thedance said:

skywalker said:

"One of us" 2015

One of us, I still recall his 1998 version in Cologne, is different.

But yes, the meaning might be in the same corner.

SuperSoulFighter said:

thedance said:

Different opinions....!?


I am really surprised about all the negativity here....

To me, "What If", the song is in same category as another religious cover: "One Of Us" (1996).

I love "What If" as much as I love "AnotherLove" on Plectrum.

And to say the truth..... imo: this song "What If" is a lot better than most of Plectrum,



Thanks to Prince & 3EG.... "What If" is another classic, "imho".... I don't care that most of you Orgers are trashing it... I am loving it...

Ps. I am not a religious person myself, I just find the song: beautiful.

[Edited 3/14/15 3:25am]

Not surprising at all. As soon as Prince brings up God in a song, you know folks are going to turn it into a debate about religion and some people have pretty strong opinions about that- not in the least the atheists. What I see here is a heated debate with some good points being made here and there. And that is more interesting than the song that started it!

Personally I don't mind P singing about God at all. At least he used to do it in a cool kind of way. Lovesexy still rates as one of my favorite albums of all time, actually. P has been a believer in God for as long as I can remember, and while he was sometimes a bit upfront about it to the point that it became a bit embarassing, it never bothered me to the point of aggrevation.

But at least back then God was something that 'lived inside of all of us, and just wants to come out and play'. His lyrics were more thought-provoking. Lovesexy was the feeling you get when you fall in love not with a girl or a boy, but with the heavens above. Well I guess we can all sorta relate to that. I sometimes get that feeling when I'm hiking out in nature, for instance. So is that God then.. well if so, so be it.

But with this latest effort what we get is religious rethoric of the kind that I've seen all too often being used by Christians who try to defend their faith. And it's really awful. I can't see how it could work for a non-believer either. I mean it's OK to ask someone 'What if you're wrong?', and I don't mind being wrong. But of course to a Christian, being wrong has a whole bunch of repercussions attached to it. And this is where the fear factor creeps in, since the question of 'what if you're wrong' is implying: If you're wrong, you'll spend eternity in hell.

No Christian likes to put it that bluntly though (most don't like the hell doctrine either, but as it comes with the territory, they've found ways to imply it without specifically mentioning it), so instead of reminding you you're going to hell, they'll tell you you're missing out on the cookies/heaven/God's love. Which of course is the same thing rephrased.

But even if the Christian God existed, do I want the love of a being who is going to torture most of humanity for eternity for not loving him back or recognizing him? Over here on earth we put people like that where they belong: behind bars or in clinics, along with the rest of the psychopaths.

Anyway. I hope this is going to be a one time kind of deal, kindof like the song he made for that football team. That was pretty embarassing too, but most of us got over it as it faded into to mists of time.

It's not the subject matter, we all know Prince has sung about God and religion most of his career, it's just not a very good song and the music and the embarrassingly bad vocals by a woman who should not be singing adds up to just more sub-par music from a man who used to be considered a musical genius. I realize this is most likely just a throw away single but it sounds just like the generic rock on PE. I think most of us assumed the whole 3EG thing would have never lasted this long. They are attractive but average at best musicians who are terrible singers. I'm sorry but I expect more from this guy. Unfortunately the creative well really does seem dried up.

BartVanHemelen said:

jwar said:

Why all the hate and bitterness? Why is there no appreciation?

.

People aren't allowed to dislike something?

.

You don't let anyone LIKE anything that you don't like, so you should maybe just shut up.

Damn, I haven't posted here in like two years. But, I just listened to the song. I don't like it. Starts out promising and then just plods along and Hannah's vocals drag it down even more. Sorry, this girl can not sing ... at all. I also listened to the original song, and didn't like it either.

All I can think of is "One of Us" which is along the same theme. Good, catchy orginal song, good Prince cover. "What If", not so much.

~Ifsixwuz9

Ifsixwuz9 said:

All I can think of is "One of Us" which is along the same theme. Good, catchy orginal song, good Prince cover. "What If", not so much.

Yeah, I agree completely. One of Us has that awesome "yeah, yeah, God is great..." hook, for example. Good song, good cover, like you said.

By the way, someone should make a compilation of prince songs that end with an explosion sound effect.

Prince Debuts Cover of Ch... 'What If'

Prince Debuts Cover of Christian Rock Ballad 'What If'

ETonline

Jessica RoyMarch 14, 2015

As if gracing the Grammy and Golden Globes with his presence this year wasn't already enough, Prince just released a new single, titled "What If."

It's a cover of a song by the same name that was written and performed by Christian musician Nichole Nordeman. Prince's version, created along with 3rdEyeGirl (the trio of female musicians who are currently Prince's backing band), is much heavier on electronics, but retains virtually all of the original lyrics. A sample: "What if He takes His place in history /With all the prophets and the kings /Who taught us love and came in peace /But then the story ends, what then?"

