wow, just wow. Listened to this for the 1st time in a looooooong while and was blown away. If this were released today we'd be freaking out!. It has it all, great lyrics, a great story, a unique sound and excellent production. Damn he's good!

funkyhead said:

wow, just wow. Listened to this for the 1st time in a looooooong while and was blown away. If this were released today we'd be freaking out!. It has it all, great lyrics, a great story, a unique sound and excellent production. Damn he's good!

Completely agree on all points.

It's not about being stuck in the 80's when some of us insist that era was so good, it just was. The sound he was creating at the time was very indie, it certainly wasn't mainstream by any measure. It was unique, it was bold and it was bad-ass. Annie Christian is not a pop song. It is a work of art.

True.

I tried 2 do a cover of this song............some strange notes being played.

love it..

blasting the new 180g controversy vinyl right now..

it sounds awesome on here....

this and tambourine are the songs that make me go crazy for him...

the mad genius alone in a laboratory... spooky and cold sounding...

not over produced..

its almost like he is so confident in it that he doesnt need to over embellish it.

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

love it..

blasting the new 180g controversy vinyl right now..

it sounds awesome on here....

this and tambourine are the songs that make me go crazy for him...

the mad genius alone in a laboratory... spooky and cold sounding...

not over produced..

its almost like he is so confident in it that he doesnt need to over embellish it.

I always felt that way about his musical confidence. He tried so may different things and they all worked. Shocadelica, Crystal Ball, If I Was Your Girlfriend,....

Musical confidence he did have.

I agree. It's maybe my second favourite on Controversy, after the title track. It's one of those totally unconventional songs Prince has recorded, like "Something In The Water", "Dorothy Parker" or "Joy In Repetition". All amazing.

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

That song was truly experimental musical wise and the lyrics were real chilling. I agree, great song.

Great points being brought up in this thread. Love me some Annie Christian. The guitar work on it alone is almost a song in itself. That in combination with the political/relgious lyrics really serves as a testament to the creativity of Prince. It's one thing to have these themes, it's another to mix them coherently, and make something that sounds good.

Annie Christian is out of this world, I posted it on facebook a while back and I a lot of my friends were shocked it was Prince. Certainly one of his most original compositions.

work of art indeed! i'll gladly chime in on any thread about this track whenever i can. I NEVER tire of talking about or listending to this dense, 4 minute 22 second, multilayered, genre bending, sociopolitical juggernaut that only Prince could have done. Play it whenever and wherever to silence any critics/doubters/or haters of his genius

Yeah, now that you mention it, Annie Christian is really good.

Controversy's just a really nice album in general.

love this song too, but can someone explain the lyric about '(everybody say) am scam' (I think that's what it says)... thanks

RicoN said:

love this song too, but can someone explain the lyric about '(everybody say) am scam' (I think that's what it says)... thanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam

Abscam (sometimes ABSCAM) was a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation run from the FBI's Hauppauge, Long Island, office in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The operation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property but was converted to a public corruption investigation.

The investigation ultimately led to the conviction of a United States Senator, five members of the House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

I love the album but this is my least favourite track on it.

V10LETBLUES said:

RicoN said:

love this song too, but can someone explain the lyric about '(everybody say) am scam' (I think that's what it says)... thanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam

Abscam (sometimes ABSCAM) was a United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation run from the FBI's Hauppauge, Long Island, office in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The operation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property but was converted to a public corruption investigation.

The investigation ultimately led to the conviction of a United States Senator, five members of the House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Cheers V10LETBLUES, I thought it would be something American that I'd no reference to.

(been wondering about that for 23 years!)

[Edited 10/28/11 3:45am]

Yeah man

All true but she was a WHORE!

love this song.I like the "cold" synth sound.

V10LETBLUES said:

funkyhead said:

wow, just wow. Listened to this for the 1st time in a looooooong while and was blown away. If this were released today we'd be freaking out!. It has it all, great lyrics, a great story, a unique sound and excellent production. Damn he's good!

Completely agree on all points.

It's not about being stuck in the 80's when some of us insist that era was so good, it just was. The sound he was creating at the time was very indie, it certainly wasn't mainstream by any measure. It was unique, it was bold and it was bad-ass. Annie Christian is not a pop song. It is a work of art.

This is one of those songs called "Purple Music" I love the feeling it brings out ... a bit cold dark & dangerous

A PUNK PROPHET OF SEXUAL ANARCHY

I'm still frightened of Prince allured by the promise, alarmed by the chintzy crud of his live routine, partially assuaged by this new "Controversy". -NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS November 14, 1981

Annie Christian

Annie Christian wanted
2 be number one
But her kingdom never comes
Thy will be done

She couldn't stand the glory
She would be second 2 none
The way Annie tells the story
She's His only Son

Annie Christian wanted
2 be a big star
So she moved 2 Atlanta
And she bought a blue car

She killed black children
And what's fair is fair
If U try and say U're crazy
Everybody say, "Electric chair!" (Electric chair!)

CHORUS:
Annie Christian, Anti-Christ
Until U're crucified
I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Anti-Christ
Until U're crucified
I'll live my life in taxicabs

Annie Christian was a whore
Always lookin' 4 some fun
Being good was such a bore
So she bought a gun

She killed John Lennon
Shot him down cold
She tried 2 kill Reagan
Everybody say, "Gun control!" (Gun control!)

CHORUS

"Liar, liar, liar!"
Gotcha in a jam
Put your head on the block
Somebody say, "ABSCAM!" (ABSCAM!)

© 1981 Controversy Music - ASCAP

TheEnglishGent said:

I love the album but this is my least favourite track on it.

Always loved Annie Christian- the spiraling keys, that riff, those lyrics. D E E P J A M .

bigd74 said:

TheEnglishGent said:

I love the album but this is my least favourite track on it.

The song is grossly underproduced, has way too much synth, and is far too political for my taste. If I want to hear about politics I'll listen to Springsteen.

Because the lyrics focus so much on events that occurred 30 years ago, the song did not age well. But the rest of the album is a big

TheEnglishGent said:

I love the album but this is my least favourite track on it.

I have always felt the same way. I actually don't care for it at all.

Im still amazed by the music prince came up with back then. The guy is a genius. What attracted me to the song was it's futuristic,spacey sound. Some of the synth sounds he came up with were off the hook. Even today ill listen to some of that stuff and wonder how did he get it to sound the way it did. Also the lyrics were interesting, i wish he would have wrote more like them. The drums are kinda repetive but taken as a whole the song is classic(to me).

[Edited 10/29/11 22:21pm]