gorgbrowneyes said:

So, it took me until now to start listening to Prince's early 80s hits prior to 1999, and although I love most of his later stuff, it was important for me to listen to his beginnings. WITH THAT BEING SAID, can someone explain to me how Prince got away with singing "Sister", and still maintained a fan base? I'm being honest, if this was the first song I heard of Prince, I don't know if I would keep listening to him. When you first heard this song, what did you think of Prince?

I first heard this song at the tender age of 13 in 1994. At that time only had 1999, Purle Rain, SOTT, Around the World, Diamonds and Pearls and the Hits / Bsides. I wasnt a big fan of the singles off Dirty Mind so one day when I was very young I bought the cassette with my allowance because thats what i would do...spend my allowance on records...about every two months I'd pick up a new Prince one.

When i finally got to Sister I was laughing my ass off. I was suprised at this song and I felt like....am I the only one hearing this song right now!?!?! Had never ever heard it up until then and its still very explicit and campy in detail. He did that shit on purpose lol.

I thought Dirty Mind was fantastic when it came out. Sister was never really a favorite, but I assumed at the time it was just about him pushing the limits and being shocking. It was only after reading a recent thread here about it that I learned from some orgers I respect that perhaps it was based on some real experiences. You may want to google custom search on this site to find the thread. OR NOT .

[Edited 10/18/16 17:50pm]

gorgbrowneyes said:

gorgbrowneyes said:

WITH THAT BEING SAID, can someone explain to me how Prince got away with singing "Sister", and still maintained a fan base? I'm being honest, if this was the first song I heard of Prince, I don't know if I would keep listening to him. When you first heard this song, what did you think of Prince?

Well, I'm guessing that it pretty much never happened that "Sister" was the first song people heard. Either they were familiar with one of the radio songs, or (if nothing else) they'd heard the rest of the Dirty Mind album before they got to it. In which case, they said--"Okay, that was... um. Different. Okay, let's see if he gets his act back together." Besides, if they were listening to Dirty Mind, they'd just finished "Head," which was already so far past the norm that "Sister" couldn't be completely shocking.

Now, I'm guessing that a lot of fans got to things in a way similar to me. I knew 1999's hits, got pulled into actually buying something by "When Doves Cry," got Purple Rain, saw the film, read some books and started getting the back catalog. So I was well aware of "Sister" before I ever heard it. I already knew it was a bit of loud crude nothingness, just an attention grabber (and, honestly, not that interesting musically or lyrically compared to the rest of the album, which did more than shock). I've just always felt "Okay, so he did that once"... I was glad he stopped that sort of thing (for the most part).

EddieC said:

gorgbrowneyes said:

WITH THAT BEING SAID, can someone explain to me how Prince got away with singing "Sister", and still maintained a fan base? I'm being honest, if this was the first song I heard of Prince, I don't know if I would keep listening to him. When you first heard this song, what did you think of Prince?

... if they were listening to Dirty Mind, they'd just finished "Head," which was already so far past the norm that "Sister" couldn't be completely shocking...

jhon00 said:

Sister could simply be a reference to a black woman. Not necessarily a biological relative. But then again the context determines that. And if he had not added words like incest in the song then my argument would stand, but obviously Prince clearly says incest in the song. Lol But wait,Eww the thought of him having sex with Tyka Nelson makes me wanna vomit.Lol

hahah right I was about to say..uh...section B.56 sentence A says uh...lol

jhon00 said:

jhon00 said:

Sister could simply be a reference to a black woman. Not necessarily a biological relative. But then again the context determines that. And if he had not added words like incest in the song then my argument would stand, but obviously Prince clearly says incest in the song. Lol But wait,Eww the thought of him having sex with Tyka Nelson makes me wanna vomit.Lol

Rumor has it the song is about his half sister Sharon.

And also Prince lived with Sharon at one point in New York during his early career.

gorgbrowneyes said:

gorgbrowneyes said:

So, it took me until now to start listening to Prince's early 80s hits prior to 1999, and although I love most of his later stuff, it was important for me to listen to his beginnings. WITH THAT BEING SAID, can someone explain to me how Prince got away with singing "Sister", and still maintained a fan base? I'm being honest, if this was the first song I heard of Prince, I don't know if I would keep listening to him. When you first heard this song, what did you think of Prince?

Yes that song is horrible!!

I heard the song for the first time a month after her passed and to be honest, I wasn't too shocked. I've always loved his raunchier music and would listen to it with headphones as I was not allowed to listen to that type of stuff when I was a teenager. Now when I heard Head or Jack U Off, my mouth dropped to the floor. Kind of amusing that a song about incest doesn't shock me yet a song about a bride giving a man in heels oral or mastrubation does

I want to here more of the original demo that leaked last month.

That album did crreate a lot of enemies for Prince back then. I remember one guy I met an older dentist who asked me what music I liked, I said "Prince" and he just looked digusted and mentioned "Sister". He jumped off the Prince train when that came out.

[Edited 10/20/16 13:51pm]

He sister Tyka said in a podcast, it was a tribute to their sister Sharon. the shock factor of the song was just that

jhon00 said:

Sister could simply be a reference to a black woman. Not necessarily a biological relative. But then again the context determines that. And if he had not added words like incest in the song then my argument would stand, but obviously Prince clearly says incest in the song. Lol But wait,Eww the thought of him having sex with Tyka Nelson makes me wanna vomit.Lol

Tyka said the song was not about her but a tribute to Sharon. The shock factor was just that nothing more

It's an essential track on the Dirty Mind record (as are all of them in my opinion). I couldn't imagine playing the album and not hearing it.

sexton said:

It's an essential track on the Dirty Mind record (as are all of them in my opinion). I couldn't imagine playing the album and not hearing it.

A great question! I'd say it was the undeniable power and appeal of all of his music. I was 12 when I got the Dirty Mind album and started listening to it, which I did a LOT. Loved the album but was uncomfortable with the lyrics on "Sister"--knew it was WAY too mature for my young ears so I would self-censor. That's the only song of his I would skip over. I do appreciate the song musically and the freedom of expression but it's an ugly (presumably) personal truth he is singing about. There was just SO many other brilliant works--massive hit songs, videos, performances, movies, proteges--that demanded the public's attention that, over the years, "Sister" became something of a footnote.

.

"Sister" will stop anyone in their tracks, but then a year later, "Controversy" did the same--just for different reasons. Then "Little Red Corvette", "1999." "When Doves Cry" made everyone do a double-take. Then "Let's Go Crazy", "Purple Rain"...the rest is history. "Sister" got drowned out in a sea of greatness.

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The song has earned it's respect among devoted fans and critics, for the boldness of the message, the unbelievable daring and risk-taking Prince took to release it on his 3rd album. One could deem the subject matter absolutely reprehensible, and personally tragic, and still harbor great (if very reluctant) admiration for Prince as an artist for writing and sharing it with the public. And, I would add, for defiantly rejecting the disco/R&B/funk mold in which Black American artists were pidgeon-holed. Along with some of the other cuts on Dirty Mind, "Sister" was in your face, and unapologetic. It was a hell of an artistic statement. Literally and figuratively.

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The track also illustrates that he possessed an unusual musical prowess for songwriting outside the box, branching out wildly from his R&B roots on his first two albums with a sort of punk-rock vibe that sounded musically quite different from any other song of his up to that point in his career.

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[Edited 10/24/16 14:54pm]

back in 1985 or so I scared the shit outa some youngens when i played that song...