Prince released the song to a radio station in Louisville, Kentucky, where he's kicking off his new Hit & Run tour. Listen to it here.

This isn't the first time Prince has addressed faith and religion in his music: a recent biography delves into the spiritual side of the The Purple One. Evidently, Prince is a fan of Christian radio as well.

NEWS: Prince Blows Critics Away With 8-Minute SNL Set

Nichole Nordeman has been a mainstay on the Christian music scene for a few years. Among other accomplishments, she's released four albums, won several Gospel Music Association Dove awards, and even wrote a song for VeggieTales. According to Twitter, she's pretty pumped about Prince's cover.

She wrote on her official Facebook page about how she felt when she found out about the new song:

"Yesterday at 5:00pm I held a phone that was live streaming WFPK in Louisville, a station that had been selected to play the world debut of Prince’s new single. A song called What If. A song that I wrote and recorded about 5 years ago on my album Brave.

"I don’t really have the appropriate words for what an honor this is. If you are a musician on any level, you will immediately absorb the weight of it. This man’s talent is otherworldly. What’s the non-musical equivalent? Tiger Woods asking to borrow your clubs? Neil Armstrong calling and asking if you’d like to take a walk?"

She went on to say she was floored when the drummer for 3rdEyeGirl revealed in an interview that Prince had heard the song while listening to Christian radio.

"Prince heard a song about the transforming love of Jesus on Christian radio and now has given it a much wider audience than I ever did or could," she wrote.

Listen to Nordeman's original version here.

Watch Prince, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and other artists rock out at the SNL 40th anniversary after-party:

Stars In Their Underwear—See Them All!
Britney Spears: From Teen Star To… This
Taylor Swift Struts in Sexy Lingerie

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hahaha, "As if gracing the Grammy and Golden Globes with his presence this year wasn't already enough..."

.

"Two award shows and now a song on the radio!? No no, Prince, it's too much! Save something for 2016!"

fusk said:

hahaha, "As if gracing the Grammy and Golden Globes with his presence this year wasn't already enough..."

.

"Two award shows and now a song on the radio!? No no, Prince, it's too much! Save something for 2016!"

Consider the source..Not that I'm big on awards in general but could you imagine Prince actually winning an award these days besides a lifetime achievement or whatever? Unfortunately neither can I.

skywalker said:

"One of us" 2015

Bingo! Good spot!

Milty2 said:

...

Only thing I don't like too much is the extreme switch up where it gets kind of "herky jerky". I'm not a fan of that...

[Edited 3/13/15 9:56am]

I totally agree, Milty!

A few other 3EG songs take on the same formula, ie. "Aintturninround"

For me, the tempo changes throw the songs "off" a bit.

Like many have said, the first half of "What If" is pretty cool.

Lyrics aren't really my type.

Awww.....



Nichole Nordeman has been a mainstay on the Christian music scene for a few years. Among other accomplishments, she's released four albums, won several Gospel Music Association Dove awards, and even wrote a song for VeggieTales. According to Twitter, she's pretty pumped about Prince's cover.

She wrote on her official Facebook page about how she felt when she found out about the new song:

"Yesterday at 5:00pm I held a phone that was live streaming WFPK in Louisville, a station that had been selected to play the world debut of Prince’s new single. A song called What If. A song that I wrote and recorded about 5 years ago on my album Brave.

"I don’t really have the appropriate words for what an honor this is. If you are a musician on any level, you will immediately absorb the weight of it. This man’s talent is otherworldly. What’s the non-musical equivalent? Tiger Woods asking to borrow your clubs? Neil Armstrong calling and asking if you’d like to take a walk?"

She went on to say she was floored when the drummer for 3rdEyeGirl revealed in an interview that Prince had heard the song while listening to Christian radio.

"Prince heard a song about the transforming love of Jesus on Christian radio and now has given it a much wider audience than I ever did or could," she wrote.

I love it. The baffling thing is garbage like BoyTrouble and StopThisTrain made the album and this didn't

SoulAlive said:

Prince Debuts Cover of Ch... 'What If'

Prince Debuts Cover of Christian Rock Ballad 'What If'

ETonline

Jessica RoyMarch 14, 2015

As if gracing the Grammy and Golden Globes with his presence this year wasn't already enough, Prince just released a new single, titled "What If."

It's a cover of a song by the same name that was written and performed by Christian musician Nichole Nordeman. Prince's version, created along with 3rdEyeGirl (the trio of female musicians who are currently Prince's backing band), is much heavier on electronics, but retains virtually all of the original lyrics. A sample: "What if He takes His place in history /With all the prophets and the kings /Who taught us love and came in peace /But then the story ends, what then?"

Prince released the song to a radio station in Louisville, Kentucky, where he's kicking off his new Hit & Run tour. Listen to it here.

