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Thread started 04/24/15 9:11am

jaimestarr79

The Story behind the song "Dance on"......

I was listening to the very underated song "Dance On" from the lovesexy album today. To me it sounds like a outtake from the "1999" album. Does anybody know anything about this song?

If you ain't heard this jam in a while...pull this shit out!!! It's a true jam with some slamming guitar.

I think its the best song on album besides "alphabet St."

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Reply #1 posted 04/24/15 12:50pm

RJOrion

always loved that song..

"get off me punk, you aint sexy"

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Reply #2 posted 04/24/15 4:14pm

CharismaDove

I like it, but it doesn't really go anywhere after a while.. IDK. It's kind of clunky to me. Is Sheila playing drums by herself or with P?

Maybe eye do, just not like eye did before pimp2
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Reply #3 posted 04/25/15 4:40am

S3V3N

It's a slamming, harder version of SOTT (the song).
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Reply #4 posted 04/25/15 8:55am

leonche64

CharismaDove said:

I like it, but it doesn't really go anywhere after a while.. IDK. It's kind of clunky to me. Is Sheila playing drums by herself or with P?

I would throw money on it being a drum machine.

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Reply #5 posted 04/26/15 1:03pm

SoulAlive

This is the only song on Lovesexy that I'm not crazy about.It has a good message,but the song sounds like an unfinished demo.

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Reply #6 posted 04/26/15 4:17pm

bonatoc

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S3V3N said:

It's a slamming, harder version of SOTT (the song).


Nowhere near.
It's "just" Prince discovering the sampler and "fooling" with it.

Has he ever performed it live?



The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure
Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams
Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose
Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams
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Reply #7 posted 04/26/15 7:05pm

paisleypark4

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bonatoc said:

S3V3N said:

It's a slamming, harder version of SOTT (the song).


Nowhere near.
It's "just" Prince discovering the sampler and "fooling" with it.

Has he ever performed it live?



in sections, not actually in full. Usually during a drum solo.

Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records.
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Reply #8 posted 04/26/15 7:10pm

train23

I have always wondered about the line "a bass guitar in spider webs longing for thefunk"
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Reply #9 posted 04/26/15 7:15pm

paisleypark4

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train23 said:

I have always wondered about the line "a bass guitar in spider webs longing for thefunk"

The music was ignored for guns and violence cry (uzi takes its place in a wagon trunk)

Straight Jacket Funk Affair
Album plays and love for vinyl records.
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Reply #10 posted 04/26/15 10:08pm

kenkamken

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It sounds like he samples the Janet Jackson line "there's a bass guitar in this".

"So fierce U look 2night, the brightest star pales 2 Ur sex..."
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Reply #11 posted 04/26/15 11:43pm

Rebeljuice

leonche64 said:

CharismaDove said:

I like it, but it doesn't really go anywhere after a while.. IDK. It's kind of clunky to me. Is Sheila playing drums by herself or with P?

I would throw money on it being a drum machine.

Well throw your money my way. Thats Sheila E all the way. smile She even played it (a short section) on the Lovesexy tour during a drum solo. Awsome tune....

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Reply #12 posted 04/27/15 1:06am

NorthC

train23 said:

I have always wondered about the line "a bass guitar in spider webs longing for thefunk"

Being in a spider web of course means you're trapped. Imprisoned. A bass guitar belongs to the funk and being caught up in the spider web, it can't get there. So it's a metaphor for wanting to be free. That's the way I see it.
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Reply #13 posted 04/27/15 4:25am

MIRvmn

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SoulAlive said:

This is the only song on Lovesexy that I'm not crazy about.It has a good message,but the song sounds like an unfinished demo.

Dance on is terrible imo and yes it sounds like a demo.

Welcome 2 The Dawn
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Reply #14 posted 04/27/15 4:28am

PacManPlus

kenkamken said:

It sounds like he samples the Janet Jackson line "there's a bass guitar in this".

From what song?

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Reply #15 posted 04/27/15 6:16am

Vannormal

train23 said:

I have always wondered about the line "a bass guitar in spider webs longing for thefunk"


Means : a bass guitar covered with spider web'S' is a bass that hasn't been played on for a while. Hence the short bass solo right afterwards in the melody... IMHO

Prince lyrics aren't all that layered or difficult to read imho.
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves. And wiser people so full of doubts" (Bertrand Russell 1872-1972)
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Reply #16 posted 04/27/15 10:22am

motherfunka

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Rebeljuice said:

leonche64 said:

I would throw money on it being a drum machine.

Well throw your money my way. Thats Sheila E all the way. smile She even played it (a short section) on the Lovesexy tour during a drum solo. Awsome tune....

There is also a bootleg out there where the song was rehearsed in full for the Lovesexy tour. I always liked the song.

