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1996/Songs about Boy Gregory I'm wondering if there are any songs about Boy Gregory, or more accurately, about his death and the circumstances that surround that. Has Prince ever spoke about this, either through song or in interviews? Please do not lock this thread, my apologies to any and all for the morbid curiosity, morality, and sheer bluntness that come with this very personal question.
But this research would help me out a lot so any information is greatly appreciated. At first, I thought I'd find some answers in Chaos And Disorder, given the natural dark overtone of that record but I found out that album was released in July '96, Prince's son wasn't even born yet. And according to the Prince wikipedia page, yes, while some songs were written in celebration of the boy, most apparent on Disc II of Emancipation, I'm wondering if anything was written after his death about him or the feelings Prince might've had regarding this loss. Emancipation was released in November '96, a month after the death of his child. But those songs were already written, performed, produced, mixed, mastered, etc. Is there anything that came after that? [Edited 9/25/13 10:24am] | |
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I think his song 'Comeback' (from the album 'The Truth') was about the loss of his child. "He's a musician's musician..." | |
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From Newpower Soul album, the following two songs seem to relate to his child: UNTIL U'RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN and WASTED KISSES. Additionally, on The Truth album, there is a song called COMEBACK. However, as you might suspect, there is no substantive "proof" regarding this; nonetheless, the lyrics seem to be deeply personal, especially when considered through the possibility of his relating to his child. [Edited 9/25/13 10:28am] | |
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Thank you very much Giovanni! For a quick response too. I'm pulling it up right now. [Edited 9/25/13 10:27am] | |
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Thanks SpiritOtter. Newpower Soul was an album I couldn't find too much information about. I had a copy back in the day but was not at all impressed with it, save for 1 or 2 songs. I'll have to see where I put it or get another copy. Your help is greatly appreciated! | |
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I think folks are reaching in their interpretation of those NPS tracks as being about the baby. It's true that Wasted Kisses has the sound of a heart monitor, but the lyrics are most defintely NOT about a child. | |
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And then of course we have Beautiful Strange which many have speculated was about his child. But, of course, Prince has never actually said:"this song was about my child", so we'll always be guessing. Which is okay. I don't need to know everything to like the music. | |
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SuperSoulFighter said: And then of course we have Beautiful Strange which many have speculated was about his child. But, of course, Prince has never actually said:"this song was about my child", so we'll always be guessing. Which is okay. I don't need to know everything to like the music. That's a beautiful song. I haven't heard that one for years but I remember it. | |
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I would think that "until your in my arms again" IS about the baby. Listen closely to the words.. It could be for a women.. OR a child.. and of course Sex in the Summer has the babys heart beat. It was odd.. Not too long after the baby died I was at a show.. and before the s how they were playing his 3 CD albulm over the loud speaker.. in order.... Sex in the summer came on and after about 30 sec. it went off and the next song came on. I am guessing hearing that Heart Beat was painful for either Prince.. Or may be Mayte was there.... | |
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Prince did say in an interview that 'Until you're in my arms again' is about his child. That was a surprise to read as he never addressed the issue | |
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He also answered an interview question about his child by saying: "On the album [The Truth] there is a song called 'Comeback' [...]" | |
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Comeback, until u'r.. wasted kisses are all so beautiful. some of my favorites. his best work always from the heart. What are you outraged about today? CNN has not told you yet? | |
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Cool. Thanks to everyone for all the help! | |
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The Comeback really is a beautiful song, very sad given its context. Similarly, the second half of Emancipation disc two is often singed with sadness for me, songs like 'Let's Have a Baby' and 'Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife' which are really beautiful and seemingly heartfelt songs are heartbreaking given what happened. Hundalasiliah! | |
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While not a song about his son, Sex In The Summer features a sample of the baby's heartbeat via ultrasound. | |
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Not about his son: Prince 4Ever. | |
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Forgive my ignorance, but was Gregory actually the name of the child or was that just a moniker given by fans, a la Victor when he changed his name? "I'm much too hot to be cool" | |
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I think I remember reading that the surname used in the hospital was Gregory for Mayte and the child - so his name was never shared - it says here that the name listed on the birth cert was 'boy' Gregory
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I'm remembering an interview from the NPS era where the writer implied he/she thought the song was about the loss of his child, and that when the song was mentioned to Prince in a complimentary way, he said, "Thank you." The writer made a point to mention Prince's sincerity during the exchange, but the idea that the song was really about his son seemed more like conjecture than anything. Was there another interview where it was directly confirmed or is this the interview you mean? [Edited 9/26/13 8:32am] "That's when stars collide. When there's space for what u want, and ur heart is open wide." | |
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Exactly right. They hadn't named him yet so it was just the generic entry they put. Boy - Gregory (They checked in under Mayte's mother's last name to avoid media and fans). Chili Sauce. | |
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PopcornFetus said:
Exactly right. They hadn't named him yet so it was just the generic entry they put. Boy - Gregory (They checked in under Mayte's mother's last name to avoid media and fans). YES! I read this too, but everyone seems to think it was the baby's actual name, and I didn't want to be the first to post it was NOT his actual name. Mayte Garcia's alias at the hospital was Mia Gregory, so an unnamed baby would be listed as "Boy Gregory" - just like my baby's name was "Girl (my last name)" until I came up with a name. | |
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I know some won't appreciate me saying this but I think it is beyond tacky for Prince fans to keep bringing this topic up. | |
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Co-sign. Even more tacky when more than half of the posts are based on hearsay, conjecture, misunderstandings and bad memory, from the boy´s name to what certain songs are allegedly about (except for Comeback, a song that was mentioned when Spike Lee interviewed Prince for INTERVIEW magazine in 1996).
