The movie sucks (let's admit it) and honestly I think the album is only OK. Several winners of course whether "Joy of Repetition" or of course "Thieves in the Temple" (also love that extended version) but my favorite by far from that record is "E&F."

I don't know why I adore it but I've loved since I first heard of. If somebody makes another deep cuts Prince thread, This would be one of my picks.

Thoughts locals?

Nice song. Are you familiar with the outtake version? The one with the slightly different lyrics?

What pressed boot was the outtake on? I probably have it somewhere.

udo said:

What pressed boot was the outtake on? I probably have it somewhere.

As far as I remember it was the only good song on that horrible "Rude Boy" bootleg.

KoolEaze said:

udo said:

What pressed boot was the outtake on? I probably have it somewhere.

As far as I remember it was the only good song on that horrible "Rude Boy" bootleg.

Take One Records Nr. P 1093?

Check!

Even now I brake out Graffiti Bridge just to see this performance. The song, the dancing, the costumes- All are so on point. Freakin' home run.

And I'm a freaking atheist.

What a great song. Catchy, spiritual but not preachy, poppy and funky. He used to be able to do songs like this in his sleep. Probably on the 10-20 list of favorite songs.

yeah!

great song, I love 'Elephants & Flowers'

Yeah it's great.

There was a thread recently where someone said about it being the crudest sexual metaphor, I had totally never got that before - I just assumed it was about you know, about the smallest delicate thing to the biggest all being part of "creation" - now I have to think about willies and fannies as well every time I hear it

NouveauDance said:

Yeah it's great.

There was a thread recently where someone said about it being the crudest sexual metaphor, I had totally never got that before - I just assumed it was about you know, about the smallest delicate thing to the biggest all being part of "creation" - now I have to think about willies and fannies as well every time I hear it

The whole sexual metaphor thing is distraction. It says more about the commenter than the song.

Sex is natural. (Sex is fun)

Sex is part of the "creation".

RRA said:

I think the album is only OK.

Thoughts locals?

The albums is great, if you leave out most of the songs by associated artist, except George Clinton and Mavis Staples. Imagine/edit it like this as a 10 song album:

1. Can't stop this feeling I got
2. New power generation
3. The question of U
4. Elephants and flowers
5. We can funk
6. Joy in repetition
7. Thieves in the temple
8. Melody Cool
9. Still would stand all time
10. Graffiti bridge

Truly great.

NouveauDance said:

Yeah it's great.

There was a thread recently where someone said about it being the crudest sexual metaphor, I had totally never got that before - I just assumed it was about you know, about the smallest delicate thing to the biggest all being part of "creation" - now I have to think about willies and fannies as well every time I hear it

really?

the elephant is prince's knob???

^what bullshit

it's obviously about the love for God, only with the search and falling in love with "a shy angel in a city so bold" used as a methaphor:

Boy is lonely on a burnin' hot summer night
He's looking 4 some action, he's looking 4 a fight
He's looking 4 a savior in a city full of fools
Maybe he just needs a good talker 2 give him a good talkin' 2
Can we talk, baby?
Strip down, strip down
I think I'm gonna fall in love 2night
Elephants and flowers

Hot sweaty light paints a picture red and gold
On a crowd of naked bodies stripped down 2 their very souls (New Power)
How can he find a shy angel in a city so bold? (Super bold)
He can't even find a place 2 dance
Huh, this is rock 'n' roll
Strip down, strip down (Elephants and flowers)
Is everybody ready? Here we go!

CHORUS:
Love the One who is Love (Love)
One who gives us the power (Power)
One who made everything (What?)
Elephants and flowers (What will He do?)
One who will listen when all others will not
There will be peace 4 those who love God a lot

Elephants and flowers
Strip down
I think I'm gonna fall in love 2night
And when I do, there won't be no more (Confusion)
There won't be no more tears (No tears)
There won't be no more enemies so that eliminates all the fear
There won't be no sorrow (Sorrow)
There won't be no pain (No pain)
There won't be no ball and no chain
Strip down, strip down
Elephants and flowers

Boy is lonely on a burnin' hot summer night
He's looking 4 an angel 2 hold him till the morning light
Here we go

Love the One who is Love (Well)
One who gives us the power (Power)
One who made everything (Everything)
Elephants and flowers (Oh yeah)
One who will listen when all others will not
There will be peace 4 those who love God a lot
Here we go

KoolEaze said:

Nice song. Are you familiar with the outtake version? The one with the slightly different lyrics?

yep, the slightly rockier music is great !

But Prince has always mixes sex and god - that's his thing.

Vaginas have been known as flowers, roses etc forever, and trunks well - Prince is a crude little swine, that metaphor is right up his alley.

