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Thread started 11/27/14 2:30am

Wolfie87

Let's talk "Love 2 The 9's"

Great to be part of the org finally. Long time reader first time poster. So I was reading the "Best 3 vocal performance" thread and felt that I had to bring up this song, because who would even mention Love 2 The 9's in the categori as say "Adore". Well, I felt that we would do our best to shine some light on this masterpiece.I listened to the Peach & Black podcast about the prince album. What struck me is the word one guy said about the song "Arrangement, arrangement, arrangement". I felt exactly the same way the first time I heard it (together with the video actually. That hairdo, perfectly trimmed beard and Mayte=Perfection. Has the guy ever looked so good before or after. Watch closely at the 0.39 mark when he's sitting at the table. D&P is the closest I guess.). That guitar lick right in the beginning to start up the song, the "clapping" drumsticks , that piano(!!!), those horns(!!!) and Prince's silky smooth vocals. All combined in a unmatched fusion that makes this track undoubtedly one of the standouts on this album and may I even say this whole era (and 90's). Yes, that's right. Love 2 the 9's has always been in my top 5, if not my top 3 since the first time I heard it.

Of course we have to mention "that" part in the song. Personally I never really liked the first piece with Prince rapping. But hear me out. In the middle part THAT is how you use Tony M. No rapping rather just talking. And I find the part with Mayte great. After it all switches up in the first part later it combines some of the elements from the very beginning of the song. With the horns definitely forefront. For instance:

"Tony:Name

Mayte:Arabia (Horns:duh-duh-duuuuuh)

Tony:Occupation if any

Mayte:Sex symbol but I really got a beautiful mind (duh-duh-duuuuuuh)
.......

Last but not least. Why haven't I yet read someone even discussing the part from 4.35 into the song. Whenever a friend or a new fan are interested about his mythical falsetto THIS is the part I play to them. 1.10 of pure perfection. To dig even deeper, let's say part "Wanna' be yeah...for all time!!!" (4.49) "Ohhh wiiiieeehaha!!!" (4.55). And the best part from 5.05 which cannot be explained in text, you just have to hear it to believe it. He sounds like a screaming b*tch alá Carey only better 'cause you know... He's a guy! So what are your thoughts on this song?



[Edited 11/27/14 2:31am]

[Edited 11/27/14 2:33am]

[Edited 11/27/14 2:36am]

[Edited 11/28/14 7:40am]

[Edited 11/28/14 13:56pm]

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Reply #1 posted 11/27/14 4:04am

paulludvig

Great song! And welcome to the org! biggrin

The wooh is on the one!
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Reply #2 posted 11/27/14 4:09am

Dilan

I love how at the end of the song you just have those harmonies getting stripped back and his voice just becomes really loud and clear and it just sounds like he's right infront of you. Well from my laptop anyway.

I'm feeling a bit fammy™
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Reply #3 posted 11/27/14 4:15am

NouveauDance

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cool

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Reply #4 posted 11/27/14 1:32pm

motherfunka

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The spoken part was Mayte, not Carmen.
TRUE BLUE
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Reply #5 posted 11/27/14 1:56pm

SoulSplash

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Really beautiful song. I enjoyed reading your detailed description of its arrangement. However, I think this song and most of the album is ruined by the macho arrogance that keeps popping up in the middle of some very sweet tunes. But that's the type of attitude that was prevalent in much of early '90s music. It'd be nice to see Prince revisit some of these tunes. "Love 2 The 9s" has some REALLY amazing elements, as you pointed out.Good first post. Thanks for sharing. Peace!~Soul Splash*
∞ ʀ⁅VERB⁆я ∞
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Reply #6 posted 11/27/14 3:14pm

robertgeorgeak
abob

It's classic Prince, sweetly wooing Mayte, then launching into cryptic headfuck mindgames. A very revealing song about Prince's dual personality.
don't play me...i'm over 30 and i DO smoke weed....
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Reply #7 posted 11/27/14 4:46pm

PRNelson

The arrangement is beautiful. The vocals at the end of the song convey so much joy.. he sounds incredible. It's easy to forget sometimes just how gifted this man is.
You'll never know a girl called Nikki and you'll never find Erotic City
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Reply #8 posted 11/27/14 9:11pm

novabrkr

It's a bit like a 1990s version of "In A Large Room With No Light". It goes into different territories during the second part, but the intro, verses and the chorus have something similar going on.

I think I appreciated the song "as a whole" more when I was younger. It was quite common to have that type of songs with completely different sounding sections on them in the 1990s ("The Same December" is another example), but they do sound a bit odd these days.

