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[Edited 6/11/16 16:03pm]

[Edited 6/11/16 17:29pm]

I have only heard the remake of this song and I just heard the original version today. I like the original version a bit better. I like the music of the remake, but there's something about the 1982 version that I love. The rape lyric doesn't bother me too much as a victim myself because its just a song. I know people will get offended and whatnot, but we are talking about a man who wrote a song about being horny for his sister

DarlingKris said:

I have only heard the remake of this song and I just heard the original version today. I like the original version a bit better. I like the music of the remake, but there's something about the 1982 version that I love. The rape lyric doesn't bother me too much as a victim myself because its just a song. I know people will get offended and whatnot, but we are talking about a man who wrote a song about being horny for his sister

Prince wrote so many sedution songs that bordered on porn, that it surprises me that he ventured across this line, only once or twice. He knew better than to release it. He was probably mortified when it got out.

QueenofCardboard said:

DarlingKris said:

I have only heard the remake of this song and I just heard the original version today. I like the original version a bit better. I like the music of the remake, but there's something about the 1982 version that I love. The rape lyric doesn't bother me too much as a victim myself because its just a song. I know people will get offended and whatnot, but we are talking about a man who wrote a song about being horny for his sister

Prince wrote so many sedution songs that bordered on porn, that it surprises me that he ventured across this line, only once or twice. He knew better than to release it. He was probably mortified when it got out.

Yeah it makes me wonder how he felt when the 1982 version came out

Never took it as a song about rape. And people say stupid stuff they don't actually mean sometimes.

I've just heard it recently for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I'm obsessed. I definitely prefer this version. It doesn't really bother me to be honest. I think because we all kind of know the nature of P, not that it's an excuse however. But if another artist had mentioned it I'd feel differently. I guess that doesn't really make it fair, but it is what it is.

QueenofCardboard said:

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[Edited 6/11/16 11:24am]

[Edited 6/11/16 16:36pm]

[Edited 6/11/16 17:31pm]

"I am sorry. I am the one that started the thread, and I almost didn't start it because I was afraid something like this might happen. I am Very Very Sorry. We are all afraid that we might put our feet in our mouths and set you off. I am so sorry that you are in so much pain right now, and I feel like it is my fault. I should never have started this thread. I am sorry."

If this was your comment, no need to be sorry. It was only a question to which I gave my opinion. I wanted to write my opinion. I don't know how a woman who has been dragged around by a rapist could listen to that and be anything other than repulsed.

I became upset because of the rape & murder that I started to think about when whathisname thought he knew what it was all about. My mind went to the very different outcomes of his event and my relatives. So I took myself away until I calmed down again. I don't think about her death much these days. It was a long time ago - but yes, I have strong reasons to be triggered by this kind of stuff. Anger is easier than pain. I usually deal with it by getting angry. There were more incidents with me too. The worst was a stranger tried to kidnap me as a tiny child (after failing to lure my friend and I with sweets, he tried to grab me when we started to back away from him, and we both ran). There were so many incidents (most of the others just creepy) that some people I told didn't believe me so I stopped telling anyone (I swear I have no idea why these creeps saw me and saw a target). I didn't even tell the friend I assaulted who grabbed hold of my shoulders (in a friendly way) at party. I was mortified that I hurt him and he felt just as bad for suprising me even though he did nothing wrong. My male friends have always been the best. I always trusted them implicitly and not one has ever let me down.

Anyway, it's not your fault or anyones fault except the murderer - and he went to prison, as did my attacker (the fool even kept the knife for the police to find).

morningsong said:

Never took it as a song about rape. And people say stupid stuff they don't actually mean sometimes.

I never did either, even though I have a problem with the lyric. Curious, what do you think the song is about? Personally think it's about drugs, specifically ecstasy.

sunset3121 said:

QueenofCardboard said:

[Edited 6/11/16 11:24am]

[Edited 6/11/16 16:36pm]

[Edited 6/11/16 17:31pm]

"I am sorry. I am the one that started the thread, and I almost didn't start it because I was afraid something like this might happen. I am Very Very Sorry. We are all afraid that we might put our feet in our mouths and set you off. I am so sorry that you are in so much pain right now, and I feel like it is my fault. I should never have started this thread. I am sorry."

If this was your comment, no need to be sorry. It was only a question to which I gave my opinion. I wanted to write my opinion. I don't know how a woman who has been dragged around by a rapist could listen to that and be anything other than repulsed.

Yeah, that was me. Thanks for responding. I hope you feel better. I have had bad experiences similar to yours, and I also lost a friend to some sicko who was never caught. I am not saying that I understand how you feel. Maybe I do, maybe don't. I can see why you are repulsed by these lyrics.