Like I said, I never saw it that way - but I'll go with it, it works on all/any of these interpretations.

There is definitely sex going on in this song. And I think it's beautiful, not anything offensive. There are two layers to this story, as there are with many of Prince's songs.

Any Prince fan knows that a recurrent theme in Prince's music is that he touts sex as spiritual and a transport to God. Yes, this song is about God and about salvation through sex with a woman. (as usual).

wasn't it Sheila E on drums and maybe more of the Lovesexy band on the original studio take of this song?

5.Elephants & Flowers

"Elephants & Flowers" (from the unreleased Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic album)

Elephants & Flowers”: All instruments and voices by Prince

Initial tracking took place on 6 October, 1988 at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA (during two days off from the Lovesexy Tour, between shows in Toronto, ON, Canada and Hampton, VA, USA, on the same day as Still Would Stand All Time). This version contained different verses than the released version, but contains the same chorus. It was initially included on a configuration of the Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic album, dated 27 October, 1988, but was removed for the late 1988 - early 1989 configuration. It was included as the fourth track on a late 1989 configuration of Graffiti Bridge. It is likely that further work was done on the track in late 1989 or early 1990, when the track in its released form switched places with The Question Of U to become the fifth track on a 1990 configuration of the album, where it remained for release -PrinceVault

Love it, one of the (many) highlights from the 28th August aftershow in London. New power trio playing E&F

Its a One Man Band "MasterPiece".........................

Such a great song - I love the sound of it - the drums, the guitar... in fact the guitar tone is a pretty unique sound, can't think of another song that has it.

The production on GB is so much better than Lovesexy, wish he would remaster Lovesexy's drums to have the same punch!

RRA said:

The movie sucks (let's admit it) and honestly I think the album is only OK. Several winners of course whether "Joy of Repetition" or of course "Thieves in the Temple" (also love that extended version) but my favorite by far from that record is "E&F."

I don't know why I adore it but I've loved since I first heard of. If somebody makes another deep cuts Prince thread, This would be one of my picks.

Thoughts locals?

I just don't see this song as that special. wat do u guys like about it?

^ maybe you should take some more listenings to the song.

then it will "work" for you.. ?!

TheEnglishGent said:

Love it, one of the (many) highlights from the 28th August aftershow in London. New power trio playing E&F

right!

Indigo aftershow, 28 august 2007

loved it from first listen

This song has always been one of my favorites...it's truly impossible for me to listen to it and not feel good. When I first heard the original version a few years back, I was blown away - more by the lyrics than anything else. I'm a sucker for a good anti-drug lyric, and this is one of Prince's best ("She's too smart for ecstasy/ she's too fast for coke.")

Musically, the closest I think he has come to this kind of stripped-down funk is "The Word" from 3121 ... I'm visiting friends in NYC right now so I don't have access to both songs to compare them, but somehow they have always sounded like they were in the same vein.

[Edited 12/21/12 5:03am]

Tremolina said:

RRA said:

I think the album is only OK.

Thoughts locals?

The albums is great, if you leave out most of the songs by associated artist, except George Clinton and Mavis Staples. Imagine/edit it like this as a 10 song album:

1. Can't stop this feeling I got
2. New power generation
3. The question of U
4. Elephants and flowers
5. We can funk
6. Joy in repetition
7. Thieves in the temple
8. Melody Cool
9. Still would stand all time
10. Graffiti bridge

Truly great.

I would add the B-sides Get off & Love Left/ Love Right as well.

kpowers said:

Tremolina said:

The albums is great, if you leave out most of the songs by associated artist, except George Clinton and Mavis Staples. Imagine/edit it like this as a 10 song album:

1. Can't stop this feeling I got
2. New power generation
3. The question of U
4. Elephants and flowers
5. We can funk
6. Joy in repetition
7. Thieves in the temple
8. Melody Cool
9. Still would stand all time
10. Graffiti bridge

Truly great.

I would add the B-sides Get off & Love Left/ Love Right as well.

I did something similar a while back, edited both parts of New Power Generation together, added Get off & Loveleft/loveright and also replaced We Can Funk with Prince's version from the same era, his version of Love Machine & Melody Cool. Oh and I left off the sugar coated horror that is Graffiti Bridge, obviously.

Easily in my top 5 Prince songs, along with "Gold", "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World(EP version)", "The 1 U Wanna C", and "The Beautiful Ones".

RRA said:

The movie sucks (let's admit it) and honestly I think the album is only OK. Several winners of course whether "Joy of Repetition" or of course "Thieves in the Temple" (also love that extended version) but my favorite by far from that record is "E&F."

I don't know why I adore it but I've loved since I first heard of. If somebody makes another deep cuts Prince thread, This would be one of my picks.

Thoughts locals?