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Reply #9 posted 11/27/14 10:22pm

williamb610

The thing that trips me out in this song, besides Prince's vocals, is the keyboard. The keyboard gets a little more intricate as the song goes along.

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Reply #10 posted 11/28/14 3:45am

iZsaZsa

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clapping
What?
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Reply #11 posted 11/28/14 4:33am

Wolfie87

photo uffeprince_zps8e1ad5fb.jpg

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Reply #12 posted 11/28/14 4:48am

iZsaZsa

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I'd rather hear U say, "Forever"
What?
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Reply #13 posted 11/28/14 4:48am

iZsaZsa

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music
What?
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Reply #14 posted 11/28/14 7:22am

KingSausage

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I love this song. Even the inane dialogue with Mayte. It's just so perfectly Prince. Nobody else makes crazyass music like this. Love love love.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #15 posted 11/28/14 8:11am

101

yeah...one of my all time fav's for sure...

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Reply #16 posted 11/28/14 11:02am

Shockedelicus

As cringe-worthy as the prince album was, it had some unforgettable tunes.

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Reply #17 posted 11/28/14 11:30am

databank

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It's Mayte not Carmen. It's a brilliant song, I've always loved it. Back at the time the soul/funk mix with hip-hop still sounded daring and was still relatively uncommon, it impressed me a great deal when the album was released. It's a delicate, elegant, sophisticated song.

A COMPREHENSIVE PRINCE DISCOGRAPHY (work in progress ^^): https://sites.google.com/...scography/
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Reply #18 posted 11/28/14 1:03pm

101

Shockedelicus said:

As cringe-worthy as the prince album was, it had some unforgettable tunes.

one of his best albums none the less....

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Reply #19 posted 11/28/14 10:10pm

RJOrion

the beautiful fluttering guitar intro sounds like marv tarplin or curtis mayfield in their prime.... 9's always been one of my favorite P joints...
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Reply #20 posted 11/29/14 2:09pm

m33kn3ss

Don't use the magical
Mysterious, intoxicating, joy fantastic
Fascinating word called love
Unless u love me 2 the 9's
This is the only kind of love
That I've been dreaming of
The kind of love that takes over your
Body, mind, and soul
Love 2 the 9's

Song is perfection!!! Above is my favorite part of the song lol

Superfunkycalifragisexy!
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Reply #21 posted 11/29/14 11:37pm

aiden

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Fantastic Song off an epic album. This record made me go from just loving Prince to pretty much worshipping the God damn genius..
"Still Crazy 4 Coco Rock"
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Reply #22 posted 12/01/14 11:40am

Stimpy

Find a copy of "This is My Night" and listen to the closing track mashup of Sexy MF and 2 the 9's.

He had a bad cold and did the aftershow anyway, his voice is couple of steps low.

Still sounds like him and, in this song especially, it sounds really cool.

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Reply #23 posted 12/01/14 1:34pm

emesem

the beggining and end are friggin' perfect (the end is heavenly) but the song is fairly ruined by the stooopid "Make dat booty boom" garbage.

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Reply #24 posted 12/01/14 2:48pm

luvsexy4all

classic

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Reply #25 posted 12/03/14 11:17am

nosajd

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Beautiful song, one of my favorites from this album.

.

Don't use the magical
Mysterious, intoxicating, joy fantastic
Fascinating word called love
Unless u love me 2 the 9's
This is the only kind of love
That I've been dreaming of
The kind of love that takes over your
Body, mind, and soul
Love 2 the 9's

^

^^^ My favorite part of the song too & as someone mentioned the fluttery guitar intro is great!

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Reply #26 posted 12/03/14 12:58pm

RJOrion

the beggining and end are friggin' perfect (the end is heavenly) but the song is fairly ruined by the stooopid "Make dat booty boom" garbage.

-------------

word....classic example (of many) of Tony M ruining a perfectly perfect song... never understood what P saw, or heard, in dude...and how do you make a booty boom?..is that a poop?

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Reply #27 posted 12/03/14 2:42pm

iZsaZsa

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RJOrion said:

the beggining and end are friggin' perfect (the end is heavenly) but the song is fairly ruined by the stooopid "Make dat booty boom" garbage.



-----



word....classic example (of many) of Tony M ruining a perfectly perfect song... never understood what P saw, or heard, in dude...and how do you make a booty boom?..is that a poop?


What?
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Reply #28 posted 12/04/14 12:01am

luv2tha99s

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It's the musical equivalent of falling in luv. Complete wit sum poser tryin to steal ur stella.

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Forums > Prince: Music and More > Let's talk "Love 2 The 9's"