Check out Sheila E. talking about working with Prince on "A Love Bizarre" and Prince passing away.

The short film was produced by the Dutch NTR show.

"Portrait of Sheila E for dutch NTR show, about Sheila E's 'A Love Bizarre' and Prince's death.

interview - Dirk Jan Roeleven
camera & editing - Pim Hawinkels
sound - Mike van der Sluijs"

Here it is:

https://m.youtube.com/wat...ysxij_2Tsc
[Edited 12/27/16 8:05am]

Latin said:

Check out Sheila E. talking about working with Prince on "A Love Bizarre" and Prince passing away. The short film was produced by the Dutch NTR show. "Portrait of Sheila E for dutch NTR show, about Sheila E's 'A Love Bizarre' and Prince's death. interview - Dirk Jan Roeleven camera & editing - Pim Hawinkels sound - Mike van der Sluijs" Here it is: https://m.youtube.com/wat...ysxij_2Tsc [Edited 12/27/16 8:05am]

I can't believe people cannot figure out what the Ivory Tower means (LOL)

laurarichardson said:

So basically love bizzare is about P and sheila doing the Do

Strawberrylova123 said:

-Yes, the song is about them doing it.

Sheila E. is so beautiful, inside and out!

Bizarre

This was a great find. I love Sheila. I could listen to her talk all day. And I must be slow or old or something, because I do not get the ivory tower reference. If one of you young 'uns would enlighten me, I would appreciate it.

Don't know when this was done but she looks really uneasy talking about Prince. Still looks sad.

And I don't know what the ivory tower is either!!

anangellooksdown said:

P.E.N.I.S

Leopard52 said:

And I don't know what the ivory tower is either!!

That one is easy, But I don't know what 'Strawberry Mind' is. Strawberry Lover (Mazarati) and some other songs back then mention Strawberry something...

I'm lame about the strawberry mind too. Lol. Is this thing in code??? Or am I old?? No I'm the same age as they are. I should know. Just never thought about it.

Leopard52 said:

I'm lame about the strawberry mind too. Lol. Is this thing in code??? Or am I old?? No I'm the same age as they are. I should know. Just never thought about it.

I need to research Strawberry in Prince music via 80s. lol

Strawberrylova123 said:

anangellooksdown said:

This was a great find. I love Sheila. I could listen to her talk all day. And I must be slow or old or something, because I do not get the ivory tower reference. If one of you young 'uns would enlighten me, I would appreciate it.

P.E.N.I.S

And also if you google pictures of ivory tower and how its shape.

You kind of get the idea what it is refer too as well.

Latin said:

The short film was produced by the Dutch NTR show.

.

No, NTR is a Dutch public broadcaster: http://www.ntr.nl/ . This interview was recorded for Top 2000 A Gogo, a yearly TV series running from Christmas to New Year's Eve. This daily show accompanies the yearly "Top 2000" compiled by listeners of Radio 2. Each broadcast contains two mini-documentaries about a song in that Top 2000.

Leopard52 said:

I'm lame about the strawberry mind too. Lol. Is this thing in code??? Or am I old?? No I'm the same age as they are. I should know. Just never thought about it.

A lot of people like to play around with Strawberries and cream while engaging in carnal activities.

Strawberries come up a lot in Prince's music so I also was thought that was maybe one of things he liked. They recorded this on the PR tour and she said in that book that is when they consumated their realationship and that many times on that tour they were just holed up in his hotel room.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Leopard52 said:

And I don't know what the ivory tower is either!!

That one is easy, But I don't know what 'Strawberry Mind' is. Strawberry Lover (Mazarati) and some other songs back then mention Strawberry something...

Back in my neighborhood, a strawberry was the girl who fucked EVERYBODY.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

That one is easy, But I don't know what 'Strawberry Mind' is. Strawberry Lover (Mazarati) and some other songs back then mention Strawberry something...

Back in my neighborhood, a strawberry was the girl who fucked EVERYBODY.

Well that puts another perspective on it.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

That one is easy, But I don't know what 'Strawberry Mind' is. Strawberry Lover (Mazarati) and some other songs back then mention Strawberry something...

Back in my neighborhood, a strawberry was the girl who fucked EVERYBODY.

some say: a woman selling her ... hmm ... "strawberry" 4 drugs

SchlomoThaHomo said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

That one is easy, But I don't know what 'Strawberry Mind' is. Strawberry Lover (Mazarati) and some other songs back then mention Strawberry something...

Back in my neighborhood, a strawberry was the girl who fucked EVERYBODY.

mmmm interesting ...

lemoncrush19 said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Back in my neighborhood, a strawberry was the girl who fucked EVERYBODY.

some say: a woman selling her ... hmm ... "strawberry" 4 drugs

Maybe selling her strawberry for songs. Or maybe a strawberry mind that is about sex.

