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Thread started 07/02/15 2:52pm

Fury

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Baltimore named one of best songs of the year by USA Today

Basically everybody but the purists on the org like the song ... Go figure


http://www.usatoday.com/s.../29177959/



Baltimore, Prince
"Are we gonna see another bloody day?" Prince wondered in May, as he mourned the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Freddie Gray in Baltimore. Like everybody else, he had no idea what was coming in Charleston, S.C. Possibly the best Prince track in years, it got no traction on the radio, but it already sounds more poignant, more powerful than it did just a few weeks ago. — Brian Mansfield
[Edited 7/2/15 14:52pm]
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Reply #1 posted 07/02/15 3:13pm

antonb

I really like the song,so there
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Reply #2 posted 07/02/15 3:18pm

tatocorcu

I'm usually quite positive ab about Prince's new music but really didn't love this one... I think it's the vocals: Prince's were too mellow, the backing singer's a bit annoying...
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Reply #3 posted 07/02/15 3:20pm

OnlyNDaUsa

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I do not care for it

it sounds like some other song (like actionable close)

and then the foolish "take all the guns away" line... (when in the case the song was about no gun was used and he basically defends his running from the police... and the mike brown case seems to ignore that mike tired to take a cops gun... maybe he was going to melt it? LOL)

But the i do not know if i know any of thoes songs....

"Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!"
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Reply #4 posted 07/02/15 3:26pm

lezama

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I agree. I love the version with strings. I'd possibly put this on a list of my top 50 Prince tracks... possibly.

Change it one more time..
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Reply #5 posted 07/02/15 3:34pm

2020

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I've liked it even before the awesome final mix came out

Its a great track and once again shows Prince's ability to go from politics to sex in his music seamleseely and amazingly!

Party Hard P!

The greatest live performer of our times was is and always will be Prince.

Remember there is only one destination and that place is U
All of it. Everything. Is U.
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Reply #6 posted 07/02/15 4:12pm

EroticDreamer

Hate it.

The only song of his that I haven't purchased because of the michael brown lyric.

Face Down seems more appropriate.

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Reply #7 posted 07/02/15 4:49pm

derrick31

This song is pure PC garbage. It doesn't even speak to the facts of the case and the Michael Brown mention is really ridiculous. The writing as well as the singing seems lazy. I've purchased every piece of music Prince has officially released aside from this stinker. I doubt Ptince has any idea about what's happening in communities like Baltimore. If he did, he'd write a song about how these communities are destroying themselves from within.
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Reply #8 posted 07/02/15 10:49pm

thedance

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Baltimore?? Really??

I dislike this song as well...


Crap.... imho.... confused confused confused confused confused

Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #9 posted 07/03/15 12:53am

NorthC

I'm not too impressed by it either. Maybe USA Today was simply happy that somebody took the trouble of commenting on this situation? Because I don't hear a lot of social/political commentary in music anymore.
And I haven't listened to this song very often, but at least I remember how it goes. I can still sing "Baltimohohore..." to myself and that's more than I can say for most of P's new tunes. I can't even remember how The Ex's Face sounds. Even Hardrocklover, as great as it sounds, is more a whole lotta noise than an actual soung.
[Edited 7/3/15 0:56am]
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Reply #10 posted 07/03/15 2:03am

blackwell1

Great job, Prince.

Love the song. Love when the shakers come in, too.

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Reply #11 posted 07/03/15 5:40am

Fury

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being from Baltimore and hearing and seeing him perform it at the rally for peace
Will always be a highlight for me. It's a hopeful song... Not supposed to be we march, family name or dreamer.
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Reply #12 posted 07/03/15 5:47am

iZsaZsa

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Fury said:

being from Baltimore and hearing and seeing him perform it at the rally for peace
Will always be a highlight for me. It's a hopeful song... Not supposed to be we march, family name or dreamer.

clapping
What?
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Reply #13 posted 07/03/15 6:01am

Identity

After a few listens, "Baltimore" is still reasonably mediocre in the same vein as his charity single "S.S.T".

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Reply #14 posted 07/03/15 6:11am

KCOOLMUZIQ

Eye like ANYTHING prince does as a one-man-band....

eye will ALWAYS think of prince like a "ACT OF GOD"! N another realm. eye mean of all people who might of been aliens or angels.if found out that prince wasn't of this earth, eye would not have been that surprised. R.I.P. prince
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Reply #15 posted 07/03/15 6:32am

Pentacle

Fury said:

being from Baltimore and hearing and seeing him perform it at the rally for peace Will always be a highlight for me. It's a hopeful song... Not supposed to be we march, family name or dreamer.

