. Like the organ sounds holding down the background,

the beat is kind of distorted, all of the layered vocals, and the pure emotion in his lead

vocal delivery. Even the sad expression on his face on the cover of the single.

IMO, one of Prince's recorded masterpieces.

jtfolden said:

HobbesLeCute said:

My pet theory is that this song is about Wendy, and Prince was in love with her instead of Susannah.

/

[Edited 12/10/10 21:14pm]

Theory or fantasy?

It's probably flat-out wrong is what it is. But it adds a nice melodramtic flavor to the way I imagine the whole Revolution era.

For the record, I was completely high as hell when I came up with it.

I think everyone has their own perception of it.

No one can really know except the writer.

I think the song has alot more than appears to the listener *wink wink*

HobbesLeCute said:

jtfolden said:

Theory or fantasy?

It's probably flat-out wrong is what it is. But it adds a nice melodramtic flavor to the way I imagine the whole Revolution era.

For the record, I was completely high as hell when I came up with it.

Hmmm, so if it were really directed at Wendy, then Prince was wishing he was Lisa - 'girlfriend' in the literal sense?

I Agree with what most have said about the concept

To me it also has the from love to desperation feel.

The beginning it's kind of subtle let's be friend's, talk, go out and be friend's.. then it get's to would you let me wash your hair? then at the end goes into desperation practically begging her to be with him and that he will please her emotionally and sexually [I'll drink every last drop]

So for me that's the most intense thing in my eyes, for me it's him desperate for the woman in this role and is practically on his hand's and knees crying for her to be with him.

Just my thought's anywho

Gunsnhalen said:

I Agree with what most have said about the concept

To me it also has the from love to desperation feel.

The beginning it's kind of subtle let's be friend's, talk, go out and be friend's.. then it get's to would you let me wash your hair? then at the end goes into desperation practically begging her to be with him and that he will please her emotionally and sexually [I'll drink every last drop]

So for me that's the most intense thing in my eyes, for me it's him desperate for the woman in this role and is practically on his hand's and knees crying for her to be with him.

Just my thought's anywho

That's right.

And to add to the ambiguity of the mood, these lyrics are sung by Camille, breaking the sexual implication of the track and makin' you wondering if "he" or "she" sing.

Amazing. Simply one of the greatest achievement of P (if not the best, for me).

BoraBora said:

Gunsnhalen said:

I Agree with what most have said about the concept

To me it also has the from love to desperation feel.

The beginning it's kind of subtle let's be friend's, talk, go out and be friend's.. then it get's to would you let me wash your hair? then at the end goes into desperation practically begging her to be with him and that he will please her emotionally and sexually [I'll drink every last drop]

So for me that's the most intense thing in my eyes, for me it's him desperate for the woman in this role and is practically on his hand's and knees crying for her to be with him.

Just my thought's anywho

That's right.

And to add to the ambiguity of the mood, these lyrics are sung by Camille, breaking the sexual implication of the track and makin' you wondering if "he" or "she" sing.

Amazing. Simply one of the greatest achievement of P (if not the best, for me).

Agree 100 percent.

Honestly it took me awhile to appreciate the song, for some reason i just didn't like the camille vocals. And i never understood why it was so great, but i eventually saw why and know it is one of my all time favorite P track's

chocolate1 said:

I looked at your profile to see how old you are and noticed you're a teen...

Do you have BFF? Another girl that you tell EVERYTHING to? Someone you don't mind changing in front of, sharing clothes, even makeup with?

That's what Prince is singing about: How women are really close to each other in an intimate way... sometimes closer than to the guys they're with.

He's asking if he was her "girlfriend", would she then share those kinds of things with him?

I love it... it's a deep concept.

^^^ Yeah that! It was always my understanding that Prince was singing about how a man could be as close to a woman as a close female friend could...and how that understanding could translate to a better relationship between a man and woman, combining intimacy, empathy, and sympathy. I actually found that to be true...

It's everything...the smooth drum, the bass that kicks in, the background vocals...the Camille voice that works very well in this song...and than the lyrics....the lyrics.

