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Thread started 06/04/15 5:50am

Praxis

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The Breakdown, written for fans?

and the question is asked on different levels.

for years, we've heard sentiments about Prince not putting out enough emotion, pain or other real feelings which people identify with...or songs to look to for support and answers in music.

in The Breakdown, he broke his heart, lyrically...emotionally in voice

then again, could this song not metaphorically illustrate his relationship with us, the fans?

"give me back the time, you can keep the memories"

it's almost like, at times, nothing Prince does is good enough for some, maybe...me & U

no answers here, but this is one of my favorites, and recent Prince songs. masterpiece.

[Edited 6/4/15 6:11am]

No justice, No peace
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Reply #1 posted 06/04/15 5:57am

nonamesleft


Great song.

In my personal top ... lets say ... 10%

----------
Lets just go somewhere (we can funk)
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Reply #2 posted 06/04/15 6:10am

Praxis

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nonamesleft said:


Great song.

In my personal top ... lets say ... 10%

smile

No justice, No peace
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Reply #3 posted 06/04/15 6:48am

novabrkr

You're not the first one to come up with this interpretation.

Some say the lyrics are simply written with the move The Great Gatsby in mind. At some point he was supposed to do some music for it.

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Reply #4 posted 06/04/15 6:52am

Praxis

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novabrkr said:

You're not the first one to come up with this interpretation.

Some say the lyrics are simply written with the move The Great Gatsby in mind. At some point he was supposed to do some music for it.

that's interesting. sorry, i should probably have done a search before posting.

never knew that about The Great Gatsby as well. thanks for sharing.

No justice, No peace
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Reply #5 posted 06/04/15 7:01am

thedance

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Ok, hmmmmmmm..... at first listen I remember I liked the song, but now, no not really:

I do not like the production..... confused

Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #6 posted 06/04/15 7:17am

KingSausage

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It's not a terrible song. The "saddest story" lyric is dumb. The lasers are dumber.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #7 posted 06/04/15 7:19am

Praxis

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thedance said:

Ok, hmmmmmmm..... at first listen I remember I liked the song, but now, no not really:

I do not like the production..... confused

I dig the strings in it. It reminds me of another song of his that I just can't remember now. I think it was on Crystal Ball, maybe Strays of the World.

It took me time getting used to some of the screaming but I dig that too now biggrin

No justice, No peace
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Reply #8 posted 06/04/15 7:20am

Praxis

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KingSausage said:

It's not a terrible song. The "saddest story" lyric is dumb. The lasers are dumber.

u know he gets cheezi like that sometimes wink

No justice, No peace
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Reply #9 posted 06/04/15 7:21am

KingSausage

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Praxis said:



KingSausage said:


It's not a terrible song. The "saddest story" lyric is dumb. The lasers are dumber.


u know he gets cheezi like that sometimes wink




I know. But it's SO cheesy. lol
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #10 posted 06/04/15 10:52am

aaroncanderson

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I love the lasers! It's my favorite part. But overall it's a 3 star song. U Know is the star of that album. Thanks Josh Wenton!!!

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Reply #11 posted 06/04/15 11:03am

NorthC

KingSausage said:

It's not a terrible song. The "saddest story" lyric is dumb. The lasers are dumber.

True, but the rest of the song is strong enough to survive a little dumbness. It's my favourite on AOA.
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Reply #12 posted 06/04/15 1:18pm

RJOrion

i dig the lasers

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Reply #13 posted 06/04/15 2:30pm

tatocorcu

It's ok. I hate he first few lines (up to 'reminiscing now I just feel like a fool'), it gets better after that. I hope we get to hear the 3rdeyegirl version which was apparently recorded, I think I might like it better...
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Reply #14 posted 06/04/15 2:51pm

Aerogram

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The Breakdown is my other half secret favorite recent song of his - since it was initially released a single.

Know how I know One day, I was telling him about the lasers people complain about and he was mesmerized We've had jokes about this being a crying song, some kind of musical therapy. It's ok to have that breakdown, it's ok to feel sad and regretful, you can even laugh about it -- as he did with the short Analyze This video with De Niro crying tears of sadness.

It's ok to have a moment of self-pity -- so long as you get over it in a positive way. It has become a ritual of us (me and my other half) to listen to this song and feel sad about whatever's not going right.

The lasers? A reminder this is a pseudo sci-fi concept and a warning not to have an actual nervous breakdown. Tjey remind you it's a therapeutic musical exercise.

The compression? My theory is that Prince intended the song to feel that way in the Art Offical Age.

As for it being a message to fans, I think Prince has been factoring fans since the beginning in one way or another Maybe some personal affair lyrics also work well as a message to fans... you can bet on it quite a few times.

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Reply #15 posted 06/04/15 10:52pm

novabrkr

The distortion in the chorus due to compression / limiting is the result of the song's structure not being terribly suitable for modern playback levels.

