I've been listening to this song a lot lately and I have to say it is one of the most finely crafted songs of its kind. The driving rhythm, the hypnotic mood heightened by drum machine and synthesizer, and the urgent lyrics all combine together to not only encapsulate a sound and moment in time...but to leap beyond it into something deeper and timeless. All the elements work together in a way that is very rare. What do you think of this song--one of Prince's singular musical masterpieces (IMO)? Especially now...

The Dance Electric

Good morning children
Take a look out your window
Our world is falling
It's almost time 2 go

(Dance)

Dance the Dance Electric
The rhythm is love and love is blind
Love your enemies
There isn't much time, there isn't much time

Look - our world is falling
A rhythm-less house of blinded prophecy
Hear our Master calling
This isn't what He wanted us 2 be

We got 2 dance the Dance Electric
Listen 2 the rhythm of your soul
Come on and dance the Dance Electric
We better love each other, it's almost time 2 go

Don't - it don't make U happy
2 give another someone your own smile
Dance the dance electric
Never mind your hatred, try a brand new style

Dance the Dance Electric
Listen 2 the rhythm of your soul
U got 2 dance the Dance Electric
We better love each other, it's almost time 2 go

We... love... all... enemies

Look - U're livin' in Babylon
Makin', but not feelin' love at all
When your youth is gone, when it comes 2 dawn
A light of truth will shine and U will fall

That's why U got 2 dance the Dance Electric
Listen 2 the rhythm of your soul
U got 2 dance the Dance Electric
We better love each other, it's almost time 2 go

See the light inside of us
U're stuck in living, livin' life as bad
Whatever U do, don't U let your life go without my love
It's the only life that U will ever have

Why don't U (dance) dance the Dance Electric?
Listen 2 the rhythm of your soul
Why don't U dance the Dance Electric?
We better love each other, it's almost time 2 go (almost time 2)

Dance the Dance Electric
Listen 2 the rhythm of your soul
Come on and dance the Dance Electric
We better love each other, it's almost time 2 go

Love it, too! The only thing is that I really really really wanna hear Prince´s version of it, as I believe it must be even better with him singing it - and that´s the only negative about it. But the song itself is fantastic. Too bad he didn´t put it out himself. He could´ve chosen another, not that good, song to give to André IMO

Good song. Album was pretty good. Interesting Mad Max themed video for the time. Not so much now.

Should have been a b-side to one of his own Purple Rain singles. Maybe the b-side to "Take Me With U" which I didn't even realize was a single.

Yeah...One of the one's he should have kept. It's the jam though. Did you get the remaster?

now that's the MN sound right there

love that razor guitar throughout..what kind of effect is used on that I wonder...and what a solo..gawd

we got 14 years lol..then aint shit happen

I have to admit I miss the bomb culture/rapture fear in the purple music

rdhull said:

now that's the MN sound right there

love that razor guitar throughout..what kind of effect is used on that I wonder...and what a solo..gawd

we got 14 years lol..then aint shit happen

I have to admit I miss the bomb culture/rapture fear in the purple music

I know what you mean,

With the way the world is now, if 1982-1986 Prince was awake

he'd be putting 2gether some good stuff

rdhull said:

now that's the MN sound right there

love that razor guitar throughout..what kind of effect is used on that I wonder...and what a solo..gawd

we got 14 years lol..then aint shit happen

I have to admit I miss the bomb culture/rapture fear in the purple music

Yeah that scary sound zone Prince used to have especially in the drums and guitar..like something was about to blow up soon...Automatic..Something In The Water, Ronnie Talk To Russia, Controversy, Extraloveable, Lis, Turn It Up...

paisleypark4 said:

rdhull said:

now that's the MN sound right there

love that razor guitar throughout..what kind of effect is used on that I wonder...and what a solo..gawd

we got 14 years lol..then aint shit happen

I have to admit I miss the bomb culture/rapture fear in the purple music

Yeah that scary sound zone Prince used to have especially in the drums and guitar..like something was about to blow up soon...Automatic..Something In The Water, Ronnie Talk To Russia, Controversy, Extraloveable, Lis, Turn It Up...

Even though the sounds of that time had that touch of danger and darkness to them I think Rdhull was talking more of the lyrics

Like:Dance Electric, God:the Dance Electric, the backward message after Darling Nikki, 1999, Ronnie Talk 2 Russia, the Future,

But I agree, that 'feeling' was in the music even moreso

[Edited 9/8/11 11:41am]

When you're young, the worst thing that can happen to you (in your own mind) is death. Prince has been through enough in his life, at this point, that he probably no longer fears death.

Ergo, death has lost its edge as a topic.

Genesia said:

When you're young, the worst thing that can happen to you (in your own mind) is death. Prince has been through enough in his life, at this point, that he probably no longer fears death.

Ergo, death has lost its edge as a topic.

Genesia said:

When you're young, the worst thing that can happen to you (in your own mind) is death. Prince has been through enough in his life, at this point, that he probably no longer fears death.

Ergo, death has lost its edge as a topic.

A lot of people fear death into their latter years.

Prince is just into his 50's and depending, (he could have dealt with it) but a lot of men that is when they have that mid life crisis period of looking over their life and wanting to regain youth

OldFriends4Sale said:

paisleypark4 said:

Yeah that scary sound zone Prince used to have especially in the drums and guitar..like something was about to blow up soon...Automatic..Something In The Water, Ronnie Talk To Russia, Controversy, Extraloveable, Lis, Turn It Up...

Even though the sounds of that time had that touch of danger and darkness to them I think Rdhull was talking more of the lyrics

Like:Dance Electric, God:the Dance Electric, the backward message after Darling Nikki, 1999, Ronnie Talk 2 Russia, the Future,

But I agree, that 'feeling' was in the music even moreso

[Edited 9/8/11 11:41am]

I was initially talking about the lyrics yeah..but now that you guys have mentioned/disucssed it, I do acknlolwedge that there was that .....tension in the music as well. Which is interesting becasue just now I realize there is no longer tension in his last releases for about a decade or so. TRC not counting. Maybe thats what the purple critic brigade is talking about all these years? Maybe that means he is actually at peace as Gen or someone said up above in another response..that he isnt afraid of dying, he has settled with his place in this world (and/or the next)?

Which brings up what I hate.. the oft-spoken cliche' that for Princes' music to be enthralling, he needs a contorversy in his life to write about or to influence his writing? F.U.N.K. anybody?

And where does that leave us: as ungrateful fans who want our hero to go through tragic events just to give us purple manna?