superspaceboy said:

XNY said:

I would love a new single, extended version, or b-side - but if you haven't noticed, 90% of the stores who used to sell them have disappeared.

Walmart and Target don't sell singles. Best Buy's cd section has shrunk, and they're singles section is dismal- at least where I live.

Golly gee internet, thanks for nothing. But I get a hundred penis/breast enlargement emails a day. Whoopeee!!

Amazon and iTunes are the best places to get these.

I didn't know Amazon and Itunes had penis enlargers....sign me up !!

If black sweat was not a hit, then i cant imagine any other song being a hit. Seriously black sweat is better then 99 percent of the nonsense you hear on the mainstream radio. Prince took the modern sound and perfected it with black sweat. And it didnt even crack the top 40. Why? Because most teens arent into him and cant appreciate good music.

I am a teen and proud to me a prince fan. I mean it would be nice to see prince get a hit at this stage of his carrear but it doesnt matter. He is a great musician. Thats why people talk about his work even now. Do you really see anyone talking about Britney's work in 20 years time? Or 99.9 percent of the mainstream artists today?

Seriously Prince is a living legend. He doesnt need hits, he has already written oer 20 top 10 hits. Most artists dont even write hald as many hits as he has.

If there is anything you can criticise Prince for is not being very musically adventerous in recent years. IMO he needs to try some other genres like Blues and regaee etc. And Promote his work more.

hhhhdmt said:

If black sweat was not a hit, then i cant imagine any other song being a hit. Seriously black sweat is better then 99 percent of the nonsense you hear on the mainstream radio. Prince took the modern sound and perfected it with black sweat. And it didnt even crack the top 40. Why? Because most teens arent into him and cant appreciate good music.

I am a teen and proud to me a prince fan. I mean it would be nice to see prince get a hit at this stage of his carrear but it doesnt matter. He is a great musician. Thats why people talk about his work even now. Do you really see anyone talking about Britney's work in 20 years time? Or 99.9 percent of the mainstream artists today?

Seriously Prince is a living legend. He doesnt need hits, he has already written oer 20 top 10 hits. Most artists dont even write hald as many hits as he has.

If there is anything you can criticise Prince for is not being very musically adventerous in recent years. IMO he needs to try some other genres like Blues and regaee etc. And Promote his work more.

IMO Black Sweat was not a hit and neither was Fury because he completely abandoned the project mid way through. Many fans feel as though something big was going to happen with all of the promotion going on with that album but then Columbia did something to piss P off, so he bailed the 3121 ship.

superspaceboy said:

hhhhdmt said:

If black sweat was not a hit, then i cant imagine any other song being a hit. Seriously black sweat is better then 99 percent of the nonsense you hear on the mainstream radio. Prince took the modern sound and perfected it with black sweat. And it didnt even crack the top 40. Why? Because most teens arent into him and cant appreciate good music.

I am a teen and proud to me a prince fan. I mean it would be nice to see prince get a hit at this stage of his carrear but it doesnt matter. He is a great musician. Thats why people talk about his work even now. Do you really see anyone talking about Britney's work in 20 years time? Or 99.9 percent of the mainstream artists today?

Seriously Prince is a living legend. He doesnt need hits, he has already written oer 20 top 10 hits. Most artists dont even write hald as many hits as he has.

If there is anything you can criticise Prince for is not being very musically adventerous in recent years. IMO he needs to try some other genres like Blues and regaee etc. And Promote his work more.

IMO Black Sweat was not a hit and neither was Fury because he completely abandoned the project mid way through. Many fans feel as though something big was going to happen with all of the promotion going on with that album but then Columbia did something to piss P off, so he bailed the 3121 ship.

It wasn't Columbia. It was Universal. And what happened was that when the album came out, Prince decided to go on tour as a member of Tamar's band. He had an agreement with Universal to promote 3121, and they were going to release Tamar's album. He decided instead to promote Tamar's album, and they decided not to release hers and stop promoting his.

hhhhdmt said:

If black sweat was not a hit, then i cant imagine any other song being a hit. Seriously black sweat is better then 99 percent of the nonsense you hear on the mainstream radio. Prince took the modern sound and perfected it with black sweat. And it didnt even crack the top 40. Why? Because most teens arent into him and cant appreciate good music.