Although i'm don't have love-relationships with women, i can see his point very well. you're not only a lover, you become close friends and share everything with eachother....it goes so far, taht even when you hurt that person, that person comes to you for comfort....that's ultimate love. (also a little bit sick, but that's another discussion LOL!)

I don't think the last part is about sex, it's an emotional orgasm.

I remember i heard this song for the first time on the radio in 1987 and couldn't believe what i heard.

Some good explanations so far. Definitely the lyrics in this one which speaks to women with close girl friends.

To me one of Prince´s best songs, and works great live too!

Saw him in Madison Square Garden in 1999 performing it. An average show, but IIWYG completely lifted the roof...for everybody, I think.

Yep great lyrics - you will get it one day

amberella said:

I still think it's an incredibly strange song-the vocals, the lyrics, and even the beat. I thought, maybe when I'm older I'll understand why people like it, but..no. My friend says that's her favorite song by Prince and I'm like "not you too!" Tell me why you like it cuz I aint gettin' it.

Have you watched the performance on the Sign O' The Times DVD? If not, then you should.

It's far superior musically IMO and will really help you appreciate the song.

I have to admit that even though I now love If I Was Your Girlfriend, I didn't used to. I can

remember hearing it for the first time back in '87 when the album was released and really

didn't think that much of it. However, I loved it after I saw it performed live.

For me, it's one of a few Prince songs that always works SO much better live. The studio version

always seemed rather flat to me. It has a muted sound to it that also lacks dynamic range and

the whole 'feel' of it is kinda claustrophobic and downbeat. However, live, all this is corrected.

The vocals soar and the more prominent hammond organ and bass really lifts the song up to

where it should be.

.

[Edited 12/11/10 7:03am]

That is one of his best songs. Count to four on the beat while you listen and dont think about the lyrics.

There's a few songs where Prince managed to really get conceptual with how he sort of reconstructed the sound of pop music into a strange alien noise that seems to point forwards to Prince inventively deconstructing/stripping down what music is to him personally and backwards to past influences at the same time.

I think that this (the studio version) is one of those. When I first heard the double vinyl of this album in 1987, the good songs to me were this track, SOTT, Housequake, Ballad of Dorothy Parker, The Cross.

But this one seems the most unique, well rounded, concept.

The live one kind of throws away the conceptual sound in favor of a conventional arrangement that still works as a dramatic R&B tune.

Kind of like how "Days of Wild" studio version is so original and futuristic to my ears, and the live versions are more conventional funk arrangements (but can still be fun).

But, I think, much of the agenda of the studio tracks of SOTT was to strip away the normal way in which pop music is given warmth and life into a sort of am radio transmission of compressed beats and vocals, almost to emphasize the idea of the song and the texture of it, instead of the danceable flow. He took out the normal life of the beat to make it seems like a robotic skeleton.

The live versions turn that around and are completely about the conventional warmth of arrangement that flows and seems infectious in energy.

One is revolutionary, the other is conservative, but both are done really well.

JonnyApplesauce said:

That is one of his best songs. Count to four on the beat while you listen and dont think about the lyrics.

I feel ya, JA.

Take it from an old guy:

Stylistically, IIWYG was LEAGUES ahead of anything else that was being played on the radio then, especially on urban radio (which was where I tended to hear it).

Sonically, there's a real cool balance between dry and reverbed sounds, giving it a kind of dream-like feel. The department store-wedding march into and Camille delivery contribute to that, in my opinion.

That balance plays out throughout the song, too -- going from cold to hot. The opening verse is ice-cold. And, the "hold u tight ... try to imagin-" ending is like, "Wha- what???"

I love that song, man!

I was actually listening to this song on the walk home today and remembered that when I first heard it, I found it kind of creepy. Especially the synth part when he says "you know down there where it counts, i'll drink every ounce and together we'll hold each other in silence" i was like

but after a couple of listens I started to really like it. Love the drum beat & the smooth synths and the distorted camille vocals when he says "i, i said WRIIIIIi wanna be, all of the things, you are to me"

I also think its one of the few songs that prince has where only he could of written it, and only he could have pulled it off