I think it's the funk... or the vocals... or maybe a bit of both.

It's def one of my favourites. I even like the I... I... I... bit at the beginning before it gets into the funky beats. He really channelled his edginess in this song.

edited...I wrote the wrong song lyrics LOL

[Edited 2/5/12 13:24pm]

It's all about that bass line!

That was his intention, man.

Quite possibly one of the best pure funk songs ever made. Truly inspired by Clinton. Brought the Camille out of Prince for the first time, with great BG vocals by Sheila E, and an unmistakeable bassline that would make a paralyzed person get up and dance.

A funky song! Probably one of the very few funk songs he has in his catalog.

Digifuwill said:

It's all about that bass line!

Right ON!

nursev said:

Erotic City has to be one of the best songs that Prince ever made. It's definitely one of the funkiest and Ms. E did the damn thang on here too but what is it about this song that makes it so damn good? the different vocals? The funk? Or just cuz it took Prince to sing a song like this Straight Funk nonetheless!

one of my all time favorites,

it's the stripped sound, very simple yet complex in a purple kinda way, I love Prince music like that.

The song sounds like the sky just got dark in the summer time twilight

I also love the 1984 1st Avenue rock version, it was like the opposite of mild sexuality it was wild sexuality

OldFriends4Sale said:

nursev said:

Erotic City has to be one of the best songs that Prince ever made. It's definitely one of the funkiest and Ms. E did the damn thang on here too but what is it about this song that makes it so damn good? the different vocals? The funk? Or just cuz it took Prince to sing a song like this Straight Funk nonetheless!

one of my all time favorites,

it's the stripped sound, very simple yet complex in a purple kinda way, I love Prince music like that.

The song sounds like the sky just got dark in the summer time twilight

I also love the 1984 1st Avenue rock version, it was like the opposite of mild sexuality it was wild sexuality

The thing I still find most amazing about this song was when it was penned. It sounds like much later work and is phenomenal for the time of its release. I'm going to put it on right now : )

Love it

it's one of my faves too...

actually i was just listening to all the versions in a row and then i found this topic!

the bass is so killer and it's really only 3 notes!! it just goes to show that simplicity can be super funky.

jasontate said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

one of my all time favorites,

it's the stripped sound, very simple yet complex in a purple kinda way, I love Prince music like that.

The song sounds like the sky just got dark in the summer time twilight

I also love the 1984 1st Avenue rock version, it was like the opposite of mild sexuality it was wild sexuality

The thing I still find most amazing about this song was when it was penned. It sounds like much later work and is phenomenal for the time of its release. I'm going to put it on right now : )

A lot of his PR era stuff too me still feels futuristic,

It's the groove man

You feel it --down there--, that's how you know.

Great, great song. So good, it's irresistable. I wish he'd play it live again one day, but I suppose he's not into the lyrics anymore. I wouldn't mind different lyrics or instrumentals in place of the voices - it's really the bass line and overall groove.

artist76 said:

Great, great song. So good, it's irresistable. I wish he'd play it live again one day, but I suppose he's not into the lyrics anymore. I wouldn't mind different lyrics or instrumentals in place of the voices - it's really the bass line and overall groove.

during his pre Minneapolis Sound / 21 Nights book promo / website promo party <- he played Erotic City live -instrumental

nursev said:

Erotic City has to be one of the best songs that Prince ever made. It's definitely one of the funkiest and Ms. E did the damn thang on here too but what is it about this song that makes it so damn good? the different vocals? The funk? Or just cuz it took Prince to sing a song like this Straight Funk nonetheless!

The bass line and the synths did it for me.

The version from Feline's sounboard is a killer, and the 26th B-Day performance from 1st Ave showed how much of a beast, Brown Mark is on the bass.

This song will NEVER overstay its welcome.

Harlepolis said:

The version from Feline's sounboard is a killer, and the 26th B-Day performance from 1st Ave showed how much of a beast, Brown Mark is on the bass.

This song will NEVER overstay its welcome.

NEVER!

It's great. Amazing song...

Though why Laid Back didn't sue, I'll never know

erik319 said:

It's great. Amazing song...

Though why Laid Back didn't sue, I'll never know

Because the groove makes you forget everything. Besides they were on that "white pony" so...

Timmy84 said:

erik319 said:

It's great. Amazing song...

Though why Laid Back didn't sue, I'll never know

Because the groove makes you forget everything. Besides they were on that "white pony" so...

nursev said:

Erotic City has to be one of the best songs that Prince ever made. It's definitely one of the funkiest and Ms. E did the damn thang on here too but what is it about this song that makes it so damn good? the different vocals? The funk? Or just cuz it took Prince to sing a song like this Straight Funk nonetheless!

What makes this song sooooooo good is that everything about it works. The bass, the vocals, the groove, the lyrics and it's esay to dance to. Ever notice that everyone who get's up to dance to this has a huge smile on their face.

