NorthC said:

Oh yeah. He was getting much more love in Europe back then. We never made a big deal about that Lovesexy album cover. Princemania was at its highest back then. He toured here almost every year between 1986 and 1995. [Edited 8/14/16 15:31pm]

you know, I remember buying Lovesexy at the Wherehouse in Victorville, CA when it came out. I remember looking at the cover, and thinking, "cool, this album is about somekind of rebirth of affirmation of some kind, can't wait to hear it." Cashier looked at me like I was I never even gave the fact that he was nude on the cover a second thought. But when my friends saw it, and started tripping, hard, I was like, damn, these people are simply not willing to be openminded about anything whatsoever. I also remember these same peopel tripping over "If I was your girlfriend". The first time I heard it the perspective he was singing from was obvious to me, but my friends, even after i broke it down, verse by verse, what he was saying, they just weren't having it. I think Prince would have been much more successful in Europe had he made that move. The thing that held him back here was the simple fact that many people are simply close-minded about sex, masculinity, etc.

BlackandRising said:

NorthC said:

Oh yeah. He was getting much more love in Europe back then. We never made a big deal about that Lovesexy album cover. Princemania was at its highest back then. He toured here almost every year between 1986 and 1995. [Edited 8/14/16 15:31pm]

you know, I remember buying Lovesexy at the Wherehouse in Victorville, CA when it came out. I remember looking at the cover, and thinking, "cool, this album is about somekind of rebirth of affirmation of some kind, can't wait to hear it." Cashier looked at me like I was I never even gave the fact that he was nude on the cover a second thought. But when my friends saw it, and started tripping, hard, I was like, damn, these people are simply not willing to be openminded about anything whatsoever. I also remember these same peopel tripping over "If I was your girlfriend". The first time I heard it the perspective he was singing from was obvious to me, but my friends, even after i broke it down, verse by verse, what he was saying, they just weren't having it. I think Prince would have been much more successful in Europe had he made that move.

The thing that held him back here was the simple fact that many people are simply close-minded about sex, masculinity, etc.

I would add that it seems to be driven by homophobia - I can't imagine the macho American male of the 80s going into a record store and proudly buy Lovesexy unless they were especially secure about themselves. Just imagine the associated hangups ( "will they think I am into this naked picture of Prince and assume I'm gay", "Prince must be gay to do a picture like this and why am I so into him - I better call my girlfriend quick"

IsufferfromMPS said:

Agreed, prince got WAY more love and respect in Europe. Ganster Rap and grunge completely changed the musical landscape in the states. Hip hop/rap started a whole new form of R&B and grunge started a whole new form of rock and if you didn't fall into those categories, AND look the part....it wasn't happening for u. Everyone became hard,mad depressed. Very few artists who were huge in the 80s, were still popular into the 90s

Good point. Everything was turned upside down from the 80s to the 90s.

Prince's reaction to his declining popularity in the US by avoiding touring the states only served to cement the difference between his reception in the US and Europe. The buzz Prince created ever time he played a concert was the best publicity ever. When he started touring everywhere in the US 2004 -2006, including smaller cities such as Knoxville (he played here twice during tha period), his record sales went up as well as his reputation. I love a lot of his studio stuff but there is no greater showcase for how great he is than his live performances.

Every album after ATWIAD his worldwide sales ecplised the sales of the U.S.

Diamonds and Pearls sold 6.7 million total, only 2 million of it was from the U.S.

gandorb said:

BlackandRising said:

you know, I remember buying Lovesexy at the Wherehouse in Victorville, CA when it came out. I remember looking at the cover, and thinking, "cool, this album is about somekind of rebirth of affirmation of some kind, can't wait to hear it." Cashier looked at me like I was I never even gave the fact that he was nude on the cover a second thought. But when my friends saw it, and started tripping, hard, I was like, damn, these people are simply not willing to be openminded about anything whatsoever. I also remember these same peopel tripping over "If I was your girlfriend". The first time I heard it the perspective he was singing from was obvious to me, but my friends, even after i broke it down, verse by verse, what he was saying, they just weren't having it. I think Prince would have been much more successful in Europe had he made that move.

The thing that held him back here was the simple fact that many people are simply close-minded about sex, masculinity, etc.

I would add that it seems to be driven by homophobia - I can't imagine the macho American male of the 80s going into a record store and proudly buy Lovesexy unless they were especially secure about themselves. Just imagine the associated hangups ( "will they think I am into this naked picture of Prince and assume I'm gay", "Prince must be gay to do a picture like this and why am I so into him - I better call my girlfriend quick"

that's exactly what it was. I was in the military at the time and when I got back to the base and started to socialize that P had another album out, they were beside themselves when they saw the cover. It was kind of the same with the SOTT single cover where Cat was the cover but it could have conceivably been Prince. But yeah, tt was totally that "macho American male of the 80s" thing that drove it. They did think he was gay; I was always like, damn, can't y'all see that he's the exact opposite? His masculinity is so rock solid that he can do this shit and not bat an eye over what you think!