The verses are minimalistic, whereas the choruses have many, many layers of sound and a loud bass line to make things more complicated. So, if you want the verses to be at least somewhat reminiscent of typical loudness levels of today, the entire thing has to be pushed so hard that the chorus is most likely going to clip even with the best of mastering equipment. Prince has chosen to preserve the dynamic shift between the verses and the choruses, which was probably the right choice if you're going for maximum impact. Of course, someone should have just done something to those parts where the distortion is the most apparent.

Think about it for a moment, it makes sense if you've mixed and mastered stuff yourself. The thing is, you just can't do many of the things you could in the past because of the loudness wars.

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Reply #16 posted 06/05/15 1:11am

BartVanHemelen

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novabrkr said:

The thing is, you just can't do many of the things you could in the past because of the loudness wars.

.

"There’s only one way to win the loudness war, and that’s to sidestep it."

© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #17 posted 06/05/15 1:52am

breakdown2k14

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I love this song
There's Joy in repetition
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Reply #18 posted 06/05/15 11:40am

Dazza

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Both ballads on AOA leave me cold. It all sounds contrived to me. I can't rememeber when he last wrote an affecting ballad.

2010 - Walk in sand, sea of everything - awful

MPLSOUND - Better with time, U're gonna C Me - awful

Lotus - 4Ever - not bad

Planet Earth - Somewhere Here on Earth - Smaltz

The only ballads I can think of that were any good in the last 15 years are:

She loves me 4 me

Satisfied

Call my name

Green virgin teenager, or filthy rich yuppy. Pussy cat pussy cat, where for out thou puppy
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Reply #19 posted 06/05/15 1:50pm

TheKid94

Dazza said:

Both ballads on AOA leave me cold. It all sounds contrived to me. I can't rememeber when he last wrote an affecting ballad.

2010 - Walk in sand, sea of everything - awful

MPLSOUND - Better with time, U're gonna C Me - awful

Lotus - 4Ever - not bad

Planet Earth - Somewhere Here on Earth - Smaltz

The only ballads I can think of that were any good in the last 15 years are:

She loves me 4 me

Satisfied

Call my name

Interesting, Somewhere Here On Earth is one of his best ballads for me.

I also love The Dance and Te Amo Corazon is pretty good too.

prince
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Reply #20 posted 06/05/15 10:39pm

awesomeav

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Personally I love breakdown it's got a very true vibe it's honest & ver heartfelt plus he made it sound more modern by using Laser like sound effects or as I would call it Phaser noises in the back ground (I'm sure J.J Abrams was in on that) lol anyway great song cool album Nuff said cool
All of this and more is 4 u. With <3, sincerity and deepest care, my life with u eye share ~Prince~
Life is time time is space and space is what Eye need ~Awesome A.V~
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Reply #21 posted 06/05/15 10:52pm

audience1

Excellent song! Best track on the album.

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Reply #22 posted 06/06/15 1:21am

ComeHereLetMeC
utYourHair

audience1 said:

Excellent song! Best track on the album.

agree in full

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Reply #23 posted 06/06/15 2:45am

KingSausage

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awesomeav said:

Personally I love breakdown it's got a very true vibe it's honest & ver heartfelt plus he made it sound more modern by using Laser like sound effects or as I would call it Phaser noises in the back ground (I'm sure J.J Abrams was in on that) lol anyway great song cool album Nuff said cool



It's funny you mention J. J. Abrams. My wife and I always joke that the Breakdown lasers remind us of Nightbeast, a fantastically shitty early 80's no-budget horror flick that was scored ("scored") by Abrams! Yes. Check it out. Hilarious movie. Worst sex scene ever. Great laser effects. Also one of the saddest stories that's ever been told.
"Drop that stereo before I blow your Goddamn nuts off, asshole!"
-Eugene Tackleberry
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Reply #24 posted 06/12/15 8:23pm

awesomeav

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Thanks KingSausage I'm gonna go check that out now smile
All of this and more is 4 u. With <3, sincerity and deepest care, my life with u eye share ~Prince~
Life is time time is space and space is what Eye need ~Awesome A.V~
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Reply #25 posted 06/13/15 4:31am

S3V3N

KingSausage said:

It's not a terrible song. The "saddest story" lyric is dumb. The lasers are dumber.


Not nearly as bad as the sound of the falling stars ~~* in TMBGITW. That song is so full of cheese. Nobody ever rails about that one.
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Reply #26 posted 06/13/15 5:59am

Adorecream

What I love is that he builds up the tension and then lets loose with an explosion of emotional bravado. The Beautiful ones for the 2010's.

.

I really like the line "Theres a door that u can walk thru, where there used to be a wall" Beautiful. And I like the death lasers. What else, cascading multi layered falsettos, always a pre requisite on Prince's best and most overwrought ballads that I love.

Got some kind of love for you, and I don't even know your name
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