I am a teen and proud to me a prince fan. I mean it would be nice to see prince get a hit at this stage of his carrear but it doesnt matter. He is a great musician. Thats why people talk about his work even now. Do you really see anyone talking about Britney's work in 20 years time? Or 99.9 percent of the mainstream artists today?

Seriously Prince is a living legend. He doesnt need hits, he has already written oer 20 top 10 hits. Most artists dont even write hald as many hits as he has.

If there is anything you can criticise Prince for is not being very musically adventerous in recent years. IMO he needs to try some other genres like Blues and regaee etc. And Promote his work more.

I wonder if that song could´ve become a hit if it was sung by someone else, a younger and more popular person with a bit more mass appeal.

And it didnt even crack the top 40. Why? Because most teens arent into him and cant appreciate good music.

Do teens determine top 40/what's played on the radio/tv?

Nope. It's the other way around. Teens are, by in large, into whatever is marketed/sold to them.

look .. black sweat wasn't a hit .. it was embarassing .. and having a hit is important.

a hit is a song that is so good that it doesnt matter if its the backstreet boys or eminem or shania twain or any crappy pop personality, u still love it .. u cant help it because its got that something that draws in peoples ear .. prince still has good ideas but he ruins a lot of them with horrible lyrics and lazy production .. its embarrassing to tell people ur a prince fan when there is a lot of his post wb work that sounds sterile.

so its important that he write produce and perform a hit .. or several .. because i can be a fan of prince and appreciate the cool ideas under the annoying lyrics .. but most people just find it lacking in appeal because of its bland stock prince style songwriting with different and less poetic lyrics.

prince can write hits again .. i dont know why he doesnt

TrevorAyer said:

look .. black sweat wasn't a hit .. it was embarassing .. and having a hit is important.

a hit is a song that is so good that it doesnt matter if its the backstreet boys or eminem or shania twain or any crappy pop personality, u still love it .. u cant help it because its got that something that draws in peoples ear .. prince still has good ideas but he ruins a lot of them with horrible lyrics and lazy production .. its embarrassing to tell people ur a prince fan when there is a lot of his post wb work that sounds sterile.

so its important that he write produce and perform a hit .. or several .. because i can be a fan of prince and appreciate the cool ideas under the annoying lyrics .. but most people just find it lacking in appeal because of its bland stock prince style songwriting with different and less poetic lyrics.

prince can write hits again .. i dont know why he doesnt

I guess my question is, at this point in Prince's career why is a hit important. If you're opinion is that his recent stuff is crap and embarassing then fine, but either way you will find different opinions on the matter. I for one thought Black Sweat is a great song, moreso after seeing him perform it live at 3121 in Vegas..but I disgress.

What is a hit nowadays, what is playing on the radio? Even if he wrote what you would call a hit, it probably would not find its way on the radio anyway for x,y and z reasons.

I just dont get it. He's already done what you explain in your second paragraph in creating songs that people hear, that draws people near, that's why he's Prince I just feel that after 30 years who cares? Just my two cents.

[Edited 2/1/11 13:55pm]

I feel you on this issue. As does most of the prince fans. I think, the vast majority, like those of a younger generation haven't really gotten a great chance to hear much of his work, with all the other "up and coming" musicians. A lot of people are using other bands and generation music have been sampling forming another song, and this has become "very" popular. I am not too sure if P has allowed this? anyone?

Freakin SHAME!

