Genesia said:

steakfinger said:

Hardly. You might argue that hose are two of his best songs, but lyrically? Little Red Corvette is about as subtle and witty as a turn in a punchbowl and Dorothy Parker is total surreal nonsense supposedly based on a dream. Prince wouldn't know what to do with Dorothy Parker if he ever met her or read her work. He thought Sinead was bad...

So basing lyrics on a dream makes them bad? In what universe?

I never said either of those songs were bad. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorites, actually. I'm saying they're hardly great lyrically. But what makes something great lyrically? Does it have to be socially relevant? Does it have to speak to a lot of people? There have been many examples of both that thinking people would agree suck. Celine Dion "reaches" loads of people, but that doesn't mean those lyrics are worth a shit. Little Red Corvette reached a lot of folks, but the only thing interesting lyrically about it was the overt yet barely-hidden subject matter. The actual delivery was actually pretty normal. If you got Bryan Adams to write a "Summer of '69"-ish rocker but with lyrics about incest instead of mind-numbing nostalgia it would STILL be loaded with cliches and melodrama.

Does a song need to make sense to be great lyrically? I think "Happiness is a Warm Gun" says no. Who knows?

My point is that it is ALL subjective and giving an answer one way or another is as silly as asking such a question.

What makes those two songs the greatest lyrically? Your own personal tastes and nothing else. If you want to define waht makes something great lyrically then we would have a framework upon which to judge, but even then it would only be relative to THAT framework and not some universal cosmic standard which cannot exist.

WTF ARE WE SMOKING HERE???

steakfinger said:

Genesia said:

So basing lyrics on a dream makes them bad? In what universe?

I never said either of those songs were bad. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorites, actually. I'm saying they're hardly great lyrically. But what makes something great lyrically? Does it have to be socially relevant? Does it have to speak to a lot of people? There have been many examples of both that thinking people would agree suck. Celine Dion "reaches" loads of people, but that doesn't mean those lyrics are worth a shit. Little Red Corvette reached a lot of folks, but the only thing interesting lyrically about it was the overt yet barely-hidden subject matter. The actual delivery was actually pretty normal. If you got Bryan Adams to write a "Summer of '69"-ish rocker but with lyrics about incest instead of mind-numbing nostalgia it would STILL be loaded with cliches and melodrama.

Does a song need to make sense to be great lyrically? I think "Happiness is a Warm Gun" says no. Who knows?

My point is that it is ALL subjective and giving an answer one way or another is as silly as asking such a question.

What makes those two songs the greatest lyrically? Your own personal tastes and nothing else. If you want to define waht makes something great lyrically then we would have a framework upon which to judge, but even then it would only be relative to THAT framework and not some universal cosmic standard which cannot exist.

WTF ARE WE SMOKING HERE???

I agree. The same reasons I gave for choosing Around The World In A Day as the best album lyrically could be given by another person to argue the contrary.

[Edited 10/25/11 14:29pm]

steakfinger said:

Genesia said:

So basing lyrics on a dream makes them bad? In what universe?

I never said either of those songs were bad. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorites, actually. I'm saying they're hardly great lyrically. But what makes something great lyrically? Does it have to be socially relevant? Does it have to speak to a lot of people? There have been many examples of both that thinking people would agree suck. Celine Dion "reaches" loads of people, but that doesn't mean those lyrics are worth a shit. Little Red Corvette reached a lot of folks, but the only thing interesting lyrically about it was the overt yet barely-hidden subject matter. The actual delivery was actually pretty normal. If you got Bryan Adams to write a "Summer of '69"-ish rocker but with lyrics about incest instead of mind-numbing nostalgia it would STILL be loaded with cliches and melodrama.

Does a song need to make sense to be great lyrically? I think "Happiness is a Warm Gun" says no. Who knows?

My point is that it is ALL subjective and giving an answer one way or another is as silly as asking such a question.

What makes those two songs the greatest lyrically? Your own personal tastes and nothing else. If you want to define waht makes something great lyrically then we would have a framework upon which to judge, but even then it would only be relative to THAT framework and not some universal cosmic standard which cannot exist.

WTF ARE WE SMOKING HERE???

Why are you asking me all that? It ain't my fuckin' thread!

babyjubilation said:

If I had to pick ONE it would be Controversy and that's not even my favorite album.

I love Controversy, been playing it a lot lately but anything containing Ronnir Talk To Russia can never be considered the greatest lyrically! Private Joy and Jack U Off are hardly deep either.

My vote goes to Around The World In A Day.

imago said:

I doubt it's his best, but it's certainly one of my favorite, lyrically: The Gold Experience

Lawd,......