"It's not supposed to be any good", yeah, when you look it at like that...

Stop the Prince Apologists ™
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Reply #16 posted 07/03/15 6:36am

iZsaZsa

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Pentacle said:



Fury said:


being from Baltimore and hearing and seeing him perform it at the rally for peace Will always be a highlight for me. It's a hopeful song... Not supposed to be we march, family name or dreamer.


"It's not supposed to be any good", yeah, when you look it at like that...


"Hopeful songs are not good songs". I disagree with you. Like, for forever and a day.
What?
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Reply #17 posted 07/03/15 8:35am

leadline

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One of my favorite songs in years, what's not to like?

"You always get the dream that you deserve, from what you value the most" -Prince 2013
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Reply #18 posted 07/03/15 9:05am

Pentacle

iZsaZsa said:

Pentacle said:

"It's not supposed to be any good", yeah, when you look it at like that...

"Hopeful songs are not good songs". I disagree with you. Like, for forever and a day.


Hey: 'Hope Of Deliverance is one of my favorite songs!

Stop the Prince Apologists ™
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Reply #19 posted 07/03/15 9:37am

aaroncanderson

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Prince doesn't know what's going on in "those" communities really? Have you forgot about Dance On and Sign O' the Times he talksabout those communities in those songs. I don't love this song either but Prince proved us wrong he does still know how to market himself.
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Reply #20 posted 07/03/15 12:19pm

Aerogram

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The song is misunderstood in my opinion.

It was never meant as a groundbreaking incursion into new lyrical and musical terrain, but as an instant, immediate musical reaction to the events of Baltimore. From the back-of-a-napkin lyrics to the simple yet perfectly evocative and appropriate music, it was first recorded live then redone in the studio where much of its immediacy survived despite the studio polish that might well have killed it a decade ago, through overproduction. I think Prince has improved in terms of not succombing to the devils of overproduction these last few years with 3EG and Josh.

[Edited 7/3/15 14:05pm]

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Reply #21 posted 07/03/15 1:00pm

BartVanHemelen

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Fury said:

Basically everybody but the purists on the org like the song ...

.

Yeah, that explain the huuuuge sales numbers. And the massive radio play.

.

Oh wait.

© 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
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Reply #22 posted 07/03/15 1:50pm

Aerogram

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BartVanHemelen said:

Fury said:

Basically everybody but the purists on the org like the song ...

.

Yeah, that explain the huuuuge sales numbers. And the massive radio play.

.

Oh wait.

Oh wait with this song, Prince had next to zero commercial ambitions as it was an activist statement he initially streamed for free on a situation on which he wanted to comment in his own way through his music..

Reactions elsewhere than on the Org were indeed positive, for the song and what it represented -- following it up with a concert (also partly streamed for free) only added to the feeling that here was one of the greatest musicians of our time uncharacteristically raising his voice to be heard. Sure, he paraphrased Black Lives Matter at award shows, but this was more deliberate and the end result was that a widely respected and admired artist added his voice to the chorus in a very effective way -- he was in the press for weeks first with the news the new song had been recorded, then the song streaming, followed by the concert , then for us Canucks there were very successful and acclaimed Hit N Run concerts, it was a great few weeks.

Did I mention 3EG got many great comments from almost all reviews of live shows I read? I had not but let's add this to the pile of evidence reactions outside of our little Org world have been positive. So he's not moving units like hot cakes but if that is your only criterion, then you have no business liking any of his songs that were not big hits (hint: most of his greatest songs were not hits).

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Reply #23 posted 07/03/15 2:01pm

Fury

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BartVanHemelen said:



Fury said:


Basically everybody but the purists on the org like the song ...

.


Yeah, that explain the huuuuge sales numbers. And the massive radio play.


.


Oh wait.



Lol... Must be a great feeling to be such a negative nancy for so long. lol
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Reply #24 posted 07/05/15 7:56pm

laurarichardso
n

BartVanHemelen said:



Fury said:


Basically everybody but the purists on the org like the song ...

.


Yeah, that explain the huuuuge sales numbers. And the massive radio play.


.


Oh wait.


Independent releases do not get radio airplay in America.This was a creative manner to discuss the issue occurring at the time. Are you really this stupid?
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