MSNBC has the screwdriver lyric video posted, along with a poll. So far about 4,500 responses, leaning toward the negative. Check out the video and vote...

http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/23/16662126-prince-rocks-with-new-band-turns-out-screwdriver?lite

Hey, its the first time I have seen prince mentioned on the first page of a major news site since the superbowl.

Done!

Btw, i voted positive.

Love the song!

I voted for it too. it is a dumb poll. it will be for the "old Prince" option. it is imposable for any song to compare to the whole of his catalog.

i voted negative. Sometimes u gotta take ur Prince glasses off and realize this song is an epic fail. Prince should have made this a hard rock song like he did in the rehersal and then it probably would have been alot better received. I fear this new album or (collection) of songs will sound like the bad parts Rave+Chaos combined. Lotus was a step in the right direction and don't understand why there was never a video made for dreamer or colonized mind. Hopefully Prince releases more stuff like chapters and verse. I think Prince has run out of "straight edge" ideas for music. Since he's already done sex, drugs, rock , god, politics there isn't much left for him so now he's doing Tools.

riocoolnes said:

i voted negative. Sometimes u gotta take ur Prince glasses off and realize this song is an epic fail. Prince should have made this a hard rock song like he did in the rehersal and then it probably would have been alot better received. I fear this new album or (collection) of songs will sound like the bad parts Rave+Chaos combined. Lotus was a step in the right direction and don't understand why there was never a video made for dreamer or colonized mind. Hopefully Prince releases more stuff like chapters and verse. I think Prince has run out of "straight edge" ideas for music. Since he's already done sex, drugs, rock , god, politics there isn't much left for him so now he's doing Tools.

Yes, that was so good. It's a shame that edge is gone at the latest version.

A dumb poll.

I like it.....unfair to compare to Purple Rain though. But it happens with all artists that have that legendary album. Everyone wants him to be a certain....even me. But Prince follows his own way....and always good to see where he goes.

Thumbs up for me!

novabrkr said:

A dumb poll.

I agree

what kind of horse shit people dealing these days?? purple rain is almost 30 years old and people still yapping overing that. prince has done so muthafucking much since then that people shouldnt still b there at all.prince showed people in 85 with around the world in a day that he was over purple rain so got damn why the hell we still lingering on that horseshit?

YEah, because the broad audience and the masses are the barometer of good taste or a good Prince song.

skywalker said:

YEah, because the broad audience and the masses are the barometer of good taste or a good Prince song.

You are so right

skywalker said:

YEah, because the broad audience and the masses are the barometer of good taste or a good Prince song.

So what is? Your opinion? The .org's opinion?

It's a poll, a broad audience opinion is as good as any opinion. I voted nay too, it's a crappy dorky song.

What a dumb poll! Older Prince from MSNBC means 1999-Purple Rain to most who stumble upon the poll.

People want him to do rock. So he does and it isn't good enough. (a common theme nowdays)

BTW 940 likes and 36 dislikes on the U-Tube video.

[Edited 1/24/13 23:12pm]

I suspect a good number of people would just click 'give me the old Prince' without even listening to the song.

That said, those results are neck-and-neck right now (49 pos/51 neg)! So, that's interesting...

Q: How do you like Prince's new song?

5245 votes

53 / 47 better not tell karl rove!

he should be doing more synth pop, better than the current musicians are doing now.

listen 20ten.

Not positive numbers, folks. 54-46 is not a hit.

Especially when a large number of folks posting are fans.

[Edited 1/30/13 18:04pm]

I'm voting Negative.

skywalker said:

YEah, because the broad audience and the masses are the barometer of good taste or a good Prince song.

TBH Screwdriver is a novelty song, if it was done by anyone else by Prince, no one would care. That's just how it is and how it should be.

cbarnes3121 said:

what kind of horse shit people dealing these days?? purple rain is almost 30 years old and people still yapping overing that. prince has done so muthafucking much since then that people shouldnt still b there at all.prince showed people in 85 with around the world in a day that he was over purple rain so got damn why the hell we still lingering on that horseshit?

I don't get it either, it's not like he hasn't had a hit since Purple Rain.

(but Prince being done with Purple Rain??? He keeps playing songs from that album lots of times, over and over again, I wouldn't say he's done with it)

skywalker said:

YEah, because the broad audience and the masses are the barometer of good taste or a good Prince song.

Huh? It's a vote...of course the audience is going to decide if it's good or not.

Maybe you don't like what they vote, but it is what it is.

I love the song

riocoolnes said:

i voted negative. Sometimes u gotta take ur Prince glasses off and realize this song is an epic fail. Prince should have made this a hard rock song like he did in the rehersal and then it probably would have been alot better received. I fear this new album or (collection) of songs will sound like the bad parts Rave+Chaos combined. Lotus was a step in the right direction and don't understand why there was never a video made for dreamer or colonized mind. Hopefully Prince releases more stuff like chapters and verse. I think Prince has run out of "straight edge" ideas for music. Since he's already done sex, drugs, rock , god, politics there isn't much left for him so now he's doing Tools.

It sounds safe

I'm think of a hard rock Red Headed Step Child Tamar on lead on the Today show(?)

riocoolnes said:

i voted negative. Sometimes u gotta take ur Prince glasses off and realize this song is an epic fail. Prince should have made this a hard rock song like he did in the rehersal and then it probably would have been alot better received. I fear this new album or (collection) of songs will sound like the bad parts Rave+Chaos combined. Lotus was a step in the right direction and don't understand why there was never a video made for dreamer or colonized mind. Hopefully Prince releases more stuff like chapters and verse. I think Prince has run out of "straight edge" ideas for music. Since he's already done sex, drugs, rock , god, politics there isn't much left for him so now he's doing Tools.

The problem w/ Prince & guitar shuffle music like this, is he probably is praised for everything he does in the studio & he can't tell if he is hitting it or not. Here's to me, how you can tell if you are hitting it, if you can't imagine anyone else doing this or you can imagine a legendary artist doing this song at this level. That was kind of what "Computer Blue" is like for me. I can't imagine anyone else doing that.

"Screwdriver" is better than Guitar & it does have a better production than "Peach" I think Prince playing sloppy you get music like "I Like it there" & he doesn't try to work it and lyrics get lazy & you have this as the end product. If you have star struck giddy musicians, they aren't even going to push him. They are just going to sit there and gawk at how rocking this is.

But the number 1 question you have to ask yourself is:

If Prince's raspy voice on this, would you run to the stereo & tell my friends "You got to hear this!"? No, you wouldn't. Because I can find a million one guitar records that have these same changes & just sit in the novelty bin. I have a theory that most Prince fans have no concept of what hard rock guitar tracks are & how many are so similar to this, a lot of guitarists don't even want to strum the guitar because the audience is so accustomed to these "riff changes"

It's a riff song that is for the moment but it isn't one to praise. Screwdriver is a song to listen to but run to msnbc and flood the polls to convince others this is a smash, that isn't the move, Prince fans. It's just a song to enjoy for the moment & understand that these types of tracks are a dime a dozen on rock radio & rotation.