leonche64 said:

Ya'll just grew up. I am assuming that most folks posting have been into it for decades, like me. Correct? Remember how horror movies used to scare you when you were little? Not so much anymore. Remember how good McDonald's cheese burgers used to taste? Prefer a good meatloaf these days? Remember how profound music lyrics used to be when you were a teenager? Those are memories connected to a time when you were developing into the person you are today. I dare say the product has not changed, it is the same as it ever was. It is the receiver that has progressed beyond the scope. If I am wrong, it is possible, what other lyrics have moved you in your present life? I don't find myself pouring over lyrics like I used to. But that could be just me.

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I agree with you a great deal, especially since a lot of the posters have stated that "I don't know what Prince is talking about, and I don't really try to figure it out." So, it seems that while Prince's volume of excellently crafted lyrics has decreased, what equally bothers them is that Prince's position on life or on various issues or just his focus, in general, is completely different than theirs. And, that's understandable. I think it is strange that so many are amazed or surprised that the Prince with whom they fell in love thirty years ago is not the same dude today. Around the World in a Day was the album that--while I loved it--made me realize that there was a great possibility that Prince would one day move in a direction that was not my taste. So, yes, some of this is that we no longer get the volume of excellent lyricism, but some of this is just that Prince doesn't seem to be interested in the things that connected him to many of these fans. And, while I am still quite interested in lyrics no matter the artist, I, too, would like to see of the lyrics by other current artists that move them--not to be adversarial--but to get a better idea of what they consider well-crafted lyrics. I would probably bet that much of what they would post would be subjects that may not interest me, but I would hope that I could recognize the craftsmanship of the lyrics even if the subjects do not interest me.

KoolEaze said:

leonche64 said:

Ya'll just grew up. I am assuming that most folks posting have been into it for decades, like me. Correct? Remember how horror movies used to scare you when you were little? Not so much anymore. Remember how good McDonald's cheese burgers used to taste? Prefer a good meatloaf these days? Remember how profound music lyrics used to be when you were a teenager? Those are memories connected to a time when you were developing into the person you are today. I dare say the product has not changed, it is the same as it ever was. It is the receiver that has progressed beyond the scope. If I am wrong, it is possible, what other lyrics have moved you in your present life? I don't find myself pouring over lyrics like I used to. But that could be just me.

No, that´s really not the case....at least not for me. I think some of his greatest material is timeless and still very profound....songs like Something In The Water, When Doves Cry, If I Was Your Girlfriend, The Beautiful Ones.....you can tell that he really put his heart into it.

As you can see in my posts above, I think he still comes up with great , deep lyrics these days...but not the way he used to. His old classics with the brilliant lyrics still give me goosebumps and that certain feeling...you can relate to them because the lyrics came from his heart and were highly personal.

These days, some of his lyrics are still highly personal, but not in a way that I or the casual listener could relate to them. In my case, it has nothing to do with getting older. And I still appreciate many new songs. But they can´t compare to his classics. Still impressive though, compared to most of his peers.

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First, thanks for the kind words regarding my post. I don't really disagree with anything you've said here but more of a question/comment about something that I always read on this site but never quite understand. I never quite understand when someone states "they lyrics came from his heart and were highly personal" because I never assume that because I can't relate to something that it is because the work is inauthentic. There are some things to which I can relate and some things to which I can't relate, but I always equate that to me being interested in the subject or not interested in the subject and not whether or not Prince is being authentic in his expression. Now, of course, a great lyric/metaphor is a great lyric/metaphor, whether I'm interested in the topic or not, and I think that's the point of "craftsmanship" we're all debating. So, it seems that for many who are no longer or rarely moved by Prince's lyricism, it may be a combination of Prince not producing the volume of lyrical brilliance as in the past and Prince now being interested in things that many of his long-time fans are not. For instance, many fans complain about Prince's religious position, his position on race issues, or his lamenting his struggles with the music business. Clearly, many fans would prefer that Prince address other issues--what I don't know, and many fans do have issue with "how" he is addressing them--what they view as a lack of creativity--as well as the subject matter. But, I never understand how one can be so sure that Prince is being inauthentic or not speaking from his heart just because one is unable to relate to or be moved by something. I truly believe that Styx made music from the depths of their heart, and, yet, it never moved me. They were awfully passionate in their presentation, and all I've ever wanted to do is not get any of that passion on me. Accordingly, "Breakdown" was the one song on AoA that had to grow on me. When I first heard it, I hated it because I thought it had the cheesiest lyric I have ever heard: "This could be the saddest story that's ever been told." Really...so now he's telling me how I should feel about a song rather than just providing the poem/narrative and allowing me to decide for myself. Yet, many fans feel in love with this song instantly. Maybe because the song is between two songs that I love or maybe I was able to ignore that one very cheesy line and appreciate the story, but even when I didn't like it I never thought he was being inauthentic--over the top, maybe, but not inauthentic.

[Edited 12/8/14 7:15am]

We may be looking at just the surface content. I cannot believe an artist of this magnitude does not know that his lyrics are not up to the level we expect or that he expects of himself. Perhaps he just "cannot" say what he wants without biting the hands that still feed him and his crew. Yeah I know that sounds crazy but that is just how I am looking at it.

What happened? Larry G and the J.W.

Prince has been self censoring his own "art" since 1996.

Graycap23 said:

What happened? Larry G and the J.W.

Prince has been self censoring his own "art" since 1996.

Thanks Graycap. Instead of that conspiracy theory I had brewing in my brain I believe you have NAILED IT !!!

