mediumdry said:

Grog said:

He taught an integrated world to sing
The color you are don't mean a thing
. . . . .


He changed the funk, put it in a bag
Then he changed the colors of the flag
But you can't teach a dog new tricks if his tail don't wag
Don't no matter how much money you made
All the cars you got and all the women you laid
Mess with the flag and to them you're still a spade

So, if we connect the "everlasting" dots from one song to the next, Prince (the "spade" who "taught an integrated world to sing") is likely referring to race and/or religion when he sings, "the brand new everlasting wonder war" in "Lavaux."

The lyrics you quote are about Sly Stone though, who had an integrated band, male and female, black and white. (Prince modeled the Revolution on this)

The flag that is referred to is the cover of There's A Riot Going On, Sly's masterpiece. It was later released with a more "acceptable" cover.

Good catch, don't know the song. I always it was a literalization of a "freak flag" on There's a Riot... my CD copy (purchased in Canada) has the flag cover. To me it seems less controversial than the cover of Funkadelic's America Eats Its Young, from a year later (or for that matter, The Black Crowes, Amorica). Maybe it was replaced because it had no text, and therefore wasn't commercial?

I love the song "Race" and everything he says in it. What a great thinker he was. He has other songs about the subject that take a different point of view, but all were sung with passion.

.

And I figure growing up in the early 70s in an area where he was in the extreme minority racial group certainly a big influence on him. He would mention "white people" a lot, not in a bad or good way necessarily but there was a clear division for him there in many ways. Again just a product of his upbringing most likely.

[Edited 7/11/16 21:32pm]

BlackandRising said:

CalhounSq said:

NorthC said:

LBrent said:

“Seriously, I was brought up in a white and black world. And. Yes, black and white, night and day, rich and poor. I listened to all kinds of music when I was young, and when I was younger I said one day I was gonna play all kinds of music, and not be judged for the color of my skin, but the quality of my work. And hopefully that will continue.” - Prince, 1985.

djThunderfunk said:

NorthC said:

Yep. That was 1985. But a man can change his views over time. Maybe in his later years Prince felt more of a need to reconnect with the black American audience? And so he had more black musicians in his band, played more funk/soul oriented music... Until 3rdEyeGirl came along because with Prince, things are never that simple. But even when playing with these white chicks, the man himself looked more black than ever. (Afro!) (Damn! I always tried to stay way from discussions about race or Prince's hair.)

I agree with you that over time his presentation showed a more explicit identification with his blackness, I always read that as a product of his awareness of the increasingly terrible state of race relations in the US, and it may also be a desire to reconnect with the black American audience...these two things might not be seperate. I'm not sure I totally agree that he changed his mind...I think his youthful notion that it was possible to act in the world according to some idea of race-blindness changed (as it rightly should), but I don't think he ever gave up on the idea of racial unity or harmony, or his awareness of the role of both cultures in his work. I don't think he ever thought unity meant sameness (black, white, puerto-rican...) but I think from at least the battle with WB onwards he had a very acute sense of racial injustice which may have been less sharp earlier, and understood clearly that there was no unity to be had without addressing that injustice.

The Sacrıfıce of Vıctor ıs another great song that ıs partly about race.

And of course Annıe Chrıstıan, to some extent.

BlackandRising said:

Grog said:

Sure. If we look at the entire song through the lense of race, the song clearly communicates deep displeasure with the U.S. ("Life back home depresses me, just another form of slavery") and a desire to escape to different parts of the world, namely Switzerland and Portugal, for peace and beauty ("waterfalls"), not to mention wine and chocolate ("vineyards of Lavaux" and "chocolate of Vevey"). However, even abroad, Prince contemplates the problems back home and concludes that "The only way to win this game" is "To let everybody play and share the ball." The "ball" could be interpreted as wealth or equality. In this contemplative state, Prince recognizes he is unbound and free ("There ain't nobody got no chains on me / I'm flying higher than any mountain, deeper than any sea"), and while recognizing this fact, he concludes that his existence and experiences represent a "paradox" to the argument he is proposing about the lack of equality and opportunity in America ("A paradox is box's key, I'm the why in mystery").

I am not sure what he means by the following lines: "Come take me to an assembly in New York / To speak of the brand new everlasting wonder war" but I find it interesting that he includes the word "everlasting" because it is reminiscent of "The Everlasting Now" from The Rainbow Children. In "The Everlasting Now" he sings about many things, including race, especially his personal connection to race. For example,

He taught an integrated world to sing
The color you are don't mean a thing
. . . . .


He changed the funk, put it in a bag
Then he changed the colors of the flag
But you can't teach a dog new tricks if his tail don't wag
Don't no matter how much money you made
All the cars you got and all the women you laid
Mess with the flag and to them you're still a spade

So, if we connect the "everlasting" dots from one song to the next, Prince (the "spade" who "taught an integrated world to sing") is likely referring to race and/or religion when he sings, "the brand new everlasting wonder war" in "Lavaux."