TRUE BLUE
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Reply #17 posted 04/27/15 10:46am

Poplife88

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Great song. I thought it was common knowledge (amoung Prince fans) that Sheila did the drums for this one. Always been a highlight on Lovesexy for me.

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Reply #18 posted 04/27/15 11:56am

bonatoc

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MIRvmn said:

SoulAlive said:

This is the only song on Lovesexy that I'm not crazy about.It has a good message,but the song sounds like an unfinished demo.

Dance on is terrible imo and yes it sounds like a demo.


It sounded great back in the days, when the sound was fresh (and believe me, it was. Lovesexy was almost otherwordly in terms of production).

But the song doesn't have much. It's quarter notes and 2 chords.
And again, Prince discovers the Roland sampler.

It's slightly less ridiculous than the beginning of "People Without" from "Small Club", but still too basic an idea to stand the test of time.

The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure
Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams
Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose
Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams
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Reply #19 posted 04/27/15 12:16pm

klick2me

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"Little talk Johnny blew the big score"; I swear, Prince is a lyrical genius.
klick
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Reply #20 posted 04/27/15 12:21pm

bigd74

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klick2me said:

"Little talk Johnny blew the big score"; I swear, Prince is a lyrical genius.

was, not is

She Believed in Fairytales and Princes, He Believed the voices coming from his stereo

If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me?
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Reply #21 posted 04/27/15 1:45pm

steakfinger

I read in an interview, (still trying to find it) wherein Prince said Sheila played the drums and then the were put into "the computer" and chopped up.

I would've guessed sampler and maybe that's what he meant. He used to call his LM-1 "computer drums" so that's my guess.

Even without having read that, it's fairly clear to me that it's a real drum set sampled and edited to sound like that. There's no question that the drum track is not presented as Sheila played it. Anyone with ears can tell that it's been manipulated for effect.

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Reply #22 posted 04/27/15 2:23pm

herb4

This song gets too much hate. It's one of my favorites on the whole record. The only thing working against it is that is doesn't really fit stylistically.

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Reply #23 posted 04/27/15 2:57pm

klick2me

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bigd74 said:



klick2me said:


"Little talk Johnny blew the big score"; I swear, Prince is a lyrical genius.



was, not is




Now that, my friend, is a matter of opinion.
klick
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Reply #24 posted 04/27/15 3:27pm

Giovanni777

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Wow. Not much love for this slammin track, with socially conscious lyrics. I loved (and still love) this cut.

"Grenade launcher roars in a television sky... tell me how many young brothers must die."

Drums are either Prince or Sheila.

"He's a musician's musician..."
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Reply #25 posted 04/27/15 5:37pm

dadeepop

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I remember buying Lovesexy in college. My friends were going out that night. I was like, "Nah, I'm staying in." I had it on repeat all night. Of course I went out the next night and drank a bunch of beer and what not.

"The password is what."
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Reply #26 posted 04/27/15 6:17pm

williamb610

"NEWU-UCLEAR Ban never STAYS IN TUNE....They all know the words but the music is doomed!"

I love that shit!

I had the biggest conflict going on with this album. It came after SOTT and I thought, at first, it wasn't hardcore enough. Then again, I truly believed in what Prince called Alphabet St. for his albums, "This is not music...this is a trip!" With Prince music, in the old days, he takes you on a ride. So, I buckled down and subscribed to that. It sounded totally different than SOTT and I didn't like that. I really wanted the Black Album instead of this album, but I bought both and enjoyed them both.

Fave tracks: Eye No, Alphabet Street, Glam Slam(killer ending), Anna Stesia, Dance On(Pick it up! Rnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...), I Wish U Heaven(thank the Creator for the "Take This Beat" remix), Positivity

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Reply #27 posted 04/27/15 8:31pm

leonche64

steakfinger said:

I read in an interview, (still trying to find it) wherein Prince said Sheila played the drums and then the were put into "the computer" and chopped up.

I would've guessed sampler and maybe that's what he meant. He used to call his LM-1 "computer drums" so that's my guess.

Even without having read that, it's fairly clear to me that it's a real drum set sampled and edited to sound like that. There's no question that the drum track is not presented as Sheila played it. Anyone with ears can tell that it's been manipulated for effect.

This is what it sounds like to me.

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Reply #28 posted 04/29/15 7:47am

udo

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bonatoc said:

Has he ever performed it live?

http://princevault.com/index.php/09_September,_1988

So it might even be on tape/disc/etc.

Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill... If you don't believe me or don't get it, I don't have time to try to convince you, sorry.
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Reply #29 posted 04/29/15 7:56am

SchlomoThaHomo

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I used to try to drum along to this on phonebooks as a child. Still a fave.

"That's when stars collide. When there's space for what u want, and ur heart is open wide."
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