This isn't the first time Prince has addressed faith and religion in his music: a recent biography delves into the spiritual side of the The Purple One. Evidently, Prince is a fan of Christian radio as well.

NEWS: Prince Blows Critics Away With 8-Minute SNL Set

Nichole Nordeman has been a mainstay on the Christian music scene for a few years. Among other accomplishments, she's released four albums, won several Gospel Music Association Dove awards, and even wrote a song for VeggieTales. According to Twitter, she's pretty pumped about Prince's cover.

She wrote on her official Facebook page about how she felt when she found out about the new song:

"Yesterday at 5:00pm I held a phone that was live streaming WFPK in Louisville, a station that had been selected to play the world debut of Prince’s new single. A song called What If. A song that I wrote and recorded about 5 years ago on my album Brave.

"I don’t really have the appropriate words for what an honor this is. If you are a musician on any level, you will immediately absorb the weight of it. This man’s talent is otherworldly. What’s the non-musical equivalent? Tiger Woods asking to borrow your clubs? Neil Armstrong calling and asking if you’d like to take a walk?"

She went on to say she was floored when the drummer for 3rdEyeGirl revealed in an interview that Prince had heard the song while listening to Christian radio.

"Prince heard a song about the transforming love of Jesus on Christian radio and now has given it a much wider audience than I ever did or could," she wrote.

Listen to Nordeman's original version here.

Watch Prince, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and other artists rock out at the SNL 40th anniversary after-party:

Stars In Their Underwear—See Them All!
Britney Spears: From Teen Star To… This
Taylor Swift Struts in Sexy Lingerie

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Copy Link

11

bigd74 said:

I love it. The baffling thing is garbage like BoyTrouble and StopThisTrain made the album and this didn't

I like all three, but yeah, musically the album would have been more dynamic if this had been included as well.

I'm glad he released it. Any song that inspires one to think about what they believe has done something more than entertain, IMO. Plus it shows that he still thinks about these things. Many of my fave P tracks are the ones exploring beliefs/spirituality on some level. Get as deep as u like

Musically...I like it a lot. Vocally...I don't care for either one of them, especially Hannah. Lyrically...I'm not going to get upset over some generic lyrics to a throwaway cover song. Prince has said worse things in the name of religion. I'm used to it.

bigd74 said:

I love it. The baffling thing is garbage like BoyTrouble and StopThisTrain made the album and this didn't

Most of PE plus this song are all garbage if you ask me. (I know, you didn't). I listened to AOA again today. I like the production but not one single song stands out. And too many mellow songs sung in falsetto. It's really hard to believe that he used to put out such incredible music. AOA sounds like wallpaper/background music and PE is just plain embarrassing.

jjazznola said:

bigd74 said:

I love it. The baffling thing is garbage like BoyTrouble and StopThisTrain made the album and this didn't

Most of PE plus this song are all garbage if you ask me. (I know, you didn't). I listened to AOA again today. I like the production but not one single song stands out. And too many mellow songs sung in falsetto. It's really hard to believe that he used to put out such incredible music. AOA sounds like wallpaper/background music and PE is just plain embarrassing.

jjazznola question? Do you still wear a mullet? Do you still rock stone washed jeans or Hammer pants? Dangling earrings maybe? You really sound like you pine for the days when Prince wore all purple, peach&black or garters, hose and a rude boy badge. I love those things to......but its 2015....Prince has matured, grown and is making fabulous music that you are too locked into the past to enjoy. If your only purpose is to throw shade and negativity on those of us who "get" the new Prince....or mature....why don't you just get out of the ORG and leave the bandwith for some real fans. You are not needed.

What if you're wrong and Hinduism is right?
What if you're wrong and Sikhism is right?

What if you're wrong and Islam is right?
What if you're wrong and Buddhism is right?
What if you're wrong and Scientology is right?
What if you're wrong and Satanism is right?
What if you're wrong and the giant space vagina is right?

etc. etc. etc.

What if I'm wrong and this is not the most intellectually redundant, vanilla, middle of the road, uninspiring crap Prince has ever released?

Could be, but I doubt it.

Seems Prince is better off doing covers.

Chosen said:

Seems Prince is better off doing covers.

Prince could cover the best songs ever written and the org would still bitch and whine about it incessantly.

What if the building blocks for life are all around us in the galaxy?

What if what we know about history beyond 2000 years is wrong? (certain egyptian stuff already is a problem)

What if 10% of all UFOs are real?

What if P burned his samplers?

I'll go back to AOA...

sorry if this has already been discussed:

Anybody notice the wav file is track 08? #08 of what?!?

No track # on The X's Face wav.

djThunderfunk said:

sorry if this has already been discussed:

Anybody notice the wav file is track 08? #08 of what?!?

No track # on The X's Face wav.

Yeah I noticed that as well. It was either considered for inclusion on PLEC (which I doubted because the sound is quite different here than on those tracks) or maybe something else unreleased that he's been toying with.