rgsince81 said:

The only person offended by Princes lyrical content is Prince!Lol

strange but true

Tremolina said:

it did not offend me but was a TIM moment:

"And even if we're dealin' with that time of the month It's4th and goal and I ain't about to punt.."

thanks for the image! not that i have never stirred the paint. and once had a bit of a joker moment... but i do not need to hear about it!

petes2 said:

But to say Prince is wrong for "belitlling" the holocaust would make a lot of people wrong because lots and lots of people said the same thing.

There are a lot of people who are wrong. Living in a world inhabited almost exclusively by morons doesn't make one any less a moron because one is good at music and little else.

[Edited 8/6/12 14:51pm]

steakfinger said:

petes2 said:

There are a lot of people who are wrong. Living in a world inhabited almost exclusively by morons doesn't make one any less a moron because one is good at music and little else.

[Edited 8/6/12 14:51pm]

ya, world is run by idiots. My point was there are many, many atrocities to choose from, I'm sure you know that. To single out the holocaust is to make the jews much more important than the 50 mill stalin killed the millions Mao let die, the millions killed and slaughtered anywhere in the world I think that's what a lot of people take exception to. And you are right about Prince not being a stellar intellectual.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

it did not offend me but was a TIM moment:

"And even if we're dealin' with that time of the month It's4th and goal and I ain't about to punt.."

thanks for the image! not that i have never stirred the paint. and once had a bit of a joker moment... but i do not need to hear about it!

I think u mean TMI

and yeah

that's another lyric I take issue with cuz... well, as a female, take a wild guess on why I find that mildly inapproriate and I'll leave that alone

otherwise, I love "Acknowledge me"... one of my favorite tracks that didn't make it to the final cut of an album

I was offended that he actually released Purple and Gold to the public. It was very upsetting to me.

powersoul99 said:

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

This was probably the one question I was afraid to ask 5 years ago...

Going in2 it, I was probably the most naive Prince admirer ever...

A lot of people asked me why the hell was I into Prince if a lot of his work rubbed me the wrong way...

I was part of the purple community because I never saw a musician of his caliber before... never really saw what it meant to be a true artist... plus, he was a musical genius... never forgot him since the first time I saw him...

back in the day, there were SEVERAL, maybe dozens of songs he did that had me screaming and running the other way

Darling Nikki & Control to start

one was OBSCENE and blantantly terrified me the first couple times

the other, the cursing rubbed me the wrong way and the title was a little offensive for my tastes

these days... my mindset changed quite a bit between me getting older and just getting exposing to more content... translation: I came across more R-rated movies that had sexual content...

I got through Prince's catalogue of music because I viewed the content as an artistic take on sex. translation: I didn't overthink things

the only songs that still kinda offend me now...

ANIMAL KINGDOM rubbed me the wrong way the first time and never went back

WE CAN FUNK... is there any other way to "test positive for the funk" other than a urinanalysis test?

FEEL U UP- I don't mind the Camille version, compared to the original cut, which, as a female, I found very vulgar and demeaning... or rather, as a female who believes in a relationship based on more than that

ROCKHARD IN A FUNKY PLACE... still kinda rubs me the wrong way cuz there really is no other intepretation beside the obvious

come to think of it, its kinda strange that HEAD and SISTER never offended me and at the time, they were the raciest lyrics I came across in his lyrics at that point

You need to get a life.

Perhaps, as a religious leader or something. LOL

Controversy said:

I was offended that he actually released Purple and Gold to the public. It was very upsetting to me.

haha, true..

errant said:

Tremolina said:

^^

To be fair with Prince here, he did say:

Holocaust aside

Thereby claiming NO comparison.

However, by simply mentioning he is making NO comparison the average listener will make it.

That's quite an event to push aside for the sake of argument. And is only inviting the comparison by bringing it up. He wants to adress the comparison by dismissing it.

Yes it is quite an event, but by saying "aside", he is not pushing it aside. He is actually acknowledging the holocaust, while at the same time calling for the acknowldgement of that other human atrcocity, slavery. It's actually pretty clever the way he put it, because he is in fact not dismissing. However, he knew, or should have known, that the average listener would most probably still make the comparison just by mentioning it. Which is what makes it one of the most "controversial" lyrics on the album...

[Edited 8/7/12 10:37am]

Tremolina said:

errant said:

Tremolina said: That's quite an event to push aside for the sake of argument. And is only inviting the comparison by bringing it up. He wants to adress the comparison by dismissing it.