Too brilliant of a writer, singer, composer, and talent! Oh, let's not for Love Sexy as well. Okay!?!

wonder505 said:

TrevorAyer said:

look .. black sweat wasn't a hit .. it was embarassing .. and having a hit is important.

a hit is a song that is so good that it doesnt matter if its the backstreet boys or eminem or shania twain or any crappy pop personality, u still love it .. u cant help it because its got that something that draws in peoples ear .. prince still has good ideas but he ruins a lot of them with horrible lyrics and lazy production .. its embarrassing to tell people ur a prince fan when there is a lot of his post wb work that sounds sterile.

so its important that he write produce and perform a hit .. or several .. because i can be a fan of prince and appreciate the cool ideas under the annoying lyrics .. but most people just find it lacking in appeal because of its bland stock prince style songwriting with different and less poetic lyrics.

prince can write hits again .. i dont know why he doesnt

I guess my question is, at this point in Prince's career why is a hit important. If you're opinion is that his recent stuff is crap and embarassing then fine, but either way you will find different opinions on the matter. I for one thought Black Sweat is a great song, moreso after seeing him perform it live at 3121 in Vegas..but I disgress.

What is a hit nowadays, what is playing on the radio? Even if he wrote what you would call a hit, it probably would not find its way on the radio anyway for x,y and z reasons.

I just dont get it. He's already done what you explain in your second paragraph in creating songs that people hear, that draws people near, that's why he's Prince I just feel that after 30 years who cares? Just my two cents.

[Edited 2/1/11 13:55pm]

If Prince had a hit record (and retained his success by proper business management), he would be more apt and able to distribute music in a way that his fans, who at this point are long suffering compared to other artists of his calibre, can actually fucking purchase it. It is still a complete embarrassment that not only is brother making a habit of giving his albums away with the damn newspapers and tabloids, but that he can't even get someone in the US to RELEASE the shit. Prince cannot GIVE records away in the US.

Spinlight said:

wonder505 said:

I guess my question is, at this point in Prince's career why is a hit important. If you're opinion is that his recent stuff is crap and embarassing then fine, but either way you will find different opinions on the matter. I for one thought Black Sweat is a great song, moreso after seeing him perform it live at 3121 in Vegas..but I disgress.

What is a hit nowadays, what is playing on the radio? Even if he wrote what you would call a hit, it probably would not find its way on the radio anyway for x,y and z reasons.

I just dont get it. He's already done what you explain in your second paragraph in creating songs that people hear, that draws people near, that's why he's Prince I just feel that after 30 years who cares? Just my two cents.

[Edited 2/1/11 13:55pm]

If Prince had a hit record (and retained his success by proper business management), he would be more apt and able to distribute music in a way that his fans, who at this point are long suffering compared to other artists of his calibre, can actually fucking purchase it. It is still a complete embarrassment that not only is brother making a habit of giving his albums away with the damn newspapers and tabloids, but that he can't even get someone in the US to RELEASE the shit. Prince cannot GIVE records away in the US.

ok that's a whole other topic.

wonder505 said:

TrevorAyer said:

look .. black sweat wasn't a hit .. it was embarassing .. and having a hit is important.

a hit is a song that is so good that it doesnt matter if its the backstreet boys or eminem or shania twain or any crappy pop personality, u still love it .. u cant help it because its got that something that draws in peoples ear .. prince still has good ideas but he ruins a lot of them with horrible lyrics and lazy production .. its embarrassing to tell people ur a prince fan when there is a lot of his post wb work that sounds sterile.

so its important that he write produce and perform a hit .. or several .. because i can be a fan of prince and appreciate the cool ideas under the annoying lyrics .. but most people just find it lacking in appeal because of its bland stock prince style songwriting with different and less poetic lyrics.

prince can write hits again .. i dont know why he doesnt

I guess my question is, at this point in Prince's career why is a hit important. If you're opinion is that his recent stuff is crap and embarassing then fine, but either way you will find different opinions on the matter. I for one thought Black Sweat is a great song, moreso after seeing him perform it live at 3121 in Vegas..but I disgress.

What is a hit nowadays, what is playing on the radio? Even if he wrote what you would call a hit, it probably would not find its way on the radio anyway for x,y and z reasons.

I just dont get it. He's already done what you explain in your second paragraph in creating songs that people hear, that draws people near, that's why he's Prince I just feel that after 30 years who cares? Just my two cents.

[Edited 2/1/11 13:55pm]

prince hasn't put out a song that can stand next to his hits since his hits tripple record came out .. this is not because of marketing management or otherwise .. this is because the songs just are not as good .. they are ok .. a few cool moments .. but as a prince fan i want him to write music at the caliber he once did .. i dont listen to much of the popular artists because its all sub par and doesnt blow my mind the way prince once did .. hes done it so many times before i have absolute confidence that he could do it again .. its just that he hasn't.