I am not indifferent to the rape lyrics in this song. Quite the opposite, but they don't trigger those bad memories for me. It is probably because at no point did any of my assailants say anything like;

"I'm sorry, but I'm just gonna have to rape you
Now are you going to get into the tub or do I have to drag you?
Don't make me drag you
I can be very cruel
Yeah!"

What they did say was closer to "Don't Scream!"

These lyrics do remind me very strongly of one time when my evil older sister was babysitting me, and was trying to give me a bath. If you change the word 'rape' to 'spank' and take out the line about being cruel, it's almost direct quote. Those lyrics remind me of child abuse, more than rape.

[Edited 6/14/16 21:03pm]

[Edited 6/14/16 22:51pm]

QueenofCardboard said:

sunset3121 said:

"I am sorry. I am the one that started the thread, and I almost didn't start it because I was afraid something like this might happen. I am Very Very Sorry. We are all afraid that we might put our feet in our mouths and set you off. I am so sorry that you are in so much pain right now, and I feel like it is my fault. I should never have started this thread. I am sorry."

If this was your comment, no need to be sorry. It was only a question to which I gave my opinion. I wanted to write my opinion. I don't know how a woman who has been dragged around by a rapist could listen to that and be anything other than repulsed.

Yeah, that was me. Thanks for responding. I hope you feel better. I have had bad experiences similar to yours, and I also lost a friend to some sicko who was never caught. I am not saying that I understand how you feel. Maybe I do, maybe don't. I can see why you are repulsed by these lyrics.

I am not indifferent to the rape lyrics in this song. Quite the opposite, but they don't trigger those bad memories for me. It is probably because at no point did any of my assailants say anything like;

"I'm sorry, but I'm just gonna have to rape you
Now are you going to get into the tub or do I have to drag you?
Don't make me drag you
I can be very cruel
Yeah!"

What they did say was closer to "Don't Scream!"

These lyrics do remind me very strongly of one time when my evil older sister was babysitting me, and was trying to give me a bath. If you change the word 'rape' to 'spank' and take out the line about being cruel, it's almost direct quote. Those lyrics remind me of child abuse, more than rape.

[Edited 6/14/16 21:03pm]

[Edited 6/14/16 22:51pm]

I have lovely family and friends, I am sorry you had a bad time with your sister. I am very wary of strangers though. Even when the police stopped me I refused to get out of the car and dealt with them through a 2mm gap in my window. Friends who work in the police were horrified with that story (I never gave them or the police the background to why I behaved that way) - but they were strange men, I wasn't getting out with them on my own. They were UK police so they were cool about it.

It is a shame about Prince because with his published work he generally gave out the opposite message. Maybe not with LCD, but I know I didn't feel repulsed by that before all the attacks like I do now.

I think he was young.

There's a reason why he didn't release it that way, at that time.

He had said (paraphrasing) that a reason why he didn't like bootlegs is because those songs are not finished or meant to be out there.

PliablyPurple said:

morningsong said:

Never took it as a song about rape. And people say stupid stuff they don't actually mean sometimes.

I never did either, even though I have a problem with the lyric. Curious, what do you think the song is about? Personally think it's about drugs, specifically ecstasy.

I don't think ecstasy was known as a recreational drug until the late 80's, several years after the song was written.

djThunderfunk said:

I know wiki is open source, but this is a message board not an academic paper :

By the early 1980s MDMA was being used in Boston and New York City nightclubs such as Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Into the early 1980s, as the recreational market slowly expanded, production of MDMA was dominated by a small group of therapeutically minded Boston chemists. Having commenced production in 1976, this "Boston Group" did not keep up with growing demand and shortages frequently occurred.

Anyway, I'm just guessing. "Sugar" could mean coke as well. Or it could be a sexual reference, but the lyrics mention dropping, which obviously is attached to the drug culture and has been for a long time.

PliablyPurple said:

I know wiki is open source, but this is a message board not an academic paper :

By the early 1980s MDMA was being used in Boston and New York City nightclubs such as Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Into the early 1980s, as the recreational market slowly expanded, production of MDMA was dominated by a small group of therapeutically minded Boston chemists. Having commenced production in 1976, this "Boston Group" did not keep up with growing demand and shortages frequently occurred.

Anyway, I'm just guessing. "Sugar" could mean coke as well. Or it could be a sexual reference, but the lyrics mention dropping, which obviously is attached to the drug culture and has been for a long time.

Well all right then, I stand corrected. Guess it just took a few years to filter out to the suburbs and small towns.

Extralovable is a DATE RAPE song. It is not about ecstasy or any other drug. Prince didn't do drugs.

QueenofCardboard said:

EmmaMcG said:

QueenofCardboard said:

Extralovable is a DATE RAPE song. It is not about ecstasy or any other drug. Prince didn't do drugs.

I don't think he did date rape either...