Yes it is quite an event, but by saying "aside", he is not pushing it aside. He is actually acknowledging the holocaust, while at the same time calling for the acknowldgement of that other human atrcocity, slavery. It's actually pretty clever the way he put it, because he is in fact not dismissing. However, he knew, or should have known, that the average listener would most probably still make the comparison just by mentioning it. Which is what makes it one of the most "controversial" lyrics on the album...

which goes back to my original point. he somehow managed to forget, even in his immersion in all things holy at the time, that the Jews were also slaves, on TOP of being victims of the Holocaust.

we know what he's trying to do here. he's comparing the plight of one people with another, and failing to realize how misguided a proposition that is.

errant said:

Tremolina said:

Yes it is quite an event, but by saying "aside", he is not pushing it aside. He is actually acknowledging the holocaust, while at the same time calling for the acknowldgement of that other human atrcocity, slavery. It's actually pretty clever the way he put it, because he is in fact not dismissing. However, he knew, or should have known, that the average listener would most probably still make the comparison just by mentioning it. Which is what makes it one of the most "controversial" lyrics on the album...

which goes back to my original point. he somehow managed to forget, even in his immersion in all things holy at the time, that the Jews were also slaves, on TOP of being victims of the Holocaust.

we know what he's trying to do here. he's comparing the plight of one people with another, and failing to realize how misguided a proposition that is.

the jews are an amazing people in many, many ways. One of those ways is their skills at surviving in horrible situations, they've done it for thousands of years and are masters at it. Other people hate them because of their ability to thrive in places meant to destroy them. One of the ways they differ is that they are very, very outspoken about anti-semitism another one is that they know they have no other alternatives than to stay in numbers and work together. So while every other peoples, families, races do nothing but tear each other down they take care of their own very well. I've tried to make some of these things work with my own Native American people but they are just too messed up.

nope, never got offended

Nope, I'm easily amused.

NEVER BY HIS LYRICS, NLY HIS BEHAVIOUR..

The only one I'm "offended" by is "Avalanche." I put offended in quotes because it's not quite the accurate word, to say I'm offended by a song. I won't listen to it because it exasperates and bothers me so much that it's not entertaining. Musically w/o lyrics it's nice, pretty, so it's unfortunate.

The only person offended by Princes lyrical content is Prince!Lol I Love Sex

I tend to steer clear of the overtly religious/sexual songs. Tracks like 319 i think the instrumentals are sick but hearing P talk about grinding some nameless ho for the 1000th time doesn't do it for me.

And occasionally there are songs where i did nearly all of it e.g "Elephants & Flowers" but then he throws in a "there will be peace for those who love god" ...... so i tend to stick to the stuff that is slightly more ambigous or relates to me as an agnostic feminist........

Just off the top of my head..."1+1+1 is 3" and "Get On the Boat" are very offensive... so they are not on my ipod, nor do I ever listen to them. He can keep jw theology to himself.

Come to think of it... "No Light In A Large Room" and "Extralovable" re-recordings, are horrible offenses to the original versions. But then we'd have to include "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got," "We Can Funk," "Live 4 Love"... that list can get quite long.

petes2 said:

errant said:

which goes back to my original point. he somehow managed to forget, even in his immersion in all things holy at the time, that the Jews were also slaves, on TOP of being victims of the Holocaust.

we know what he's trying to do here. he's comparing the plight of one people with another, and failing to realize how misguided a proposition that is.

the jews are an amazing people in many, many ways. One of those ways is their skills at surviving in horrible situations, they've done it for thousands of years and are masters at it. Other people hate them because of their ability to thrive in places meant to destroy them. One of the ways they differ is that they are very, very outspoken about anti-semitism another one is that they know they have no other alternatives than to stay in numbers and work together. So while every other peoples, families, races do nothing but tear each other down they take care of their own very well. I've tried to make some of these things work with my own Native American people but they are just too messed up.

If you are going to take things in that direction, then you must first remember that the Tribes of Isreal (they were not Jews as we know them at that time) who were enslaved are very different from the Jews who died in the Holocaust.

And before you get on my about the difference, they indeed were. The Tribes in biblical days and what most people assoiate with Jews (especially here in NYC) are not the same people. Hell even Israelis will state that they are different from the Hasidim, Religous and Conservative Jews that we know. They do not dress, act or even practice the religion in the same way, but I digress.

Hitler went after many more "ethnicities" before he went after the Jews...gypsy, moors, blacks, among them.

If you do historical research on the Tribes you will find that many of them were as black as any African American you would meet today. Many areas of the world are indeed populated by black Jews who suffered the Disapora as much as the "white" Jews that we associate with the Holocaust today.

I think the problem that "others" have with the Holocaust is that no one would ever think to tell a Jewish person (rightfully so) to get over it, yet that is used for so many others constantly as if their wounds are more profound and important that those that suffered before and suffer still after (Dafur, Sudan, Liberia).

All that "Nigga" stuff in P Control does make me squirm a bit... makes me slightly uncomfortable... but, I'd say that's about it.

petes2 said:

steakfinger said:

The Rainbow Children and it's ridiculous ideas about women being the property of men. That bullshit about the holocaust being bad BUT it's perhpas better to be dead that sold. Pussy. I'd rather be sold. Where there's life there's hope. You can escape being "owned" by someone. There's hope. Death is different, especially being starved, gassed and/or cooked in an oven. Also, shot like livestock with mad cow. Fuck a bunch of Prince's stupid ass. That asshole has always got to be righteously indignant about something, even if he has to manufacture the emotion.

Yeah, we get it. You have to have it worse than everyone else so you can feel like you've overcome more than everyone else.

It's all EGO, bud. It's never went away, it just got more subtle, (to you).