I understand that fans on a fanpage dedicated to Prince will of course feel the need every now and then to bring this topic up because it IS part of Prince´s biography (and his biography has had an influence on his lyrics at times) but I think it´s a very thin line between curiousity/research and being tactless, whether one is aware of it or not.
There´s enough info out there that was published in the mid 90s in publications such as Uptown magazine and various books where one can find out the details if you are so inclined.
I don´t mind the OP asking these questions and I don´t want to come across as offensive, and far be it from me to tell other people what to post here (and in my long time on the org I have very rarely criticized orgers for their posts) but most of the stuff posted on this thread makes me shake my head in disbelief.
" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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That´s what he said to Spike Lee in that interview they did for INTERVIEW magazine (the one that had Maxwell on its cover in 1996). Still have that issue somewhere. " I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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KoolEaze, what do you think about the perspective that Prince, as an artist who has chosen to publically release works of art (e.g. Comeback) that explore his relationship with his child, is effectively welcoming thoughts on this sensitive subject, as long as it is done in a respectful manner? As you say, Prince even explicitly discusses the song, Comeback, and its subject matter in a public interview. | |
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this thread should be locked already, i hate seeing it everytime i log in and true love lives on lollipops and crisps | |
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See my posts above. Like I said, Comeback is a song that was mentioned by Prince when Spike asked him about the loss of his child in an interview. Giovanni correctly mentioned that, and that´s the right thing to do as far as a fanpage goes, since it answers the OP´s question in a respectful manner (respectful to the OP and, most of all, Prince).
Now whether it is really necessary to constantly bring this up is a whole different story, but hey, it´s a fanpage and I guess discussing songs is a big part of a fanpage, which is pretty much in the same vein as your statement above. Doesn´t really make it any less tacky though.
But to see the same old theories, thoughts or wrong facts regarding this sad topic for the umpteenth time is misleading and disrespectful, and I´m not just talking about this particular thread. It´s one thing to talk about a song like Comeback or to ask whether he dealt with the loss by writing a song about it, (and I ´m sure Eric Clapton fans have probably discussed the same topic ad nauseum in their forums because Eric Clapton lost his son) but to constantly see either "Boy Gregory" mentioned when that wasn´t even the child´s name or to plain speculate whether Wasted Kisses is or isn´t about his child´s death when the lyrics are not at all about that topic is just tacky and in bad taste. I appreciate TwiliteKid´s and Giovanni´s posts here or the fact that Scotsman questioned whether the name was or wasn´t Boy Gregory.
It´s not even this particular thread or the OP I have a problem with . It´s just the very nature of these kinds of threads regarding this very topic. It is simply a bad topic to begin with, and to see these kind of threads fill up with speculations, interpretations and alleged facts is just bad for the quality of this board and not really informative at all, let alone respectful towards the artist in question.
But I´m a hypocrite myself for even responding here because it just makes me part of it.
" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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I don't think of you as a hypocrite, at all, KoolEaze. You have made your points well on a difficult, sensitive and complex subject, and after listening to your explanations, I am newly inclined to agree with you. Regarding the liklihood of quality control on these boards, though, I think the least said the better, unfortunately. | |
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thanks, I did not know this. Prince 4Ever. | |
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