Dear Prince.org,

From Beginning Endlessly...

"Why should you be satisfied with just heaven and earth, when if you look around, there is so much more to the universe"

What do you think Prince is trying to say here? Are there any sections of music + lyrics from 20Ten which, likewise, still make you smile?

Overall, I find 20Ten continues to surprise with subtle layers of depth; it also carries a somewhat dark vibe.

love,

Spirit

didn't prince say he called it 20Ten because there were songs on it that

commented on what was happening in the world at the time? i seem to

recall something like that from one of the interviews around then.

"i had a dream last night that i was flying for the first time"

i love that line and everything it can mean.

as for the album as a whole, it feels a little bit 'off balance'. it starts out

just fine but toward the end something happens that throws it. if there

were two more songs on there near the end, i think it would feel better.

or the songs on it should just be the extended versions, which i'm sure

he recorded.

that whole "deluxe" version that was planned. i'm sure that besides one

or two extra tracks, there would have been extended/long versions of

"act of god", "lavaux" and "laydown".

Udo,

Classic! Thanks...

love,

Spirit

IstenSzek said:

"i had a dream last night that i was flying for the first time"

i love that line and everything it can mean.

Isten,

Me too.

What does the lyrics mean to you?

love,

Spirit

IstenSzek said:

as for the album as a whole, it feels a little bit 'off balance'. it starts out

just fine but toward the end something happens that throws it. if there

were two more songs on there near the end, i think it would feel better.

Isten,

I know what you mean. Whilst entirely different albums/era/concepts and musicianship, I used to feel the same out of balance dynamic with Parade. Parade and 20Ten really should not be in the same sentence, but there you go.

It seems to me, with Musicology, 3121, Planet Earth, Lotus Flower, MplsSound, Elixir and 20Ten, Prince is going back to his more measured, convervative, days in terms of album length releases. In many ways, the 80's albums were so strong, because they rarely went for the jugular, which is why we were spoiled with tonnes of extras (B-sides, extended remixes etc).

I think 20Ten's brevity is, once again, Prince trying to utilise strict formulas for success, in his eyes. Of course, all we really want now is a 2-disc album (and, whilst we are at it, a third final disc of B-Sides and extended jams).

love,

Spirit

Because that's the year it was released?

I like a lot of the songs but again the album title doesn't bring any cohesive feel with the songs

OldFriends4Sale said:

Because that's the year it was released?

No, because he could not think of another title.

If year numbers are seen as an excellent way to put a distinctive label on a music album, then why don't we use it more often?

'1999' obviously doesn't count as it was released in 1982 so it has the wrong title.

But the title song would not have been as catchy...

I like a lot of the songs but again the album title doesn't bring any cohesive feel with the songs

Hmm. Maybe that is why?

udo said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Because that's the year it was released?

No, because he could not think of another title.

If year numbers are seen as an excellent way to put a distinctive label on a music album, then why don't we use it more often?

'1999' obviously doesn't count as it was released in 1982 so it has the wrong title.

But the title song would not have been as catchy...

I like a lot of the songs but again the album title doesn't bring any cohesive feel with the songs

Hmm. Maybe that is why?

Right, I'm saying he seemed to have no real 'purpose' with the album so named it after the year it was released, because he probably couldn't think of another title

I definately don't see it as a excellent way to put a distinct label...

Because Satan Claws made time an illusion

OldFriends4Sale said:

Because that's the year it was released?

OldFriends4Sale said:

udo said:

Hmm. Maybe that is why?

Right, I'm saying he seemed to have no real 'purpose' with the album so named it after the year it was released, because he probably couldn't think of another title

I definately don't see it as a excellent way to put a distinct label...

There's the likely answer

there are rumours 3121 is a coded way of saying GOD.

so maybe 20ten is coded to mean something jehovah would approve of?

When I originally found out the title of the album, I thought it was meant to be "To Oten", which made some reference to "otan" from the rainbow children and some religious reference. It wasn't until long after the album came out that I figured it probably meant" 2010". Jist un idea!

brianv said:

When I originally found out the title of the album, I thought it was meant to be "To Oten", which made some reference to "otan" from the rainbow children and some religious reference. It wasn't until long after the album came out that I figured it probably meant" 2010". Jist un idea!

i was just thinking the same! but it's obviously not.

[Edited 7/12/12 12:21pm]

Prince stated that he wanted the album to be a journal, of sorts, of his year. Anyone else remember this comment? It was mentioned around the same time the 20TEN deluxe pipedream was being talked about.

Spin,

That makes the most sense, to me; a journal of his year.

Incidentally, are there any references to the Bible in the album? For example, does the 20:10 reference anything that Prince plays with in the album?

love,

Spirit

brianv said:

When I originally found out the title of the album, I thought it was meant to be "To Oten", which made some reference to "otan" from the rainbow children and some religious reference. It wasn't until long after the album came out that I figured it probably meant" 2010". Jist un idea!

well, that's pretty clever, but isn't it Aton?

OldFriends4Sale said:

Because that's the year it was released?

Dandroppedadime said:

there are rumours 3121 is a coded way of saying GOD.

so maybe 20ten is coded to mean something jehovah would approve of?

Dan,

I believe 3121 is known to be a reference to Jehovah. "3121, don't you want to come?"

It sounds to me like 20Ten was an excellent document of his recordings during the first half of 2010

As far as I can tell, it does not showcase much in the way of world-wide commentary, it certainly is a brilliantly document of where his headspace was at that time; turning away from the Internet and consolidating of his business strategy going forward were key themes outside of the music, not to mention his various 'love' quests.

"Sea of Everything" appears to be a truly sublime example of Prince's internal psychology, when it comes to his relationships, not to mention an absolutely brilliant vocal performance.

love,

Spirit

And isn't this the only album of his that doesn't have a title track? Well,,,,aside from the self-titled album.

He seemed like he made a point of putting title songs in all of his albums, this one didn't. And I agree, there's no theme going on in the album.

Spinlight said:

Prince stated that he wanted the album to be a journal, of sorts, of his year. Anyone else remember this comment? It was mentioned around the same time the 20TEN deluxe pipedream was being talked about.

I second that emotion. I specifically remember that too. But i actually remember reading it around the time it originally came out, not that late in the year. Can't for the life of me remember where i read it though lol.

Harlepolis said:

And isn't this the only album of his that doesn't have a title track? Well,,,,aside from the self-titled album.

He seemed like he made a point of putting title songs in all of his albums, this one didn't. And I agree, there's no theme going on in the album.

Lotusflower and MPLSound.

if I had a theory, it would be relating the sound and title of 20Ten to 1999. They both share some sonic qualities, but 20Ten is not about being retro. Prince is using old sounds to produce new music that is from the perspective of an old Jehova's Witness instead of a young sexy rock star.

Because Prince is dyslexic.

jpnyc said:

Because Prince is dyslexic.

Net02?