[Edited 12/8/14 8:18am]

A bunch of his old vault songs that everybody loves are just loved because of his nasty sex funk attitude. Prince was able to punk funk it with his desperate screams, sexual falsetto, deep bass voice, agressive drums, spaced out synth and catchy guitar wamps. Often to the point of completely covering the fact that the some of the songs were average at best when it came to lyrical content. But it's the total package that counts right? Try imagening Do It All Night performed with a boring singer and an average soul band from the same era. Wouldn't really be that great. His stand out delivery has also been a problem masking his best lyrics. Because of his weirdness, alot of people don't aknowledge him as a great songwriter, as they haven't paid attention to his lyrics at all. They're just put off by his style and personality.

Prince has and are still writing both good and not so good lyrics. The difference is now he is also sometimes not performing his stuff with as much life as he gave his old songs. Thankfull AOA was a hint of Prince breathing again.

What happened to his lyrics? The same thing that happened to his music...he stopped giving a shit about quality, and start being more concered about how much $$$ he is gonna make off them. he's basically a musical fast food vendor.

^ I think you nailed it.

People confuse his delivery of lyrics with the content.

His writing now is far more mature than it ever was in the 80s. I'm not saying everything is top quality but AOA and PE have seen him drop the bragging about his cash or what he's going to buy - which has plagued his work since NewPowerSoul.

He's not a rudeboi anymore, but he's pushing 60. "What it feels like" is a prime example of Prince Lyrics at their best. Wow shows he can write a song about literally nothing and still make it engaging.

Breakfast Can Wait is the new sexy RnB for the mature folks.

The only way you could criticise Prince for his lyrics is his persistence in his refusal to write anything controversial. 20ten has examples of his worst lyrics ever, things became lazy and sloppy. AOA stands head and shoulders above. TGS and FnR don't contain the usual clangers that many of his recent party tracks have suffered from. The ballads are more seductive than the likes of The One, and Mr Goodnight where he just describes what he's bought for the girl in question.

By no means do I consider my opinion an "Expert" one but, after purchasing a number of P CD's from a local re-saler (long live recycling), I'd have to say that I have enhanced my opinion (probably not to the level of an "Expert" however enhanced nonetheless).

From my vantage point, the music quality (quality of the composition) has always been the primary focus, w/the quality of the lyric secondary and, the meaning of the lyric (what is being said) the last thing that could possibly be on my mind.

As a result, I often find myself repeating my 'listener's cycle'; falling in love with a P song/or P CD without really listening to the lyrics, then hearing the words that amount to the lyric, often followed by cringing at the prospect of what is being said and, finally acceptance of the things that I cannot changeand an appreciation for the music.

My 'listener's cycle' might vary according to the quality of the composition and the lyric, with the exceptions ranging from an initial dislike of the composition that quickly moves into an appreciation, to a more simple and less complicated cycle of overwhelming enjoyment again and, again and, again and, again.

The more recent work (namely AOA) has been less complicated for me primarily because I don't want to stumble over the lyrics on my way to overwhelming enjoyment of the work. By and large, I'd have to say that the recent release is much better than some of the other singles released over the years.

Overall, I have a profound appreciation for the work past and present.

Thanks babe!!!

[Edited 12/16/14 7:45am]

feeluupp said:

Lets just hope he wasn't the one who wrote Boy Trouble...

If only the original demo with Prince on vocals were to ever leak out

I think I remember reading a quote from Dylan a while back, where he said that looking back at his old songs the lyrics were so intense and powerful that he wasn't quite sure how he had written them, and that it must have been "by magic" that he managed to write them. I think every songwriter probably suffers this to some extent, so I'm not that surprised that Prince isn't quite as lyrical astute as he used to be (although imo even in his classic period he could occasionally be rather clumsy and unwieldy). The old song of his that always astounds me is When Doves Cry (it's pretty obscure, don't know if you've heard of it ), I mean, the title alone is just a beautiful piece of imagery in its own right, it's pretty crazy that he could write a bestselling song with such out-there lyrics at times. But then I guess that's why there's this fansite to him

Oh, and IIWYG as well of course, absolutely stunning.

Graycap23 said:

What happened? Larry G and the J.W.

Prince has been self censoring his own "art" since 1996.

Ya, it's pretty clear when things changed lyrically, and this is it. imo, Prince is best when he's not running himslef through a filter.

However, Way Back Home is heartbreaking in its honesty...he hasnt lost his gifts ....it sounds like he's easing hhimself away from censoring himself, and thats a good thing.

I think there's a handful of reasons things have changed lyrically.

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Some of it is because he lives in his own secluded world. There's some songs that the lyrics remind me of some kind of inside joke or something. It's like he's saying something that only he or a few others close to him would understand. People dig hearing songs or lyrics that they can relate to in their everyday life. That's why songs like Way Back Home hit it with so many of us here.

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Another is maturity and age. Let's face it as we grow older we lose some of that edge we had as teens and young adults. Sure Larry and the whole JW definately changed things but how much of it was him just growing up? 10-15 years older myself I appreciate it more than I did back then. I'm glad he's not dropping the f-bomb all over new material and humping the floor at shows. The dude is how old now? Just wouldn't be right. I still have a problem with censoring his past work and trying to distance himself from it. That's a whole other topic though.

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Then we have these songs with the "I get no respect" theme. They became a dime a dozen from the 90's to present. I respect how he feels and all but it's beating a dead horse. Not to mention he obviously is eqaully to blame for some of the stuff he bitches about.

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With that said.........as much as we feel the lyrics have changed so much they really haven't a whole heck of a lot when you look at his whole body of work. Just seems a bit more forced at times of late.