Whenever evil wants 2 groove
Come let me fly U 2 the moon
Then U can see how love will bloom
Joy - it's in the dictionary
See "J" Billy Jack Bitch

Of course, being that the song is about the gossip columnist C J, this

"see J" addition to a song about her was just ....clever.

Even the stupid lyrics like "Frontin' more booty than Peru got keyes"

are delivered with some degree of awesomeness!

I forgot about The Gold Experience, there are a few great songs on there.

But I continue to ignore the existence of 319.

steakfinger said:

I never said either of those songs were bad. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorites, actually. I'm saying they're hardly great lyrically. But what makes something great lyrically? Does it have to be socially relevant? Does it have to speak to a lot of people? There have been many examples of both that thinking people would agree suck. Celine Dion "reaches" loads of people, but that doesn't mean those lyrics are worth a shit. Little Red Corvette reached a lot of folks, but the only thing interesting lyrically about it was the overt yet barely-hidden subject matter. The actual delivery was actually pretty normal. If you got Bryan Adams to write a "Summer of '69"-ish rocker but with lyrics about incest instead of mind-numbing nostalgia it would STILL be loaded with cliches and melodrama.

Does a song need to make sense to be great lyrically? I think "Happiness is a Warm Gun" says no. Who knows?

My point is that it is ALL subjective and giving an answer one way or another is as silly as asking such a question.

What makes those two songs the greatest lyrically? Your own personal tastes and nothing else. If you want to define waht makes something great lyrically then we would have a framework upon which to judge, but even then it would only be relative to THAT framework and not some universal cosmic standard which cannot exist.

WTF ARE WE SMOKING HERE???

[img:$uid]http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lp5kjhqPeh1qcluwr.gif[/img:$uid]

steakfinger said:

I never said either of those songs were bad. Dorothy Parker is one of my favorites, actually. I'm saying they're hardly great lyrically. But what makes something great lyrically? Does it have to be socially relevant? Does it have to speak to a lot of people? There have been many examples of both that thinking people would agree suck. Celine Dion "reaches" loads of people, but that doesn't mean those lyrics are worth a shit. Little Red Corvette reached a lot of folks, but the only thing interesting lyrically about it was the overt yet barely-hidden subject matter. The actual delivery was actually pretty normal. If you got Bryan Adams to write a "Summer of '69"-ish rocker but with lyrics about incest instead of mind-numbing nostalgia it would STILL be loaded with cliches and melodrama.

Does a song need to make sense to be great lyrically? I think "Happiness is a Warm Gun" says no. Who knows?

My point is that it is ALL subjective and giving an answer one way or another is as silly as asking such a question.

What makes those two songs the greatest lyrically? Your own personal tastes and nothing else. If you want to define waht makes something great lyrically then we would have a framework upon which to judge, but even then it would only be relative to THAT framework and not some universal cosmic standard which cannot exist.

WTF ARE WE SMOKING HERE???

So, if you think that the topic is silly or a waste of time, why even bother responding initially. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, but I find this action or behavior on this site puzzling. When I read a thread that I think is silly or a waste of time, I simply move to another thread rather than wasting time telling the person how silly or what a waste of time the thread is.

Secondly, while I think it would be splitting hairs, maybe it would have been better if the thread would have been titled "Favorite Prince Lyric" or "Why Do We Like Prince's Lyrics," but I see the thread just as a way for some of us to discuss why we love Prince's lyrics or why we think Prince's lyrics are poetic. And, yes, I am interested in this type of thread because I do think that Prince's lyrics are as creative as Dylan or Stevie Wonder. So, I am interested in what other fans have to say because I am hoping that they will provide some insight to a song that I have never considered, which will allow me to enjoy that song even more as well as affirm that Prince is a master lyricist.

As for the actual thread question, I wasn't going to respond because it is too difficult from me to choose a best or favorite because there are several that are wonderfully constructed with creative/image-driven lyrics. I like songs where sex is shown as a metaphor to fill or fulfill metaphysical needs, as in "Sexuality" and "LRC," but I also like that as he matured he began to show how sex fails in its ability to fulfill metaphysical needs causing the speaker to realize the one needs more, as in "Computer Blue," "Ballad of Dorothy Parker," and "Temptation." Of course, I like that he can also be socio-political without the use of sexual metaphor as in "Walk Don't Walk," "Sign 'O' the Times," "1999," "Colonized Mind," and more.

bobbyperu said:

Can you guys please please pleeeeaaazzz explain why you like those lyrics? Just mentioning a title doesn't say anything.

You know where you're posting at, right?

Controversy

Around The Word In A Day

Lovesexy

Sign "O" The Times

Emancipation

Parade too

[Edited 10/28/11 6:36am]

diamond537 said:

For you

pepper7 said:

diamond537 said:

For you

Go crawl back into your hole TylerHippie

Controversy, 1999 and Purple Rain.