I wasn't implying that Prince 'did date rape'. But how is it that when the guy writes a million songs about sex, that the one song he uses the word 'rape' in, isn't about sex. Maybe he did do drugs. Maybe the song Anna Stesia is about fentanyl. But even if Prince did do ecstasy in the eighties, I still wouldn't think that the song Extralovable is about ecstasy. I think that you're in denial.

[Edited 6/16/16 14:35pm]

QueenofCardboard said:

EmmaMcG said:

QueenofCardboard said:

I wasn't implying that Prince 'did date rape'. But how is it that when the guy writes a million songs about sex, that the one song he uses the word 'rape' in, isn't about sex. Maybe he did do drugs. Maybe the song Anna Stesia is about fentanyl. But even if Prince did do ecstasy in the eighties, I still wouldn't think that the song Extralovable is about ecstasy. I think that you're in denial.

[Edited 6/16/16 14:35pm]

I know you weren't implying he was a rapist. I was only being silly. By the way, what do you think I'm in denial about?

I think that you are in denial if you think that the song Extralovable isn't about rape, as if the word rape is somehow a code word for something else or a euphamism.

QueenofCardboard said:

The world is crazy! A choice of with or without the "I am going to rape you now" line and so many of you prefer it. Me, it turns my stomach. If he was saying "I am going to slit your throat" I would find it equally as repulsive. It's not what I enjoy listening to. Each to his own. Enjoy it if you can. I don't even want to think about its existance any more, it really makes me disappointed with P.

EmmaMcG said:

QueenofCardboard said:

I think that you are in denial if you think that the song Extralovable isn't about rape, as if the word rape is somehow a code word for something else or a euphamism.

When did I say it was a euphemism for anything? Or that the song was or wasn't about rape. Or anything else for that matter? I think you may have been too quick to judge me Though I will say it now. I do not believe this song is "about rape". There is a line in the song in which Prince explicitly references rape, but that does not mean the entire song is about raping someone. I do not believe Prince was a rapist, nor do I believe he had any fantasies about rape. I do believe, however, that he loved to stir controversy. Esepcially in his younger days. This is an example of that. Something to get people talking. And here we are, 34 years later, still discussing it. He said himself that his "claim to fame is scandal" and more power to him. It worked. As for the song itself, I think it's one of his very best. I love the original and the remake on Phase Two. As a woman, I do not feel offended in any way by his use of such a taboo subject in order to generate controversy. Just how, as a bisexual, I don't feel offended by him trying to convert a lesbian on Bambi or referring to lesbianism as "the dirty world" on Da Bourgeoise. As far as I'm concerned, they are just songs by an artist who liked to push the boundaries. However, I know that there are people in this world who get offended by much less. And to them I'd say "this song is not for you".

Perfectly said.

The lyrics in question have never been released yet some who have heard them through illicit means continue to irrationally judge Prince for them. Unbelievable.

EmmaMcG said:

QueenofCardboard said:

I think that you are in denial if you think that the song Extralovable isn't about rape, as if the word rape is somehow a code word for something else or a euphamism.

When did I say it was a euphemism for anything? Or that the song was or wasn't about rape. Or anything else for that matter? I think you may have been too quick to judge me Though I will say it now. I do not believe this song is "about rape". There is a line in the song in which Prince explicitly references rape, but that does not mean the entire song is about raping someone. I do not believe Prince was a rapist, nor do I believe he had any fantasies about rape. I do believe, however, that he loved to stir controversy. Esepcially in his younger days. This is an example of that. Something to get people talking. And here we are, 34 years later, still discussing it. He said himself that his "claim to fame is scandal" and more power to him. It worked. As for the song itself, I think it's one of his very best. I love the original and the remake on Phase Two. As a woman, I do not feel offended in any way by his use of such a taboo subject in order to generate controversy. Just how, as a bisexual, I don't feel offended by him trying to convert a lesbian on Bambi or referring to lesbianism as "the dirty world" on Da Bourgeoise. As far as I'm concerned, they are just songs by an artist who liked to push the boundaries. However, I know that there are people in this world who get offended by much less. And to them I'd say "this song is not for you".

Yeah you are right. I thought you were someone else. I thought you were the one who said the song was about ecstasy. My bad.

I like to imagine that Prince is singing all of his seduction songs directly to me. So when he uses the word 'you' in his songs, it is 'me' he is singing/talking to. I consider extralovable to be one of his seduction songs. I was used to the Prince who was trying to sweet talk his way into my pants, or dirty talk his way into my pant. So when I first heard Extralovable 1982, it felt like it was me he was trying to intimidate into the bathtub. I had a strong and confusing emotional reaction to the song. The song did changed how I thought and felt about Prince. I do not believe that Prince was a rapist, but I do believe he had at least one fantasy about committing rape or he couldn't have written that part of the song. People are allowed to have fantasies. Even Prince. I love the song despite the fact that it gets to me, or maybe even a little because it gets to me. I am not really sure. I do think that the song would be just as good, or maybe even better if he replaced the rape part with some really good or funny dirty talk.

