What is the slowed down voice saying?

Can't work it out. My bass at the start? No idea apart from that and that's probably wrong.

Anyone have know what he's saying?

I always thought it said 'bleach blonde is the place. the x's face'

Something something something American Player? Thats what I hear in my head.

"Freeze. My. Airplane....Airplaine..Myyy...Freeze. My. Airplane."

I loaded it up in some editing software the other day and sped it up a bit to see if that made things any clearer and it definitely did.

I still can't fully make out the first bit but I think it's:

My bass wired

Edit and play

I'm certain about the 'edit and play bit', this becomes really clear when it's sped up, fairly sure about 'my bass', but still can't cleary make out the word wired.

Bass wired edit and play
edit and play
My bass wired edit and play
edit and play

TheEnglishGent said:

I loaded it up in some editing software the other day and sped it up a bit to see if that made things any clearer and it definitely did.

I still can't fully make out the first bit but I think it's:

My bass wired

Edit and play

I'm certain about the 'edit and play bit', this becomes really clear when it's sped up, fairly sure about 'my bass', but still can't cleary make out the word wired.

Bass wired edit and play
edit and play
My bass wired edit and play
edit and play

Nothing interesting is it!

I was sure I could hear 'aeroplane' in there

Not a bad jam, love the beat and his sarcastic way of singing. But the monkey/banana references need to go, whether its racist or not I don't care, its just daft.

One of the few times when the voice & production work together on the album.

I like this one, up til the 'black don't crack, beige don't age..' part.

Nothing wrong with that sentiment, but it doesn't fit anything else in the song & then it's followed by the banana part.

VelvetKittyKat said:

One of the few times when the voice & production work together on the album.

I like this one, up til the 'black don't crack, beige don't age..' part.

Nothing wrong with that sentiment, but it doesn't fit anything else in the song & then it's followed by the banana part.

.

Agreed (with the bolded line). This is my fav track on the album. I'm thinking the whole banana/oo-oo-oo-ah-ah-ah thang is a diss toward Morris Day, but I'm not sure why.

probably the best song on the album...too bad i had already added it to my extended version of AOA...therefore, the joint is already played out for me...not cool when the album's best song is towards the end of the LP, and old

nosajd said:

I can't tell what it is either. The last part sounds like he a saying something '& flavor' ? I don't know. There's also a voice in the background I can't understand around 2:26 that repeats itself for the last 10 seconds.

.

Background: "wipe...wipe out...wipe...wipe out...." At least that's what it sounds like to me.

.

I am SO hooked on this track. Though I was hoping for a longer version, but sometimes less is more. And it is so awesome hearing it in good sound quality.

.

The first few seconds of "X's Face" always make me think of The Orb version of NIN's "The Perfect Drug."

Giovanni777 said:

VelvetKittyKat said:

One of the few times when the voice & production work together on the album.

I like this one, up til the 'black don't crack, beige don't age..' part.

Nothing wrong with that sentiment, but it doesn't fit anything else in the song & then it's followed by the banana part.

.

Agreed (with the bolded line). This is my fav track on the album. I'm thinking the whole banana/oo-oo-oo-ah-ah-ah thang is a diss toward Morris Day, but I'm not sure why.

.

kind of blips the song eh

"My Bass Fly American Plane"

(i can't hear it any other way, no matter what you guys 'n' gals try to tell me )

I really like this one, too.

Prost!

Bluu said:

The first few seconds of "X's Face" always make me think of The Orb version of NIN's "The Perfect Drug."

-

VelvetKittyKat said:

One of the few times when the voice & production work together on the album.

I like this one, up til the 'black don't crack, beige don't age..' part.

Nothing wrong with that sentiment, but it doesn't fit anything else in the song & then it's followed by the banana part.

I'm convinced that is what he is saying too, however the lyrics printed in the CD booklet shows "bass don't age". Odd.

I first heard this song at Prince's Hit n Run show in Louisville, KY. It's just okay to me. The lyrics are cool though. It's growing on me.

TheEnglishGent said:

I loaded it up in some editing software the other day and sped it up a bit to see if that made things any clearer and it definitely did.

I still can't fully make out the first bit but I think it's:

My bass wired

Edit and play

I'm certain about the 'edit and play bit', this becomes really clear when it's sped up, fairly sure about 'my bass', but still can't cleary make out the word wired.