For some reason, I have always considered the last verse to be about Obama's election in 2008, although it could be solely about Prince ("Revolution time has come today / 'Cause it took a black face to see the same decay") and Prince's reaction to the ongoing/everlasting problem of race in America ("I'll laugh and go to the mountains where the waters flow"). Here's the last verse in full:

Revolution time has come today
'Cause it took a black face to see the same decay
Like the chocolate of Vevey, in the sun they'll melt away
As for me, I'll laugh and go to the mountains where the waters flow
Back to the vineyards of Lavaux


"In the sun they'll melt away" is a reference to racists or those who don't want to "let everybody play and share the ball." In the end, Prince wants peace. In fact, he wants to escape the madness of race and remove himself to a mountaintop in order to literally rise above bigotry and hatred. Let's remember that in the opening verse he sang, ""Life back home depresses me, just another form of slavery." Of course, one could also look at the lines, "I'll laugh and go to the mountains where the waters flow" and see a reference to heaven and the afterlife. I like to think that Prince is "up there" but instead of laughing, he is praying for our collective souls.

nice synopsis! when I read the lyrics as you posted them, this is pretty much what I came up with. Especially the references to Switzerland and Portugal, as they are both places where I felt like a huge race weight was lifted from my shoulders. The line "Come take me to an assembly in New York / To speak of the brand new everlasting wonder war" sounds like another reference to the UN, again, possibly the same type of reference he made regarding NATO. But like I couldn't figure out how that context fit in with the rest of the song.

Nice read

RiotPaisley said:

Prince also covered the plight of Native Americans in Right the Wrong- talk about genocide and getting a raw deal. I think Prince was magical because he could say "everybody stop fighting", inside we are all the same, and still maintained who he was and where he came from. I don't understand why people feel we can't all work together and be fair and equal while still maintaining pride in our roots. You can totally be pro-Black and still want ALL people to live and love together. You can be proud of your European heritage and still recognize that certain people in America have gotten a raw deal and work to level the playing field by building better schools for EVERYONE and creating public places to engage in community and recreation. You can enjoy the good stuff about your ancestors but you can't forget the bs they also imposed. I don't like being made to feel guilty about that stuff though. I don't condone it and I find it embarrassing and disgusting, but I didn't do it. That crap was not my fault and I hope that if I did live another life in that world that I was either one of the oppressed or a person who stood up to it. I do my best to call out racism when I see it and I don't allow other white people to lump me in when they go on rants about it. I try to educate folks as best as I can when I hear nonsense. Sometimes it's just likes talking to a brick. I teach my daughter to be inclusive and fair. I've explained to her that there are people who just don't like other people because of outward appearances or lifestyles but that we are not like that and we love people for the content of their character and that diversity is a beautiful thing cuz damn the world would be a boring place if we were all the same. We all have something to contribute. All we can hope is the babies we raise don't continue to repeat the mistakes of previous generations. We have to be able to recognize what those mistakes were though and talk about them without reducing our selves to bickering that never accomplishes anything positive, just further divide and hurt feelings. President Obama's election basically turned the lights out and brought all the racists out like cockroaches so now it's out in the open and it's up to us to exterminate. We have to because that's what will make this country great again- if we come together and demand the infrastructure be rebuilt, our schools updated, we need high speed rail, solar power, etc etc (things Prince was totally rallying for)- we need jobs for everyone so we can all have the dream. The 99% is only strong if we stop letting them divide us into smaller groups they can control and manipulate with hate and fear.

What you say sounds good.

Astasheiks said:

RiotPaisley said:

Prince also covered the plight of Native Americans in Right the Wrong- talk about genocide and getting a raw deal. I think Prince was magical because he could say "everybody stop fighting", inside we are all the same, and still maintained who he was and where he came from. I don't understand why people feel we can't all work together and be fair and equal while still maintaining pride in our roots. You can totally be pro-Black and still want ALL people to live and love together. You can be proud of your European heritage and still recognize that certain people in America have gotten a raw deal and work to level the playing field by building better schools for EVERYONE and creating public places to engage in community and recreation. You can enjoy the good stuff about your ancestors but you can't forget the bs they also imposed. I don't like being made to feel guilty about that stuff though. I don't condone it and I find it embarrassing and disgusting, but I didn't do it. That crap was not my fault and I hope that if I did live another life in that world that I was either one of the oppressed or a person who stood up to it. I do my best to call out racism when I see it and I don't allow other white people to lump me in when they go on rants about it. I try to educate folks as best as I can when I hear nonsense. Sometimes it's just likes talking to a brick. I teach my daughter to be inclusive and fair. I've explained to her that there are people who just don't like other people because of outward appearances or lifestyles but that we are not like that and we love people for the content of their character and that diversity is a beautiful thing cuz damn the world would be a boring place if we were all the same. We all have something to contribute. All we can hope is the babies we raise don't continue to repeat the mistakes of previous generations. We have to be able to recognize what those mistakes were though and talk about them without reducing our selves to bickering that never accomplishes anything positive, just further divide and hurt feelings. President Obama's election basically turned the lights out and brought all the racists out like cockroaches so now it's out in the open and it's up to us to exterminate. We have to because that's what will make this country great again- if we come together and demand the infrastructure be rebuilt, our schools updated, we need high speed rail, solar power, etc etc (things Prince was totally rallying for)- we need jobs for everyone so we can all have the dream. The 99% is only strong if we stop letting them divide us into smaller groups they can control and manipulate with hate and fear.