Says a lot about society in general, doesn't it?

BlackandRising said:

His masculinity is so rock solid that he can do this shit and not bat an eye over what you think!

Yeah, I really wish men had been able to understand that about him. This is what really secure masculinity allows you to be (and you may notice just how much women love that), but unfortunately, too much insecure masculinity around to even see it.

BlackandRising said:

NorthC said:

Oh yeah. He was getting much more love in Europe back then. We never made a big deal about that Lovesexy album cover. Princemania was at its highest back then. He toured here almost every year between 1986 and 1995. [Edited 8/14/16 15:31pm]

you know, I remember buying Lovesexy at the Wherehouse in Victorville, CA when it came out. I remember looking at the cover, and thinking, "cool, this album is about somekind of rebirth of affirmation of some kind, can't wait to hear it." Cashier looked at me like I was I never even gave the fact that he was nude on the cover a second thought. But when my friends saw it, and started tripping, hard, I was like, damn, these people are simply not willing to be openminded about anything whatsoever. I also remember these same peopel tripping over "If I was your girlfriend". The first time I heard it the perspective he was singing from was obvious to me, but my friends, even after i broke it down, verse by verse, what he was saying, they just weren't having it. I think Prince would have been much more successful in Europe had he made that move. The thing that held him back here was the simple fact that many people are simply close-minded about sex, masculinity, etc.

Totally agree with you. I remember the whole If I Was Your Girlfriend debate. It's at times like those you realize how little people are willing to think outside the box.

yeah thats probably why he bought house in spain and apartment in paris...but no way he would build paisley park complex and then move to europe full-time, that was his show of commitment to minneapolis...if not usa.

History shows that many Black artist have better careers in Europe..Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson are a couple that I know about. More acceptance over there. They eventually come back. It ain't easy being Black in this country.

ldmendes said:

History shows that many Black artist have better careers in Europe..Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson are a couple that I know about. More acceptance over there. They eventually come back. It ain't easy being Black in this country.

At that time. It ain't so easy being black in France these days...

IsufferfromMPS said:

Agreed, prince got WAY more love and respect in Europe. Ganster Rap and grunge completely changed the musical landscape in the states. Hip hop/rap started a whole new form of R&B and grunge started a whole new form of rock and if you didn't fall into those categories, AND look the part....it wasn't happening for u. Everyone became hard,mad depressed. Very few artists who were huge in the 80s, were still popular into the 90s

you are right but the timeline was about 91-92 when grunge came in, hip hop was gradually getting bigger and bigger all the time. Lots of great music was lost to the greater public. Terence Trent D'arby released one of the great albums, symphony or damn, and it flopped, he moved to italy. Prince might have been happier there, who knows. I do believe Michael should have got the hell out a long, long time ago. He did leave and why he came back who knows. Prince was enough of a cult type artist that he didn't have to deal with the same scrutiny that Michael did, he was in minnesota and pretty much isolated from much of the stuff a lot of michael went through happened. if it were me, I'd have left, I want to leave now only I don't have the money. Other people feel different, Muhammad Ali was once asked why he didn't leave the US during his trials, he just said that America was his home. It's just that simple for some people.

I never had a problem buying the vinyl of Lovesexy the day it came out. He was much loved in Europe always. It was a bonus he loved touring the UK a lot since 86 onwards.

We talking about this again.


Heck it was what was in the package that counted anyway, that's what I bought mine for, I never gave a damn about that cover one way or the other after it was all said and done.

morningsong said:

NorthC said:

morningsong said:

We talking about this again.


Heck it was what was in the package that counted anyway, that's what I bought mine for, I never gave a damn about that cover one way or the other after it was all said and done.

Sooorrryyyy... I was the one who started about that album cover. Didn't mean anything by it. Just trying to answer 2olskool4u's question.

Look at you being all sensitive and everything.


I'm just saying, I never, not once studied that album cover like I've study many of others, I looked it over made a silly comment and bought it. My purchase had nothing to do with the cover. I don't get what's so magical about it. Maybe I am too American to understand the depth of meaning.

One thing I noticed hearing a recording from Europe vs. America is that Europe grew to know and love the classic album cuts, perhaps from the constant touring. Songs like Anna Stesia and Someimes it Snows in April would get rapturous reactions, sometimes surpassing those of the TOP 40 hits. They would sing loudly all the words to the non-hits. The few times I heard Prince in front of American audiances, there was not quite the mass recognition and love for those cuts though they certainly well received. My point is that the touring helped fans in Europe develop a deeper appreciate of just how great he was both through seeing him at his best (e.g. in concert) as well as a lot of exposure to more complex and brilliant material.

Here he talks about U.S audiences: (about 2:45)

Um, I think people might want to stop posting YTs for a while. Maybe just post the clickable link because this is utterly useless. It's not even funny anymore.