QueenofCardboard said:

Very late to this discussion but my view (as a man but also as a responsible human being) is that Prince was right to not release it as it was and to edit out that section in the Reloaded version. I would NOT want to see this released with the rape lyrics.

For those people saying "it is art" sorry I don't buy that argument. Art has a responsibility as it can misconstrued by people of, shall we say, lower intelligence or warped psychology. Anything that could be seen to condone or encourage rape is wrong!

In art it isnt always about the intent of the artist it is also about the perception of the people viewing/hearing it.

If Prince had lyrics about committing mass murder or being a child molester would the fact that it was art make it ok?

I understand the sentiment that he wants someone so much he even considers going as far as rape BUT for the song to be responsible there needs to be some further explanation that Prince was not condoning the act and wouldn't actually go that far!

I LOVE the original but the rape section is totally unnecessary.

jaypotton said:

Very late to this discussion but my view (as a man but also as a responsible human being) is that Prince was right to not release it as it was and to edit out that section in the Reloaded version. I would NOT want to see this released with the rape lyrics.

For those people saying "it is art" sorry I don't buy that argument. Art has a responsibility as it can misconstrued by people of, shall we say, lower intelligence or warped psychology. Anything that could be seen to condone or encourage rape is wrong!

In art it isnt always about the intent of the artist it is also about the perception of the people viewing/hearing it.

If Prince had lyrics about committing mass murder or being a child molester would the fact that it was art make it ok?

I understand the sentiment that he wants someone so much he even considers going as far as rape BUT for the song to be responsible there needs to be some further explanation that Prince was not condoning the act and wouldn't actually go that far!

I LOVE the original but the rape section is totally unnecessary.

I'm not sure I understand your point. Are you saying that an artist is responsible for how people may react to the art?

Nonsense. Movies, books, songs, paintings, etc have long portrayed murderers, rapists, terrorists, whathaveyou. It is not the responsibility of the creator of the art to ensure that people of "lower intelligence or warped psychology" can tell the difference between fiction and condoning an evil act. If this were true bookstores, video stores & music stores (okay Netflix, Amazon & iTunes) would hardly have anything to sell.

In our society we don't dumb everything down in fear of the setting such people off. It's art. It's fiction. In this case it's art that the artist decided to not release. I am amazed at how twisted people are getting over lyrics they legally should not have heard.

djThunderfunk said:

jaypotton said:

djThunderfunk said:

I'm not sure I understand your point. Are you saying that an artist is responsible for how people may react to the art?

Nonsense. Movies, books, songs, paintings, etc have long portrayed murderers, rapists, terrorists, whathaveyou. It is not the responsibility of the creator of the art to ensure that people of "lower intelligence or warped psychology" can tell the difference between fiction and condoning an evil act. If this were true bookstores, video stores & music stores (okay Netflix, Amazon & iTunes) would hardly have anything to sell.

In our society we don't dumb everything down in fear of the setting such people off. It's art. It's fiction. In this case it's art that the artist decided to not release. I am amazed at how twisted people are getting over lyrics they legally should not have heard.

So I will ask my question again (revised)... If the lyrics had been about Prince committing mass murder or being a child molester (with no guilt or consequence or indication that Prince himself was disgusted by the act) then would that be ok too? And yes I absolutely do think an artist has a responsibility to be clear on whether they feel a heinous act such as rape is wrong or acceptable. I am not by any means advocating censorship but I do believe an artist needs to make a statement rather being morally ambiguous. Let's face it, the world is full of nutters, just look at what happened in Orlando! It isn't that much of a stretch of the imagination that some nutter a Prince fan decided rape was ok because Prince "said so" or at least "indicated it was ok because he would do it"! Oh and saying movies books etc have portrayed these type of people...yes indeed but very rarely if ever from a morally ambiguous or ambivalent position! A post earlier refers to Kubriks Clockwork Orange. Now any sane person watching that was disgusted by it and the "hero" gets his just deserts. However, some nutters went out and copied the film. What did the artist do? He withdrew it from cinemas and had it banned (in the UK) for years. That is being responsible. I guess Prince did the same as he didn't release it with the rape lyrics. [Edited 6/17/16 9:27am]

- There are plenty of songs, books, movies, etc that have characters that commit mass murder or molesting children already, and yes that is okay to depict in art in a free society, whether deplorable or not. I will not opine on what if Prince did it as he did not.

- In a free society we do not restrict our speech or our art so as to not set off "nutters".

- Your last statement is correct, Prince did not release it. Therefore he has no responsibility at all to those that have listened to it through illicit means.

djThunderfunk said: