I know I've made topics on this song, but let's make this thread about how you relate your own life experiences to this song and how the mood of the music makes you feel emotionally.

With me, it reminds me of the sad reality and wake up call that we are not immortal and nothing is forever, even if we, no pun intended, reach the top or become successful. I love the part before the choruses about how everyone keeps the cycle of nothing changing regardless. I'm probably not making sense at this time of night, but I'm playing it on repeat and wanted to hear feedback from you guys on the song.

Fantastic song, and the music video is excellent too.

As a non-english/ a dane I have no idea what the lyrics are about.

I still love this song - and album a lot.

Best album of the 1990s, The Gold Experience is just incredible.

personally the song Gold makes me feel hopefull that maybe someday in the world someone will make a change and not everything will be so bad, I also love the lead up to the chorus brings alot of happy emotions. I could sing the song Gold all day.

alphastreet said:

I know I've made topics on this song, but let's make this thread about how you relate your own life experiences to this song and how the mood of the music makes you feel emotionally.

With me, it reminds me of the sad reality and wake up call that we are not immortal and nothing is forever, even if we, no pun intended, reach the top or become successful. I love the part before the choruses about how everyone keeps the cycle of nothing changing regardless. I'm probably not making sense at this time of night, but I'm playing it on repeat and wanted to hear feedback from you guys on the song.

i wish your interpretation were true. to me many people live in a make believe world, nothing lasts forever quite literally no-thing, then again, what has existed will always be, like look at the stars in the sky...their light we see shon seconds ago. so we live in a paradoxical world. it's the same with life, logically what is alive must go throught the process of dying. also, atoms even decay even it's a miniscule amount, they do not last forever as many tend to believe. people have strange ideas, they say to me once we have exploited this planet we will move on to the next, and i reply say if it were theoretical possible to keep doing that, eventually the universe will undergo a big freeze a time when all stars have either exploded or are too far away. let's not even take into account how far a livable planet might actually be. so our sun will explode, our earth will go with it. doesn't it beg the question why are we here? we are not immortal obviously, all efforts to become immortal are delusions in the bigger picture. we are not gods either, we can not manipulate the universe, although we manipulated earth alot. so enjoy the ride of life, and don't go chasing dreams, nothing really matters except this experience of love and now.

i verred off topic somewhat.

Gold to me is a great song, almost an athem. it might have to do with a pure heart, which many fail to achieve even once in their lifetime. what you can accomplish with a pure heart might testify the existence of god. it might be the evidence many fail to have witnessed in their lives.

It’s one verse too long, overproduced, and the lead keyboard parts are just plain bad. But a stripped down, shorter version of Gold might b good.

Always liked Gold. It's grown on me though and I think it compares to PR. The opening at Ahoy in the dark with the explosion for the beginning of the show is spectacular. It's a soulful song like PR but I think the lyrics are more thought provoking. And that's what art should be doing, awakening us to deeper layers of life. I think Gold is in that category. With the pure single piano notes it's really art in simple form but it speaks volumes because it doesn't need to be dressed in much to shine. The guitar solo by Prince in it too is just goose-bumpy!

I didn't like the album much except for Shy, but the song Gold is perfect. Emotionally the song says to me like Prince has said before.....'look inside.' It's not so much about what the journey is or where it's going but how you travel it. Prince might have started out as a rock star but he's got a lot of soul and it shines out in this song.

Funny that both of these gems have a colour in their title.

A favorite of one of my Prince buddies.

PR is THE Prince anthem, but Gold is, corny lyrics aside, a worthy runner up. Think it works well as a live opener but would love to see Prince let rip with the guitar solo live.

Love it. The message is beautiful -- be all U can be!

an accoustic version of this song would sound fantactic, on guitar, piano, or even bass (fretless maybe...)

or or or even... accapela !

I love the video too!

Especially that everything is made to look perfect and glittery, like the drums, Tommy Haircut, the stage except... his guitar! Which is broken... an allusion to his (94-95) heart?

How come Prince let this small detail out of the whole production?

Was it intentionally?

and and and...

I like the fact we can hear the purple rain chord, like a sign this song meant a lot to him / was meant to be a hit, 10 years after purple rain...

As well, I like the strip down version of that song !

No Micheal B. drums, I beleive no sonny T. bass, maybe Prince bread and butter only ?

And I really like the raw distortion guitar sound!
Doesn’t sound like the blue angel, neither like endorphin machine or dolphin?
It is kind of unique to gold, and it sounds amazing!
I wonder if it was the Symbol guitar or not... wish I can ask this to Prince...

flyorra said:

alphastreet said:

I know I've made topics on this song, but let's make this thread about how you relate your own life experiences to this song and how the mood of the music makes you feel emotionally.

With me, it reminds me of the sad reality and wake up call that we are not immortal and nothing is forever, even if we, no pun intended, reach the top or become successful. I love the part before the choruses about how everyone keeps the cycle of nothing changing regardless. I'm probably not making sense at this time of night, but I'm playing it on repeat and wanted to hear feedback from you guys on the song.

i wish your interpretation were true. to me many people live in a make believe world, nothing lasts forever quite literally no-thing, then again, what has existed will always be, like look at the stars in the sky...their light we see shon seconds ago. so we live in a paradoxical world. it's the same with life, logically what is alive must go throught the process of dying. also, atoms even decay even it's a miniscule amount, they do not last forever as many tend to believe. people have strange ideas, they say to me once we have exploited this planet we will move on to the next, and i reply say if it were theoretical possible to keep doing that, eventually the universe will undergo a big freeze a time when all stars have either exploded or are too far away. let's not even take into account how far a livable planet might actually be. so our sun will explode, our earth will go with it. doesn't it beg the question why are we here? we are not immortal obviously, all efforts to become immortal are delusions in the bigger picture. we are not gods either, we can not manipulate the universe, although we manipulated earth alot. so enjoy the ride of life, and don't go chasing dreams, nothing really matters except this experience of love and now.

i verred off topic somewhat.

Gold to me is a great song, almost an athem. it might have to do with a pure heart, which many fail to achieve even once in their lifetime. what you can accomplish with a pure heart might testify the existence of god. it might be the evidence many fail to have witnessed in their lives.

Well Said

This song gives me that warm Christmassy feel.

Hmmm... To me, it's about choices, that not all things we chase after or desire are truly meaningful or will bring us ultimate happiness. Society, whatever is external to us influences us to believe in certain things or makes us lose sight of what matters so we mistake something less valuable (glitter) for something that resembles it but is more precious (gold). If we lead lives chasing after glittery things, which is common, we may experience temporary satisfaction, but we also risk losing a true understanding of life's meaning, which is rarer and more difficult to find. We remain stuck in a cycle of never-ending desires that can never equal or satisfy like the desire for the right thing, which would allow us to "break the mold." I think the song is about a personal evolution, a journey, and sometimes when I hear it, it makes me sad because I wonder if the decisions I'm making are the right ones.

Love all your responses, thanks for your feedback. Flyorra I totally agree with what you're saying. I thought I was in touch with myself, but after having some bad experiences, I learned the hard way I have a long way to go, and I feel Gold is a song that described what I was going through, though I discovered it maybe a year or two ago (I was ignoring a lot of prince's 90's work for a long time) and could relate. I went to his opening night last year, but he didn't perform the song until the next date when I wasn't there, I would have gone nuts!

Little Bear: There is a bittersweet feeling to it for sure and wondering if the present is the way it should be and if I'm on the right path compared to before.

thedance said:

As a non-english/ a dane I have no idea what the lyrics are about.

as an English speaker from England, I have to say that I agree with you.

The centre of the fire, is fricking hot!

He does well out of making proverbs into songs. All that glitters ain't gold, there's no fury like a woman scourned... He should do more:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (dedicated to the Twinz)

Too many cooks spoil the broth (Larry G remix)

Don't bite the hand that feeds you (lotusflow3r.com exclusive song)

The song is sorta cheesy but it has one hell of guitar solo and in the end its a decent song. Of all the songs on TGE this is the one I don't think is aging the best. But it's still great and would kill to hear it live.

I forgot to mention:

Prince's Gold: the na-na-na part at the end reminds me a bit of The Beatles: Hey Jude.

Yeah I thought of the Beatles too, and Deck the Halls

Excellent song. Early on in my Prince fandom I played this on repeat for days and days.

alphastreet said:

Yeah I thought of the Beatles too, and Deck the Halls

^

...

I googled this, and that christmas song is far from flattering.

I guess we just disagrees, cuz Gold is a really great song!

I wish Prince would or could create music like The Gold Experience once again,

but he can't..

Absolutely powerful and effective, nothing cheesy about the truth.

Nothing in life is guaranteed and you'd be better off spending it doing what you love and making a difference, rather than wasting it away on things you think MIGHT make you happy.

alphastreet said:

Love all your responses, thanks for your feedback. Flyorra I totally agree with what you're saying. I thought I was in touch with myself, but after having some bad experiences, I learned the hard way I have a long way to go, and I feel Gold is a song that described what I was going through, though I discovered it maybe a year or two ago (I was ignoring a lot of prince's 90's work for a long time) and could relate. I went to his opening night last year, but he didn't perform the song until the next date when I wasn't there, I would have gone nuts!

Little Bear: There is a bittersweet feeling to it for sure and wondering if the present is the way it should be and if I'm on the right path compared to before.

Bittersweet, right? The music is uplifting, but the lyrics make you pause a bit. Someone mentioned above that a lot of soul comes through the song, and I feel like an element of that soul is this struggle, or like, mixed emotions, fear, happiness, uncertainty, hope... Life is full of moments that inspire different emotions at once... But I think in general Prince songs are multi-dimensional in similar ways... I know, master of the obvious.

alphastreet said:

how you relate your own life experiences to this song

people that seems completely normal at first sight but quickly (not always) expose themselves as the ruthless, soulless wackos they truly are; including relationships, friendships, co-workers, teachers, etc.

I had two Gold experiences this weekend; And, in celebration, I submit this prayer for all of us:

Psalm 23