TrevorAyer said:

wonder505 said:

I guess my question is, at this point in Prince's career why is a hit important. If you're opinion is that his recent stuff is crap and embarassing then fine, but either way you will find different opinions on the matter. I for one thought Black Sweat is a great song, moreso after seeing him perform it live at 3121 in Vegas..but I disgress.

What is a hit nowadays, what is playing on the radio? Even if he wrote what you would call a hit, it probably would not find its way on the radio anyway for x,y and z reasons.

I just dont get it. He's already done what you explain in your second paragraph in creating songs that people hear, that draws people near, that's why he's Prince I just feel that after 30 years who cares? Just my two cents.

[Edited 2/1/11 13:55pm]

prince hasn't put out a song that can stand next to his hits since his hits tripple record came out .. this is not because of marketing management or otherwise .. this is because the songs just are not as good .. they are ok .. a few cool moments .. but as a prince fan i want him to write music at the caliber he once did .. i dont listen to much of the popular artists because its all sub par and doesnt blow my mind the way prince once did .. hes done it so many times before i have absolute confidence that he could do it again .. its just that he hasn't.

Common for most singers, musicians, writers, painters, actors etc. with lengthy careers. Take Prince's name out and put someone else in from the 70s and 80s and you'll get the same story, and even if you would list someone you think has hits, there will be debate on whether those songs are as good as the past. I for one listen to quite a few gems from his recent output. I just don't believe that burden is his to prove anymore..we have a whole new generation of new artists who do..but then again, will the record labels take heed and listen.

[Edited 2/1/11 15:01pm]

i still listen to recent gems as well but they still dont stand up to the good stuff .. i think of bob dylan as an artist who came back with relevant material .. perhaps a few of the beatles as well .. heck even cher managed with a good song to sing ... so my point being that im still hoping he recognizes that he needs to trim the bs factor in his recent output and give us one more really great record top to bottom in all respects .. production, guest talent, writing and performance ... lyrically i just dont understand what happened but that is his current weak point followed by production, he still can make a good groove .. just stop using stock sound samples and ruining it with bad rapping

TrevorAyer said:

a hit is a song that is so good

Like these?

TrevorAyer said:

look .. black sweat wasn't a hit .. it was embarassing .. and having a hit is important.

a hit is a song that is so good that it doesnt matter if its the backstreet boys or eminem or shania twain or any crappy pop personality, u still love it .. u cant help it because its got that something that draws in peoples ear .. prince still has good ideas but he ruins a lot of them with horrible lyrics and lazy production .. its embarrassing to tell people ur a prince fan when there is a lot of his post wb work that sounds sterile.

so its important that he write produce and perform a hit .. or several .. because i can be a fan of prince and appreciate the cool ideas under the annoying lyrics .. but most people just find it lacking in appeal because of its bland stock prince style songwriting with different and less poetic lyrics.

prince can write hits again .. i dont know why he doesnt

Truth is, you can only speak for yourself and not what "most people" find appealing, or are embarrassed by. Example:

What would be embarrassing to me is thinking that "having a hit is important" and admitting to loving anything by the Backstreet Boys. But, different strokes for different folks.

Some people think that:

writing/creating a good song = having a hit

or that having a hit = you wrote/created a good song

they are often not the same thing at all.

Was "Controversy" a hit? Do you love it anyways?

[Edited 2/1/11 19:28pm]

skywalker said:

TrevorAyer said:

look .. black sweat wasn't a hit .. it was embarassing .. and having a hit is important.

a hit is a song that is so good that it doesnt matter if its the backstreet boys or eminem or shania twain or any crappy pop personality, u still love it .. u cant help it because its got that something that draws in peoples ear .. prince still has good ideas but he ruins a lot of them with horrible lyrics and lazy production .. its embarrassing to tell people ur a prince fan when there is a lot of his post wb work that sounds sterile.

so its important that he write produce and perform a hit .. or several .. because i can be a fan of prince and appreciate the cool ideas under the annoying lyrics .. but most people just find it lacking in appeal because of its bland stock prince style songwriting with different and less poetic lyrics.

prince can write hits again .. i dont know why he doesnt

Truth is, you can only speak for yourself and not what "most people" find appealing, or are embarrassed by. Example:

What would be embarrassing to me is thinking that "having a hit is important" and admitting to loving anything by the Backstreet Boys. But, different strokes for different folks.

