OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Yes, I know about the Tipper Gore complaint. Even today when some radio stations play his classics, they play the non-swearing classics. I remember when Wbls 107.5, the NY station that played Prince's 'Call Me' song for 2 years straight, everyday 2 to 3 times a day, they would occasionally have a Prince and former associates music hour. Fans would call in, and ask for a Prince song to be played, and the radio person or whatever you call them these days, said as long as it's a Prince song with no swearing and if it's a 'clean' version, so-to-speak, then they would play it. So even years afterr, many radio stations continue to play the the songs without explicit lyrics/or swearing.

I have to say though, in present day, it seems everywhere you go, you hear a Prince classic playing somewhere. For example, last week I passed a grocery store and heard '1999' playing. The same week, I was in a supermarket, and then I heard 'Kiss'. So even though you don't really hear any of his new music much on the radio (with the exception of Rock & Roll Love Affair-the original version, which was played on some stations last year), you still hear his classics. But truth be told, it's likely he moved on from his past, with his music, and focusing on the Prince of 'now/. Even though he will perform some of his 80s classics, not a lot, from that catalogue during his live shows.

I guess if he already achieved and conquered, musically, what he wanted in the past, and knowing that era outlived itself, and can never be repeated, it apparently will always live on in his memory, and those of his former band associates of that era and his fans. So I guess moving forward with his music career, in present day, is a good thing.

[Edited 2/5/14 14:22pm]

I hear U. That is that thing I have issue with though is that Prince has a non-factual bad rap for having a bunch of dirty cursing songs. Which he doesn't

Let's look at this hits of the 1980s and some 90s

When I listen to the 1st 2 albums I can't name a 'vulgar song'

When I bought Dirty Mind, I felt like I was buying a porno mag, but when I listened didn't hear what I thought I would. Yes a lot of the songs are about sex/lovemaking but not all that vulgar.

of course Head + Sister have a stronger adult theme

and Party Up says [f_cking bore]

.

Controversy Private Joy Let's Work Anne Christian Ronnie Talk 2 Russia = no cursing

Do Me Baby (serious radio play even with the adult ending)

Sexuality, Jack U Off

.

1999 has a few more curse words but just on Let's Pretend We're Married and, an adult themed song:International Lover. But most of the hit plays 1999 Little Red Corvette, Delirious, DMSR, Automatic. Then Free

Let's Go Crazy, Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Take Me With U, the Beautiful Ones, Computer Blue, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm a Star Darling Nikki = no cursing,

Bsides: God, God the Love theme, Another Loney Christmas, 17 Days = no cursing

Erotic City ( 1 F word but it was a hit song)

.

ATWIAD, Paisley Park, Condition of the Heart, Tamborine, Raspberry Beret, America, Pop Life, the Ladder = no cursing

Temptation = no cursing but a song about raw sex

Bsides: She's Always In My Hair, Hello, Girl = no cursing

Girl(extended gets erotic and many people miss it unless listen close when he says her _ is so tight)

.

Christopher Tracey's Parade, I Wonder U, UTCMoon, Girls & Boys, Life Can Be So Nice, AnotherLoverHol... Sometimes It Snows In April, Venus de Milo = no cursing

New Position spells out p.u.s.s.y. very silently

Bsides: Love or Money, Alexa de Paris = no cursing

.

SOTT, Play In the Sunshine, Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Forever In My Life, Hot Thang, Slow Love, Starfish & Coffee = no cursing, non vulgar

Housequake = 1 or 2 curse words but lots of airplay

If I Was Ur Girlfriend, Strange Relationships, ICNTTPOYMan, the Cross, U Got the Look, Adore, IGBABNight = no curse words

Bsides: La La La He He Hee, Shockadelica=no curse words lots of air play

.

I could go on, but I've looked a lot of that time period over, and Prince was know to put on a show, there was Vanity 6 Nasty Boys(hit with lots of airplay) the Time and they acted out the songs etc etc but the censoring of those albums overall like most of the songs or even half were these raw dirty cursing filled cuts is wrong.

.

Prince actually still seems to play most of his set with songs from that time period, he has a large catalogue to pull from, which is why I don't care for cover songs sung by the man with a million songs. I looked over a lot of his concert setlists over his career and only on a few concerts did he play most of the songs of the new album:Gold, Diamonds & Pearls, Rainbow Children are 3 off my head. But even Emancipation is u look at the setlist he played more songs from the 80s, probably 2-5 at most from that 3 cd set.

.

Nothing from 20Ten on the Welcome 2 tour played around with Sticky Like Glue and 1 other song here and there, but nothing else. I would love for him to do more small shows where he feels comfortable doing a large set of songs from albums hardly performed.

Maybe I'm a bit obsessive, but I've made an analysis similar to yours, OldFriends, but covering all the official albums, and my conclusion is that the image of Prince as a sex-freak is clearly exaggerated. Of course, sex is an important subject on his oeuvre, but so are love and religion. The relevance of sex in his lyrics isn't as great as most people seem to think.

[Edited 2/7/14 6:33am]

Javi said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I hear U. That is that thing I have issue with though is that Prince has a non-factual bad rap for having a bunch of dirty cursing songs. Which he doesn't

Let's look at this hits of the 1980s and some 90s

When I listen to the 1st 2 albums I can't name a 'vulgar song'

When I bought Dirty Mind, I felt like I was buying a porno mag, but when I listened didn't hear what I thought I would. Yes a lot of the songs are about sex/lovemaking but not all that vulgar.

of course Head + Sister have a stronger adult theme

and Party Up says [f_cking bore]

.