What you say sounds good.

Dude - check your other posts...

I think you are one of the cockroaches...

.

Just thought that this thread deserved another go around in the Q.

I also want it in my list of threads.

.

[Edited 7/15/16 22:47pm]

Significantly, Prince never really addressed the question of race until the early 90's, when he had a phase: The Sacrifice Of Victor, We March, Race, Paris 1798930, Uncle Sam, Super Hero, Color... note that more than half of those were given to associated artists. All were composed in a few year's time, and of course there were later references (but not so many). There was kind of a sudden acknowledgment of being black and having to take a part in the "cause" that was totally absent from P's earlier works.

langebleu said:

This thread has been so civil, that I am almost afraid to put in my two cents, but here goes. I think that racial divides in America seem to be getting bigger as time goes on, but really, they are getting smaller. It is a demographic thing. Pretty soon everyone is going to have at least one mixed breed grandchild and at that point, they'll have to make the necessary mental adjustments. People won't become color blind. (Color Blindness is a silly and offensive idea) They will still notice what color people are, they just won't be made uncomfortable by it. And it won't be as big of a factor in group identity. Does anyone know about the controversial Cheerios TV commercial?

Another song that addresses race is "Colonized Mind" from Lotusflow3r. I don't recall anyone else on the thread mention it. I will admit that I have not listened to the song, I just looked at the lyrics.

--

"Colonized Mind"

"Family Name" from The Rainbow Children

Welcome. U have just accessed the Akashic Records Genetic Information Division. This program is required 4 those wishing 2 obtain a marriage blessing from The Kingdom. When u wish 2 begin this program, place ur right hand on the scanner and tightly clench up ur buttcheeks as u might feel a slight electrical shock. Please select the race history u desire. U have selected African-American. This is your history:

First of all, the term "black and white" is a fallacy. It simply is another way of saying "this or that". Let's examine the term "this or that" in its ultimate form which is: "this" means the truth or "that which is resistant 2 it. When a minority realizes its similarities on a higher level- not just "black"- but PEOPLE OF COLOR, and higher still "INDIGENOUS", and even higher still, "FROM THE TRIBE OF.", and yet higher- the "RAINBOW CHILDREN". When this understanding comes, the so-called minority becomes a majority in the wink of an eye. This action will cause a Reaction or Resistance. The source of this Resistance must b banished as it is in direct conflict with the initial action. It cannot be assimilated, 4 its very nature is resistance. In other words, ONE CANNOT SERVE 2 MASTERS. U r either "this" or "that" which is not "this".

End of part one. 2 continue, select the program Family Name and type in the current government name u wish history on.

(London, England sometime in the early 1600s)

"We have the God-given right 2 run out of our colonies anyone who does not bow down 2 our law. Hear, hear?"

"Come on, come on keep it moving here. What's your name boy?"
"Abu Cah"
"Well it ain't now; it's Tom Lynch."

Mirror, mirror what u see?
Have I still got those dark clouds over me?
Or am I really feeling what I feel? The last days of the Devil's Deal
Mirror, what u see?

Devil, devil what u know?
U been here since 1914, but now u got 2 go
U been hidin' behind corporate eyes
U wanna war, but u can't fight
Devil, u got 2 go

U might say, "what u mad about?"
But u still got ur Family Name
Pleased 2 meet u, Mr. Rosenbloom
I'll b John Blackwell just the same
What's ur Family Name?

Teacher, teacher what u say?
Did we really come over in a boat?
Did it really go down that way?
Or did I arrive b4 and ruin Thanksgiving Day?
Teacher, what u say?

Preacher, preacher is it true?
That Jesus wants me 2 give my money 2 the likes of u?
Ride around in ur Lexus Coupe/Drive us 2 the cleaners in a pinstripe suit
Preacher, that ain't truth!

U might say, "what u mad about?"
But u still got ur Family Name
Pleased 2 meet u, Mr. Pearlman
U can call me Clay. Can I play?

People, people what's ur name?
Maybe we should start all over
Let everybody get in the game
Put up a one-gloved fist
Make a sound, Violet Brown

U might say "what u mad about?"
But u still got ur Family name
Pleased 2 meet u Mr. Goldstruck.

We found this tape in the Akashic records. This is Thomas Jefferson:

"My fellow Americans, if there is a just God, we're gonna pay 4 this!"

"Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will b able 2 join hands in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we are free at last!"

Didn't Prince set his stall out pretty early on with Controversy?

"Am I Black or White?"

He definitely took up the charge of black causes latter on - "Dreamer" being a big last statement

But...I always like to think of Controversy - no colour just Human folks doing (and doing) what they want...in Uptown