Some people think that:

writing/creating a good song = having a hit

or that having a hit = you wrote/created a good song

they are often not the same thing at all.

Was "Controversy" a hit? Do you love it anyways?

[Edited 2/1/11 19:28pm]

Amen!

I thought if he wanted a hit single The One U Wanna C would have had the most potential since the 90s. Regardless of what you guys think about the song, it is very very catchy, radio friendly and a well crafted song. Prince doesn't want to pay for the cost to get a hit single that is why that this one never did when it easily could have been. This is probably the only song of the past 10 or so years I think could have been a hit from him. I agree with the earlier post that Prince's newer stuff while good just doesn't have that "IT" quality that would make it a hit. The One U Wanna C could have made so noise had he released a single, paid to get it on the radio, put a video where people could actually see it and PROMOTE it. This has not ever happened with any songs he has released since TGE, so therefore, no chance for a hit single.

AlexNevermind28 said:

I thought if he wanted a hit single The One U Wanna C would have had the most potential since the 90s. Regardless of what you guys think about the song, it is very very catchy, radio friendly and a well crafted song. Prince doesn't want to pay for the cost to get a hit single that is why that this one never did when it easily could have been. This is probably the only song of the past 10 or so years I think could have been a hit from him. I agree with the earlier post that Prince's newer stuff while good just doesn't have that "IT" quality that would make it a hit. The One U Wanna C could have made so noise had he released a single, paid to get it on the radio, put a video where people could actually see it and PROMOTE it. This has not ever happened with any songs he has released since TGE, so therefore, no chance for a hit single.

Exactly, Prince hasn't stopped writing catchy, ear appealing, pop tunes, he has just (by in large) stopped using the machinery needed to get played on the radio. I would guess because it was a lot easier when WB was doing it for him.

[Edited 2/2/11 6:25am]

superspaceboy said:

IMO Black Sweat was not a hit and neither was Fury because he completely abandoned the project mid way through. Many fans feel as though something big was going to happen with all of the promotion going on with that album but then Columbia did something to piss P off, so he bailed the 3121 ship.

Right. The 3121 singles weren't bigger because of lack of consistent promo for the project.

I don't care for the album, or Black Sweat, but it had a good video, and the song itself slotted well into the chart music of the time - with the right backing there's no reason it should not have been a hit single.

ok .. the one u wanna c is indeed catchy .. but again illustrates my point .. stupid lyrics about being rich and how every one should jump his bones because he is rich .. this song is a far cry from i wanna be your lover which starts ... i aint got no money, not like the other guys u hang around, its kinda funny, they always seem to let u down .. BRILLIANT LYRICS .. everyone can relate, except rich superficial people who buy their women .. the one u wanna c says .. i got a lot of money and i like pretty "things" referring to women as a thing that he can apparently buy .. the lyrics are just so stupid and unappealing that there is no chance it would be a HIT .. musically tho its pretty catchy.

point is, it takes more than a catchy melody to make a HIT, it needs great lyrics, great music, great production, it needs to resonate on a higher frequency, have the IT factor .. compare I WANNA BE UR LOVER with IM THE ONE U WANNA C and u can see the difference between a HIT and a non HIT.

it has nothing to do with promotions and paying radio stations, sure thats how rec companies push a lot of talentless crap, and maybe with enough money a rec co. could push a crappy prince song into a hit .. wasnt "guitar" a hit .. verizon was all over that song .. the song still sucked ass .. its not a hit .. its the worst song on a mediocre record .. oh wait i forgot mr. goodnite .. right up there with mr. happy, hot wit u and insense and candles .. makes u wanna suck yer tongue and say .. PUKE

the fact is that if the WB years never happened and only his post WB out put existed, i wouldn't have ever bothered with prince at all .. i would consider him OK at best or most likely would think he just sucked ..