Controversy Private Joy Let's Work Anne Christian Ronnie Talk 2 Russia = no cursing

Do Me Baby (serious radio play even with the adult ending)

Sexuality, Jack U Off

.

1999 has a few more curse words but just on Let's Pretend We're Married and, an adult themed song:International Lover. But most of the hit plays 1999 Little Red Corvette, Delirious, DMSR, Automatic. Then Free

Let's Go Crazy, Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Take Me With U, the Beautiful Ones, Computer Blue, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm a Star Darling Nikki = no cursing,

Bsides: God, God the Love theme, Another Loney Christmas, 17 Days = no cursing

Erotic City ( 1 F word but it was a hit song)

.

ATWIAD, Paisley Park, Condition of the Heart, Tamborine, Raspberry Beret, America, Pop Life, the Ladder = no cursing

Temptation = no cursing but a song about raw sex

Bsides: She's Always In My Hair, Hello, Girl = no cursing

Girl(extended gets erotic and many people miss it unless listen close when he says her _ is so tight)

.

Christopher Tracey's Parade, I Wonder U, UTCMoon, Girls & Boys, Life Can Be So Nice, AnotherLoverHol... Sometimes It Snows In April, Venus de Milo = no cursing

New Position spells out p.u.s.s.y. very silently

Bsides: Love or Money, Alexa de Paris = no cursing

.

SOTT, Play In the Sunshine, Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Forever In My Life, Hot Thang, Slow Love, Starfish & Coffee = no cursing, non vulgar

Housequake = 1 or 2 curse words but lots of airplay

If I Was Ur Girlfriend, Strange Relationships, ICNTTPOYMan, the Cross, U Got the Look, Adore, IGBABNight = no curse words

Bsides: La La La He He Hee, Shockadelica=no curse words lots of air play

.

I could go on, but I've looked a lot of that time period over, and Prince was know to put on a show, there was Vanity 6 Nasty Boys(hit with lots of airplay) the Time and they acted out the songs etc etc but the censoring of those albums overall like most of the songs or even half were these raw dirty cursing filled cuts is wrong.

.

Prince actually still seems to play most of his set with songs from that time period, he has a large catalogue to pull from, which is why I don't care for cover songs sung by the man with a million songs. I looked over a lot of his concert setlists over his career and only on a few concerts did he play most of the songs of the new album:Gold, Diamonds & Pearls, Rainbow Children are 3 off my head. But even Emancipation is u look at the setlist he played more songs from the 80s, probably 2-5 at most from that 3 cd set.

.

Nothing from 20Ten on the Welcome 2 tour played around with Sticky Like Glue and 1 other song here and there, but nothing else. I would love for him to do more small shows where he feels comfortable doing a large set of songs from albums hardly performed.

Maybe I'm a bit obsessive, but I've made an analysis similar to yours, OldFriends, but covering all the official albums, and my conclusion is that the image of Prince as a sex-freak is clearly exaggerated. Of course, sex is an important subject on his oeuvre, but so are love and religion. The relevance of sex in his lyrics isn't as great as most people seem to think.

[Edited 2/7/14 6:33am]

I agree, it's clearly exaggerated. same with religion in the 1980s, Most of Prince music didn't represent some struggle between Sex & God, that image wasn't really presented until Temptation on the PR tour and the song. We hear it in the full version of Computer Blue. And then a lot on Lovesexy but even that religious 'God is all over his albums' stuff in the 1980s is exaggerated.

.

I would say the visual expression of his music with his sexual moves I believe are what fuels that.

Transcript of The Oprah Winfrey Show

Show Number: 1103a6ka
Producer: Kandi Amelon
Date: November 20, 1996
Show Topic: "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince"
Air Date: November 21, 1996

Interviewed by - Oprah Winfrey

.

OPRAH: Well, you know, many people think the artist formerly known as Prince is flat-out weird. You-all know a lot of people think that. So I asked him how he responds to those opinions. And you'll find out if he regrets anything from his sexy, sexy past. But first, remember this one? (Excerpt from "Kiss" video)

(Excerpt from Little Red Corvette" video)

OPRAH: We're talking to the usually reclusive and media-shy artist formerly known as Prince, who's famous for singing about sex and sex and sex and more sex.

OPRAH: I wanted to know do y -- what all the sexually provocative song titles over the years have meant. You know, where -- does it mean that you were just really into sex? We have this image of you behind the purple doors just kind of having sex.

0{+> : Oh, my goodness.

OPRAH: The wildest -- swinging from the -- there are doves in the ceiling and it's just the -- that's the image.

0{+> : Well, hey...

OPRAH: "Horny Toad." "Jerk Out," "Private Joy," "Sex Shooter," "Do It All Night," "Do Me, Baby" -- you know all those.

0{+> : Yeah, but you know, I've written some -- thousand some-odd songs.

OPRAH: Mm-hmm.

I went to a Prince concert probably -- oh, m -- must have been 10 years ago. I felt parts -- that it touched parts of myself that I didn't know I had.

0{+> : Mm-hmm

OPRAH: And I ended up going out doing things I didn't normally do.

(Footage from "Prince & The Revolution Live")

OPRAH: Do you ever regret anything?

0{+> : No, because I think it's all part of the experience of life and growing. And it's gotten me to this place. You take one thing out of that and the structure falls, you know?

OPRAH: Mm-hmm