Bass wired edit and play
edit and play
My bass wired edit and play
edit and play

I'm still not hearing 'play' as many times as I've listened to it. It sounds to me like it might be 'player', but that still doesn't sound right either.

does anybody have an idea what the 'X's face' is supposed to be?
I can't really make out the lyrics yet

1.

I dig that he works "t'was" into this song.

2.

"a few months ago, or maybe it was years..."

"long time ago, or maybe yesterday..."

Since he released AOA/PE with WB, I thought this jam was referring back to his old feud with ("X" WB darling") Madge (whose face looks like it's clearly been through the wringer and to whom years have not been kind) who has fallen the f off, with songs that make the worst of Prince's recent releases look like solid gold or at least thoughtful.

"banana" just seems like a sexual phallic diss.

nosajd said:

TheEnglishGent said:

I loaded it up in some editing software the other day and sped it up a bit to see if that made things any clearer and it definitely did.

I still can't fully make out the first bit but I think it's:

My bass wired

Edit and play

I'm certain about the 'edit and play bit', this becomes really clear when it's sped up, fairly sure about 'my bass', but still can't cleary make out the word wired.

Bass wired edit and play
edit and play
My bass wired edit and play
edit and play

I'm still not hearing 'play' as many times as I've listened to it. It sounds to me like it might be 'player', but that still doesn't sound right either.

Load it up in some sample editing software and change the speed, it's much clearer. I'd upload the speeded up sample and link to it if it wouldn't cause a purple hissy fit.

nosajd said:

I can't tell what it is either. The last part sounds like he a saying something '& flavor' ? I don't know. There's also a voice in the background I can't understand around 2:26 that repeats itself for the last 10 seconds.

To me it sounds like, "Are you proud"

I love this song, the lyrics are a bit perplexing though. Not sure what he means about the the jugular and how it tastes, unless he is implying that his x was a vampire, sucking on his blood?

My take on the "Black don't crack - beige don't age, go on take that bannana and get back in the cage" section is that that he is both making a nod at his own appearance and also highlighting the racism in the sentiment.

The apparent compliment of "black don't crack" is the bannana that the person in power is giving, but the recipient still has to live demeaned in a cage. Hence the monkey noises etc - he is satirising the backhanded racism that lives in so called positive statements that still define black people as "other".

Not sure why he would choose to go there in a song about an X, unless he is implying that she was casually racist, or mocking the kind of things she used to say, but I can't think of a recent rumoured partner that would be likely to say that kind of thing.

Anyway, it is sonically great and would have liked more songs in this vein on the album. It does kind of end on a bit of a limp note, like Josh doesn't know how to wrap up the groove or knock it up a notch for the ending, but that's the only disappointment.

I heard the masked lyrics as "we fly American Plane, American plane" which doesn't make any sense.

Also, I think this is the track that Josh did everything on and Prince only sang, there is no bass, guitar parts that I can hear Prince doing on this, very little multitracking of vocal, so I tihnk Prince rocked up and did a bit of stream-of-conscious lyrics, which may be why the subject leaps around a bit.

[Edited 9/22/15 6:07am]

Prince is really cold to write a song about someone's (me) destruction of life by a demented (zeliara) ex's face.....

appleseed said:

quite clear to me it says:

We Are American Play (or Players)

and the song is pure power to me

PsychoCowboy said:

quite clear to me it says:

We Are American Play (or Players)

and the song is pure power to me

Need to speed it up!

TheEnglishGent said:

I loaded it up in some editing software the other day and sped it up a bit to see if that made things any clearer and it definitely did.

I still can't fully make out the first bit but I think it's:

My bass wired

Edit and play

I'm certain about the 'edit and play bit', this becomes really clear when it's sped up, fairly sure about 'my bass', but still can't cleary make out the word wired.

Bass wired edit and play
edit and play
My bass wired edit and play
edit and play

Yeah that 1st bit has got me too.

.

Bass fully wired...edit and play

Edit and play

My bass fully wired...edit and play

Edit and play

.

Or maybe?

Bass f-ing wired...edit and play

Edit and play

My bass f-ing wired...edit and play

Edit and play

.

The F-ing part could be the typical way he uses a curse word and censors it. "Wired" could also be "wild".

.

"Edit and play" sounds the clearest to me too. However I also hear "Never complain"

I posted this on the general HnR review thread. Maybe I'm not the only one who thinks this.

The first time I heard X's Face I thought it sounded familiar. It reminds me of Low Rider by War. (The vocal delivery, not the music.)