i will admit he has written numerous songs that WOULD HAVE BEEN HITS had he taken more time with them, fixed lyrics, better production, better players .. dance 4 me, here, wall of berlin, chelsae rodgers, fury, come on, the one, future soul song, love, underneath the cream, the one u wanna c, all could be huge if he didn't treat them like toss offs while writing and recording them.

black sweat sounds like crap .. the drums are some distorted over compressed computer blips and the lyrics are stupid .. the only reason it charted at all was the promotion, but that does not make it a HIT in my book .. compare it to KISS .. musically there is no comparrison .. black sweat blows

TrevorAyer said:

ok .. the one u wanna c is indeed catchy .. but again illustrates my point .. stupid lyrics about being rich and how every one should jump his bones because he is rich .. this song is a far cry from i wanna be your lover which starts ... i aint got no money, not like the other guys u hang around, its kinda funny, they always seem to let u down .. BRILLIANT LYRICS .. everyone can relate, except rich superficial people who buy their women .. the one u wanna c says .. i got a lot of money and i like pretty "things" referring to women as a thing that he can apparently buy .. the lyrics are just so stupid and unappealing that there is no chance it would be a HIT .. musically tho its pretty catchy.

point is, it takes more than a catchy melody to make a HIT, it needs great lyrics, great music, great production, it needs to resonate on a higher frequency, have the IT factor .. compare I WANNA BE UR LOVER with IM THE ONE U WANNA C and u can see the difference between a HIT and a non HIT.

it has nothing to do with promotions and paying radio stations, sure thats how rec companies push a lot of talentless crap, and maybe with enough money a rec co. could push a crappy prince song into a hit .. wasnt "guitar" a hit .. verizon was all over that song .. the song still sucked ass .. its not a hit .. its the worst song on a mediocre record .. oh wait i forgot mr. goodnite .. right up there with mr. happy, hot wit u and insense and candles .. makes u wanna suck yer tongue and say .. PUKE

the fact is that if the WB years never happened and only his post WB out put existed, i wouldn't have ever bothered with prince at all .. i would consider him OK at best or most likely would think he just sucked ..

i will admit he has written numerous songs that WOULD HAVE BEEN HITS had he taken more time with them, fixed lyrics, better production, better players .. dance 4 me, here, wall of berlin, chelsae rodgers, fury, come on, the one, future soul song, love, underneath the cream, the one u wanna c, all could be huge if he didn't treat them like toss offs while writing and recording them.

black sweat sounds like crap .. the drums are some distorted over compressed computer blips and the lyrics are stupid .. the only reason it charted at all was the promotion, but that does not make it a HIT in my book .. compare it to KISS .. musically there is no comparrison .. black sweat blows

I don't know where you live, but just about anything can become a hit, it doesn't need great anything (except maybe great payola ). The 2 songs I posted above were big hits in the USA and Pretty Boy Swag just sounds like Stevie, the kid in the wheelchair on Malcolm In the Middle. The younger audience today generally don't care about melody or even music, they want something with a 808 beat for the "boomin' system" in their cars or autotune vocals.

Spinlight said:

Prince doesn't care.

blackbob said:

jpnyc said:

Because he doesn’t CARE about having hit singles. Prince stopped caring about hits in 1984. And even though he doesn’t sell a lot of albums he still makes more money than most musicians because he doesn’t have a label leeching away most of his income from record sales.

yes it might not be as many as he sold in the 80s but who is selling as many...?....dont see many album selling 10 million copies now...

One of the reasons why is because most people don't buy albums (CDs) anymore. You can download albums digitally and pay close to nothing or nothing in 'a lot' of cases.