I like all his 80s lyrics for the most part. But the album that pops into my mind

first when you say "best album lyrically" is "The Truth".

I guess because it feels like you're listening to a more intimate prince record

than anything that came before. Not just because of the stripped down vibe of

the music, but because the lyrics feel more like they are true to his beliefs, or

come from some real life experiences.

Sure, he's always used his own views and experiences in his lyrics, but with

this album it feels like he's really putting his heart and soul out there.

I've since longed for Prince to be this 'truthfull' again in his lyrics. Strip away

all the pop and hit searching, bravado or kitschy imagery and just tell it like

it is, for him.

Beyond that, I totally love the lyrical imagery of "Parade", which is an album

that stands like a world unto itself. It's like a modern day fairy tale, a unique

moment in Prince history and a true highlight in his catalogue.

Other albums had great lyrical ideas here or there but lacked an overall feel

of continuity. Except TRC, but those lyrics, interesting as they are, don't make

me think "oh wow, prince is painting an amazing picture here".

The Gold Experience had some nice ideas, with the theme of death and rebirth

in various forms. But he didn't pull it together as good as the themes of other

albums like "lovesexy". Gold, although I love that album to death, could have

done with one more 'spiritual' song in the middle.

Lotusflower felt like it had a strong vibe to it, until I realised that it's in the music

and not in the lyrics. The lyrics are a bit all over the place. Each song in itself is

fine enough and Lotus is my favorit album of the 00s. But as an ALBUM it feels a

bit too loosely written, lyric wise.

IstenSzek said:

I like all his 80s lyrics for the most part. But the album that pops into my mind

first when you say "best album lyrically" is "The Truth".

I guess because it feels like you're listening to a more intimate prince record

than anything that came before. Not just because of the stripped down vibe of

the music, but because the lyrics feel more like they are true to his beliefs, or

come from some real life experiences.

Sure, he's always used his own views and experiences in his lyrics, but with

this album it feels like he's really putting his heart and soul out there.

I've since longed for Prince to be this 'truthfull' again in his lyrics. Strip away

all the pop and hit searching, bravado or kitschy imagery and just tell it like

it is, for him.

Beyond that, I totally love the lyrical imagery of "Parade", which is an album

that stands like a world unto itself. It's like a modern day fairy tale, a unique

moment in Prince history and a true highlight in his catalogue.

Other albums had great lyrical ideas here or there but lacked an overall feel

of continuity. Except TRC, but those lyrics, interesting as they are, don't make

me think "oh wow, prince is painting an amazing picture here".

The Gold Experience had some nice ideas, with the theme of death and rebirth

in various forms. But he didn't pull it together as good as the themes of other

albums like "lovesexy". Gold, although I love that album to death, could have

done with one more 'spiritual' song in the middle.

Lotusflower felt like it had a strong vibe to it, until I realised that it's in the music

and not in the lyrics. The lyrics are a bit all over the place. Each song in itself is

fine enough and Lotus is my favorit album of the 00s. But as an ALBUM it feels a

bit too loosely written, lyric wise.

Ooh, well said. This is why I love that you are my friend and why I love reading your posts on here; you always make me look at stuff I have opinions on already in a different light and twist it around in a way so I can listen to it as if it's new. (meaning I am playing The Truth right now)

Purrrr.

And it's funny to see even though some stuff we never talked about is a reflection on how I think about it, you just say it way more beautiful than I ever could.

I was just surprised to NOT see Sign [img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/hhja/thSIGNeditedsmall.jpg[/img:$uid] The Times in your list. Maybe it's cuz that period was one of two periods I majorly obsess over, when it comes to Prince, but to me both Parade and S[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/hhja/thSIGNeditedsmall.jpg[/img:$uid]TT are more 'sister'-albums, just like 1999 is a continuation of Controversy and Around The World In A Day to me is linked to Purple Rain.

To me, Parade and S[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/hhja/thSIGNeditedsmall.jpg[/img:$uid]TT are linked due to their musical path and lyrical themes, both more accomplished than anything he ever released before and not often after, not in the same way.

Where Parade was a trip, but musically and lyrically, S[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v652/hhja/thSIGNeditedsmall.jpg[/img:$uid]TT was not more toned down, but denser when it came to sounds and words. Where his views on religion, sex and love were often very banal or innocent, they seemed to deepen, resulting in a long list of my favest Prince songs ever; the title song, Housequake, Hot Thing, Forever In My Life, If I Was Your Girlfriend and The Cross are still among the highlights of his career for various reasons, but the fact that he lyrically wrote a lovesong that could be felt like a lovesong to his god (Forever) to me was a highlight in his career.