It´s still one of my favorite Prince songs but hearing White Horse by Laid Back was kind of a bummer for me. I mean, IT IS a whole different song and I can´t really stand Laid Back but you can tell that that song clearly influenced Prince. All these years I thought it was a very original song, and somehow it is, but I think if it wasn´t for White Horse there would be no Erotic City, just like there wouldn´t be a song named Cream if Marc Bolan hadn´t had his hit song that sounded like Cream.

Talent borrows, genius steals.

KoolEaze said:

It´s still one of my favorite Prince songs but hearing White Horse by Laid Back was kind of a bummer for me. I mean, IT IS a whole different song and I can´t really stand Laid Back but you can tell that that song clearly influenced Prince. All these years I thought it was a very original song, and somehow it is, but I think if it wasn´t for White Horse there would be no Erotic City, just like there wouldn´t be a song named Cream if Marc Bolan hadn´t had his hit song that sounded like Cream.

Talent borrows, genius steals.

I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree. That's like saying D'Angelo wouldn't have recorded "Untitled/How Does It Feel?" if Prince hadn't done Adore. Or that Ready For The World wouldn't have recorded "Oh Sheila" without Prince doing ..... well anything. Or that Andre 3000 wouldn't have recorded "The Love Below" without Prince doing all his albums in the 80's.

Laid Back was also a Warner Bros. act who knows if White Horse wasn't influenced by Prince. Who knows what Prince songs were floating around the studio back then. Remember that Prince squashed an album between 1999 and Purple Rain which happens to be the same time White Horse was "released".

dseann said:

KoolEaze said:

It´s still one of my favorite Prince songs but hearing White Horse by Laid Back was kind of a bummer for me. I mean, IT IS a whole different song and I can´t really stand Laid Back but you can tell that that song clearly influenced Prince. All these years I thought it was a very original song, and somehow it is, but I think if it wasn´t for White Horse there would be no Erotic City, just like there wouldn´t be a song named Cream if Marc Bolan hadn´t had his hit song that sounded like Cream.

Talent borrows, genius steals.

I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree. That's like saying D'Angelo wouldn't have recorded "Untitled/How Does It Feel?" if Prince hadn't done Adore. Or that Ready For The World wouldn't have recorded "Oh Sheila" without Prince doing ..... well anything. Or that Andre 3000 wouldn't have recorded "The Love Below" without Prince doing all his albums in the 80's.

Laid Back was also a Warner Bros. act who knows if White Horse wasn't influenced by Prince. Who knows what Prince songs were floating around the studio back then. Remember that Prince squashed an album between 1999 and Purple Rain which happens to be the same time White Horse was "released".

A few years ago I raised the same doubts as you here on the org. I wanted to know whether it´s possible that MAYBE Erotic City was recorded first but not really released yet, and that MAYBE Laid Back got to listen to Erotic City first and not the other way around, but nobody had accurate info on that other than the fact that White Horse did indeed come out earlier than Erotic City.

I think there was also a maxi single of When Doves Cry with a Laid Back song as the b-side, and they both kind of liked each other.

I don´t know. They do have similarities, don´t you think?

It was probably inspired by White Horse's beat if anything. Prince just improved it lol I love both songs though.

dseann said:

KoolEaze said:

It´s still one of my favorite Prince songs but hearing White Horse by Laid Back was kind of a bummer for me. I mean, IT IS a whole different song and I can´t really stand Laid Back but you can tell that that song clearly influenced Prince. All these years I thought it was a very original song, and somehow it is, but I think if it wasn´t for White Horse there would be no Erotic City, just like there wouldn´t be a song named Cream if Marc Bolan hadn´t had his hit song that sounded like Cream.

Talent borrows, genius steals.

I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree. That's like saying D'Angelo wouldn't have recorded "Untitled/How Does It Feel?" if Prince hadn't done Adore. Or that Ready For The World wouldn't have recorded "Oh Sheila" without Prince doing ..... well anything. Or that Andre 3000 wouldn't have recorded "The Love Below" without Prince doing all his albums in the 80's.

Laid Back was also a Warner Bros. act who knows if White Horse wasn't influenced by Prince. Who knows what Prince songs were floating around the studio back then. Remember that Prince squashed an album between 1999 and Purple Rain which happens to be the same time White Horse was "released".

Prince would have sued Laid Back right away if "Erotic city" was recorded before "White horse".

robertlove said:

dseann said:

I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree. That's like saying D'Angelo wouldn't have recorded "Untitled/How Does It Feel?" if Prince hadn't done Adore. Or that Ready For The World wouldn't have recorded "Oh Sheila" without Prince doing ..... well anything. Or that Andre 3000 wouldn't have recorded "The Love Below" without Prince doing all his albums in the 80's.

Laid Back was also a Warner Bros. act who knows if White Horse wasn't influenced by Prince. Who knows what Prince songs were floating around the studio back then. Remember that Prince squashed an album between 1999 and Purple Rain which happens to be the same time White Horse was "released".

Prince would have sued Laid Back right away if "Erotic city" was recorded before "White horse".

If it was released in 2003.