TrevorAyer said:

ok .. the one u wanna c is indeed catchy .. but again illustrates my point .. stupid lyrics about being rich and how every one should jump his bones because he is rich .. this song is a far cry from i wanna be your lover which starts ... i aint got no money, not like the other guys u hang around, its kinda funny, they always seem to let u down .. BRILLIANT LYRICS .. everyone can relate, except rich superficial people who buy their women .. the one u wanna c says .. i got a lot of money and i like pretty "things" referring to women as a thing that he can apparently buy .. the lyrics are just so stupid and unappealing that there is no chance it would be a HIT .. musically tho its pretty catchy.

point is, it takes more than a catchy melody to make a HIT, it needs great lyrics, great music, great production, it needs to resonate on a higher frequency, have the IT factor .. compare I WANNA BE UR LOVER with IM THE ONE U WANNA C and u can see the difference between a HIT and a non HIT.

it has nothing to do with promotions and paying radio stations, sure thats how rec companies push a lot of talentless crap, and maybe with enough money a rec co. could push a crappy prince song into a hit .. wasnt "guitar" a hit .. verizon was all over that song .. the song still sucked ass .. its not a hit .. its the worst song on a mediocre record .. oh wait i forgot mr. goodnite .. right up there with mr. happy, hot wit u and insense and candles .. makes u wanna suck yer tongue and say .. PUKE

the fact is that if the WB years never happened and only his post WB out put existed, i wouldn't have ever bothered with prince at all .. i would consider him OK at best or most likely would think he just sucked ..

i will admit he has written numerous songs that WOULD HAVE BEEN HITS had he taken more time with them, fixed lyrics, better production, better players .. dance 4 me, here, wall of berlin, chelsae rodgers, fury, come on, the one, future soul song, love, underneath the cream, the one u wanna c, all could be huge if he didn't treat them like toss offs while writing and recording them.

black sweat sounds like crap .. the drums are some distorted over compressed computer blips and the lyrics are stupid .. the only reason it charted at all was the promotion, but that does not make it a HIT in my book .. compare it to KISS .. musically there is no comparrison .. black sweat blows

You hit the nail right on its head. Some people think that lyrics don´t really matter that much, and even some hardcore Prince fans among my closest friends feel this way as long as the music is catchy, but I disagree strongly.

One of the biggest strengths of Prince, besides being a brilliant musician, has always been his songwriting and storytelling, and the fact that ALMOST ANYONE could relate to his lyrics.

Even though a lot of his greatest songs have always been highly personal in many cases, they were still not cryptic and not arrogant.

Hell, anybody who´s had a tumultuous relationship and a tragic breakup can relate to the masterpiece that is When Doves Cry, or Purple Rain.

Songs like Forever In My Life or Adore are songs that some people want to hear at their wedding.

Anybody who knows what a broken heart is can relate to songs like When You Were Mine or Anotherloverholenyohead. Anybody who´s felt a strong yearning for that special someone can relate to the brilliance that is The Beautiful Ones, or Computer Blue. And it didn´t stop in the mid eighties...songs like I Hate U, Dreamin About U, Right Back Here In My Arms, Somewhere Here On Earth, Walk In The Sand etc.etc. are proof that his lyrical talent wasn´t just a phase in the mid 80s. It´s still there, buried somewhere under the superficial persona that he´s showing us in his more recent work.

But can anyone seriously relate to bullshit lyrics like The One U Wanna C? That´s the kind of song that makes me run to my stereo to turn the music down because it is so embarrasingly bad and corny that I don´t want my neighbors to hear it.

And don´t get me started with songs like Mr.Goodnight...with Spanish speaking servants, raisinettes and champagne and whatnot.

The few good songs are often ruined by imagery that is just too much in-your-face biblical, like Lion of Judah...I like the music, I like the vocal delivery, and yes I know he´s used religious imagery in his career before ( I Would Die 4 U, The Cross, to name a few) but somehow, these day, it all comes across in a much less subtle way.

The main reason why we all still bitch and moan about is the fact that he´s Prince, he is unlike most other musicians, he defies age and has too much talent to just rest on his laurels and we all know he could if he just wanted to...but he doesn´t seem to want to write songs that the average Joe can relate to. The funny thing is that his lyrics are still very personal, just like in the old days, but the way he feels about love, relationships and women in general seems to have changed, and therefore, the lyrics have changed, too.

I really like what you wrote.