I always saw it as a play on Hollywood, mixed with cocaine ("rock").

billymeade said:

I always saw it as a play on Hollywood, mixed with cocaine ("rock").

I saw it as a play on Hollywood, too, but paired with rock 'n' roll rather than cocaine. Since Prince was a rocker and he was a film star after Purple Rain, he was pairing the two.

When he wrote the song for St. Paul, it was kind of in the "Movie Star" vein...fun and whimsical.

Then giving it to Sheila to use for her movie debut fits in with the theme.

Not too deep, but that's what I always thought it was.

yeahthatsthe1 said:

"Rock, rock holly rock everybody want a holly rock" "Holly rock ain't all it seems"...?

I was wondering the same thing too!

The Hollywood connection is the obvious one.

But I wonder if there are some pagan connections. And no, I'm not one of those dumbfucks looking for the Illuminati or Satanism in music. but there are some fairly overt adlibs in there that make me wonder if there's another reason for using "holly".

yeahthatsthe1 said:

"Rock, rock holly rock everybody want a holly rock" "Holly rock ain't all it seems"...?

I forget which songs, but Holly Rock was mentioned in a few other songs from the 1985/86 years... I think Dream Factory was one of them...

This is what it's like in the Dream Factory, oh!

Hollyrock ain't all it seems (Lordy)
Don't get 2 serious, it's just a dream
Don't forget your friends, they're all U've got (Lordy)
Listen 2 the story of a man I am not

Party all night, hangin' out
In the streets more than I be at home
I take a pill 2 wipe away my doubts
But a pill can't cure my bein' alone
Vodka and 7 straight 2 my brain
Put me under false impressions, hide all my pain
Somebody help me, I'm losing control

Isn't Hollyrock where the Flinstones movies are made?

Since Prince was a rocker and he was a film star after Purple Rain, he was pairing the two.

that's exactly it

You guys got it. It's Hollywood (fame) and music (rock'n'roll) - making it big. It's from the same well as A Love Bizarre, fucking in limos. Making it big, taking it to the next level.