So, I always loved the psychedelic and introspective nature of Prince's lyrics, that's why Lovesexy remains my favourite Prince album. But does anyone know the story behind the Shiela E rap in the song and why these (what I now know to be) Edward Lear lyrics found their way into the track?

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/54378

I thought Prince was responsible for the lyrics, but he was obviously a bit of a magpie himself (like most great artists) but it's the incorporation of these lyrics into a track as a rap that I find interesting. Was there ever a story as to how this poetry (or nonsense depending on your point of view) found their way into this classic track?

Prince was a fan of the poem.

When he came to doing the significant overdubs on the live cut of IGBABN, he was adding bits and wanted Sheila E to rap this.

She was in New Orleans at the time so Prince recorded her down phone, and thats why it's listed as the 'trans-mississippi rap'.

Sheila's told this story long ago. She knew that Lear poem from childhood, and could always recite it from memory. When Prince found out, he had her recite it over the phone so put on the record.

Why over the phone? She was in Tennessee on tour (I think with Lionel Richie, but I forget; she'd toured with him before in the 80s). Prince was working on the overdubs on that track on November 22, and 23, 1986. Her rap was recorded on November 26, from her hotel room in Tennessee (ergo the Trans-mississippi Rap credit in the notes). The track was mixed on November 28. It was the last track on the November 30 configuration of Crystal Ball.*

It was just an organic process of him finding something someone knew or had a strength with, and using it in his music.

By the way, Lear was known for his nonsensical poetry. So The Table and The Chair was just par for the course.

* info from DMSR Bby Per Nilsen.

cra1g0s said:

Thanks both, really interesting how this came about, which artist today would even think about doing the same..

Didn't some hip-hop artist in the late 90s or early aughts record an album from prison over the phone, much to the prison's surprise once he prison system.