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Thread started 07/05/16 5:44am

gandorb

Guilty Pleasures

What are songs and/or albums that your logical mind realizes are subpar Prince but you love them more than you "should".

This topic came to me because I have been listning to HitnRun Phase 1 and think it is one of his least inspired CDs on a musical level in that it repeats himself (one song sounds like he could file a suit against himself for copying My Name is Prince), the arrangements are much more generic than his usual standard,and the lyrics are uninspired except for June. Nevertheless, it is a fun album to exercise to and is fairly catchy.

At risk of being barred from the org., I used to enjoy the move ballads "Arms of Orion" and Grafitti Bridge despite knowing that they were cheesy. I think I just accepted that he was trying to write some standart movie ballad, and accepted them for what they were.

I also really like Three Chains of Gold despite feeling like he is trying too hard to make it be like Bohemian Rhapsody (one of my all time favorites though overplayed). Despite some rough tranistions, the song is fun and showcases his range.

What are you guilty pleasures?

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Reply #1 posted 07/05/16 6:42am

CAL3

gandorb said:

At risk of being barred from the org., I used to enjoy the move ballads "Arms of Orion" and Grafitti Bridge despite knowing that they were cheesy.

What are your guilty pleasures?



I love "Arms of Orion" and have never even felt guilty about it! cool



A few I do put into that category... "Mad Sex"... "Jughead"... "The P"... "Mr. Happy"

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Reply #2 posted 07/05/16 7:05am

TrivialPursuit

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There are no guilty pleasures. Music is for everyone to absorb and consume as they wish.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #3 posted 07/05/16 7:10am

CAL3

TrivialPursuit said:

There are no guilty pleasures. Music is for everyone to absorb and consume as they wish.

While your second statement is true, the first one... Speak for yourself!

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Reply #4 posted 07/05/16 7:16am

TrivialPursuit

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CAL3 said:

TrivialPursuit said:

There are no guilty pleasures. Music is for everyone to absorb and consume as they wish.

While your second statement is true, the first one... Speak for yourself!


But why would you, or anyone, feel guilty about a song, or anything in life, that you enjoy? Guilt is a shaming tactic to control people. I find no use for it.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #5 posted 07/05/16 7:23am

NorthC

Exactly. There are Prince albums that are very popular on the org that I can't stand and there are albums that are commoly regarded as bad that I like. Why should I feel guilty about liking 20Ten? Even The Spice Girls put out some music that I enjoyed. Why would you let anyone else tell you what you should or shouldn't like? It makes no sense.
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Reply #6 posted 07/05/16 7:29am

CAL3

TrivialPursuit said:


But why would you, or anyone, feel guilty about a song, or anything in life, that you enjoy? Guilt is a shaming tactic to control people. I find no use for it.



For me, it's not that I feel guilty about liking a song - not in the same way I feel guilty if I do something wrong, etc...



It's like the movie 'Cobra' starring Sylvester Stallone - I feel no guilty for loving it pretty much as much as any movie that I love... BUT, I know that it's nowhere near the aesthetic level of 'Rocky' or 'First Blood.' So - while I don't really feel literal dictionary-definition guilt for being such an unabashed fan of 'Cobra' - I do feel that it is artistically below the level of what Stallone is capable of. In fact, I know it's a bad movie in the traditional sense...



So that's why, when I hear a song with as silly a lyric as "I used to have mad sex in the horny morning" and still like it (even though I know the level of poetic expression that characterizes his best songs), I put it in the "guilty pleasures" category.

"Guilty Pleasure" is a commonly used expression that has nothing to do with the legal, moral, or ethical definitions of "guilt."

[Edited 7/5/16 7:30am]

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Reply #7 posted 07/05/16 8:14am

gandorb

CAL3 said:



TrivialPursuit said:




But why would you, or anyone, feel guilty about a song, or anything in life, that you enjoy? Guilt is a shaming tactic to control people. I find no use for it.








For me, it's not that I feel guilty about liking a song - not in the same way I feel guilty if I do something wrong, etc...






It's like the movie 'Cobra' starring Sylvester Stallone - I feel no guilty for loving it pretty much as much as any movie that I love... BUT, I know that it's nowhere near the aesthetic level of 'Rocky' or 'First Blood.' So - while I don't really feel literal dictionary-definition guilt for being such an unabashed fan of 'Cobra' - I do feel that it is artistically below the level of what Stallone is capable of. In fact, I know it's a bad movie in the traditional sense...






So that's why, when I hear a song with as silly a lyric as "I used to have mad sex in the horny morning" and still like it (even though I know the level of poetic expression that characterizes his best songs), I put it in the "guilty pleasures" category.



"Guilty Pleasure" is a commonly used expression that has nothing to do with the legal, moral, or ethical definitions of "guilt."

[Edited 7/5/16 7:30am]


That's exactly what I meant when I started this thread. I don't feel any shame about my preferences. It just means that you know it is not one of his best but enjoy it as if it was.
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Reply #8 posted 07/05/16 8:41am

NorthC

I always interpreted the term "guilty pleasure" a little differently: as something you're not "supposed" to like because it's not "hip" or "cool", such as, like I said, The Spice Girls or The Carpenters or ABBA. A Prince song that's less than great doesn't fall in this category imo.
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Reply #9 posted 07/05/16 9:12am

CAL3

NorthC said:

I always interpreted the term "guilty pleasure" a little differently: as something you're not "supposed" to like because it's not "hip" or "cool", such as, like I said, The Spice Girls or The Carpenters or ABBA. A Prince song that's less than great doesn't fall in this category imo.



For me it's a matter of context. Within the world of Prince, there's a pretty big gulf separating, say, "Controversy" and "Jughead." It's definitely not hip or cool to profess a love for the dynamic flow of Tony M - so "Jughead" could, within context, be considered a 'guilty pleasure.'



And even doing so, one needn't actually feel genuine guilt! I sure don't - I think the NPG kicks out a pretty funky groove on that song and I kinda like that Prince and Rosie each spit a verse. And for some reason, I enjoy yelling out "Get stoopid, get stoopid" along with the song when it's blaring at top volume on my car stereo! cool



But of course everyone is certainly entitled to his or her own interpretations, opinions, and views! razz

[Edited 7/5/16 9:13am]

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Reply #10 posted 07/05/16 10:16am

gandorb

NorthC said:

I always interpreted the term "guilty pleasure" a little differently: as something you're not "supposed" to like because it's not "hip" or "cool", such as, like I said, The Spice Girls or The Carpenters or ABBA. A Prince song that's less than great doesn't fall in this category imo.

I get where you are coming from. Another way to look at the intent of the thread is to "come out" with no apologiez about really liking an unpopular song or CD, even if you get why other people don't like it. I totally get why Prince fans hate the movie ballads and am glad he didn't do many of them, yet still enjoyed them.
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