I'm not sure of the lyrics you're referring to but speak for yourself. I'd rather be dead than a slave. You look at a lot of native americans, they may not whine, cry, bitch but that's because a lot of them are so far gone they don't care anymore, those are my people. Well at least we are seeing that some of his sentiments offend some of you and they aren't the nasty things which I'm sure the ts meant. I don't think those things bother his fans or he would have lost us a long fucking time ago.

I really have to say your message is SO Spot on! I couldn't agree more!

BklynDiamond said:

petes2 said:

the jews are an amazing people in many, many ways. One of those ways is their skills at surviving in horrible situations, they've done it for thousands of years and are masters at it. Other people hate them because of their ability to thrive in places meant to destroy them. One of the ways they differ is that they are very, very outspoken about anti-semitism another one is that they know they have no other alternatives than to stay in numbers and work together. So while every other peoples, families, races do nothing but tear each other down they take care of their own very well. I've tried to make some of these things work with my own Native American people but they are just too messed up.

If you are going to take things in that direction, then you must first remember that the Tribes of Isreal (they were not Jews as we know them at that time) who were enslaved are very different from the Jews who died in the Holocaust.

And before you get on my about the difference, they indeed were. The Tribes in biblical days and what most people assoiate with Jews (especially here in NYC) are not the same people. Hell even Israelis will state that they are different from the Hasidim, Religous and Conservative Jews that we know. They do not dress, act or even practice the religion in the same way, but I digress.

Hitler went after many more "ethnicities" before he went after the Jews...gypsy, moors, blacks, among them.

If you do historical research on the Tribes you will find that many of them were as black as any African American you would meet today. Many areas of the world are indeed populated by black Jews who suffered the Disapora as much as the "white" Jews that we associate with the Holocaust today.

I think the problem that "others" have with the Holocaust is that no one would ever think to tell a Jewish person (rightfully so) to get over it, yet that is used for so many others constantly as if their wounds are more profound and important that those that suffered before and suffer still after (Dafur, Sudan, Liberia).

AND this is a profound statement and observation.

Back to being offended..I really don't know what the deal is when it comes to offense. Somethings people take way too seriously. Prince is about 'Love' from what I have determined. Now his arrival at love may be misunderstood, but I think it's fair to say he really holds on the a 'Love FOR One Another' approach to the core of his message.

While the JW dogma is very present in his music, it does not see to override the love that he mostly preaches. (I am not implying JW's, don't hold on to love; but I do believe they are on opposite ends when it comes to the function of love in totality..It seems limited, not unconditional, in my observation and study of them...) He often times says; "We're in this together'. I don't think he really chooses to make a distinction necessarily from anyone.

He believes in absolutes, and he certainly realizes where the ladder may lead, if it is up against the wrong building.

Nonetheless, NO his lyrics do not offend me. As with anything in life; when something is said, and there is no clarity; you don't just go head and get offended. You ask questions, you guide the statement with a series of questions so that some clarity is reached. Now it's another story, when you assume someone said something because of bigotry, wild implications, and other pieces of how a sentence is formed or even spoken. I believe always, there should be a textual joint. Something that holds meaning and give merit to whatever is being said. Statements that are controversial, are like words without symbols. Symbols help bring definition and clarity, in fact symbols came before words in a way...BUT NONETHELESS!!

No, I have not been offended, and if I was..I would try to bring understanding to what was said. I have learned not to be SO offended...If you don't like something YOU have the right to ask and get clarification. If by chance you got the clarification, and is not satisfied with the result. You can either: Continue the questions further, respect it, understand it..Or simply move on from it.

No sense holding it, against the person, or keeping it as the reason to dislike someone. It's sometimes best to free yourself from feelings and emotions that bring a negative vibe to you.

His offensive "lyrical" content and his provoactive clothing have always turned me on! Its that what we are looking for when we think of Prince?

for fucks sake! DUH

luv4u said:

I've never been offended by lyrical content by Prince.

Ditto. I've always found Prince's lyrical content funny, in a out your coffee sort of way.

artist76 said:

The only one I'm "offended" by is "Avalanche." I put offended in quotes because it's not quite the accurate word, to say I'm offended by a song. I won't listen to it because it exasperates and bothers me so much that it's not entertaining. Musically w/o lyrics it's nice, pretty, so it's unfortunate.

Ha ha ha ha , this is funny indeed,

Tittypants said:

'Animal Kingdom' is really the only song Prince ever made that I had a problem with lyrically, just because of how pompous he comes off imo. Not everybody can afford to eat ultra healthy, so to make a song like that when he can afford to eat as healthy as he wants was a tad bit going too far [albeit funny too ]. I'm not a fan of Rainbow Children's lyrics for the most part, but I don't find them offensive.....

It is not expensive to eat healthy. It is educating yourself on how to eat healthy inexpensively. Bananas are cheap. Fruits and vegetables in season are cheap. Certain grains: Rice, Buckwheat, Quinoa are cheap. It is far cheaper to eat veggies and a grain than junk food and animal products which cost more (even in crappy fast food meals) and in the long run to your health.