Thanks for sharing, Latin. Sheila is great!
And some interesting thoughts

In French "ivory tower" means a status of isolation and looking down on commons for rich/famous/powerful people, IDK if the metaphor exists in English but this would seem consistant with the context it's being used in the lyrics (A kiss on the spine, we do things we never do / Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower), so I do not see a necessary phallic metaphor here

.

I would add, as a writer, that poets and lyricists do not necessarilly have a specific meaning in mind for every little word that they lay on paper. Words pop-up in your mind spontaneously, they have a specific meaning at a specific moment but such meaning may be blurry or merely symbolic, and you may reread yourself and not be totally sure of what you meant by this at the exact moment you wrote it. I have doubts about whether Sheila really knows what "strawberry mind" or "ivory tower" stands for, admitting that she really co-wrote those words with Prince at all (he may as well have come-up with the lyrics on his own).

.

However, if Sheila really knows what it means, I respect that she wouldn't divulge it: poetry is about what the poem itself tells posterity, not what the writer indended to mean in the first place.

databank said:

In French "ivory tower" means a status of isolation and looking down on commons for rich/famous/powerful people, IDK if the metaphor exists in English but this would seem consistant with the context it's being used in the lyrics (A kiss on the spine, we do things we never do / Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower), so I do not see a necessary phallic metaphor here

.

I would add, as a writer, that poets and lyricists do not necessarilly have a specific meaning in mind for every little word that they lay on paper. Words pop-up in your mind spontaneously, they have a specific meaning at a specific moment but such meaning may be blurry or merely symbolic, and you may reread yourself and not be totally sure of what you meant by this at the exact moment you wrote it. I have doubts about whether Sheila really knows what "strawberry mind" or "ivory tower" stands for, admitting that she really co-wrote those words with Prince at all (he may as well have come-up with the lyrics on his own).

.

However, if Sheila really knows what it means, I respect that she wouldn't divulge it: poetry is about what the poem itself tells posterity, not what the writer indended to mean in the first place.

Are Sheila and Prince french?

The Ivory Tower is P's dick. He is a light skin dude thus Ivory= lightskin tower= penis.

Kiss on the spine. -- Kissing ,Cuddling and making out.

Do the things we never do- Doing freaky stuff in bed

Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower. - Swallow- do I have to explain,

Pride- she took it or they took each other's pride as in begging for more loving.

Joy- Ogasms.

Once again if you read her book they got together during the PR tour and that is when this song was written. They were often stuck in the hotel together doing that tour. She does not go into the details in the book about their relationship but you can figure out what went on. I believe this song came out of that time on that tour.

Prince' songs to me are like a guy just writting his life experiences out in songs instead of a journal.

laurarichardson said:

databank said:

In French "ivory tower" means a status of isolation and looking down on commons for rich/famous/powerful people, IDK if the metaphor exists in English but this would seem consistant with the context it's being used in the lyrics (A kiss on the spine, we do things we never do / Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower), so I do not see a necessary phallic metaphor here

.

I would add, as a writer, that poets and lyricists do not necessarilly have a specific meaning in mind for every little word that they lay on paper. Words pop-up in your mind spontaneously, they have a specific meaning at a specific moment but such meaning may be blurry or merely symbolic, and you may reread yourself and not be totally sure of what you meant by this at the exact moment you wrote it. I have doubts about whether Sheila really knows what "strawberry mind" or "ivory tower" stands for, admitting that she really co-wrote those words with Prince at all (he may as well have come-up with the lyrics on his own).

.

However, if Sheila really knows what it means, I respect that she wouldn't divulge it: poetry is about what the poem itself tells posterity, not what the writer indended to mean in the first place.

Are Sheila and Prince french?

The Ivory Tower is P's dick. He is a light skin dude thus Ivory= lightskin tower= penis.

Kiss on the spine. -- Kissing ,Cuddling and making out.

Do the things we never do- Doing freaky stuff in bed

Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower. - Swallow- do I have to explain,

Pride- she took it or they took each other's pride as in begging for more loving.

Joy- Ogasms.

Once again if you read her book they got together during the PR tour and that is when this song was written. They were often stuck in the hotel together doing that tour. She does not go into the details in the book about their relationship but you can figure out what went on. I believe this song came out of that time on that tour.

Prince' songs to me are like a guy just writting his life experiences out in songs instead of a journal.

Well they may not be French but you obviously aren't an English speaker either, I've just checked:

.

.

.

It would be nice if people stopped seeing dicks everywhere.

.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:06am]

[Edited 12/28/16 11:07am]

The mere fact that it took a non native English speaker to know about this expression shows the level of literacy and education on this board... Just saying

.

Now of course Prince and Sheila may have meant a dick. Or anything else for all we know, but "ivory tower" exists and has a specific meaning that is consistant here.

databank said:

laurarichardson said:

Are Sheila and Prince french?

The Ivory Tower is P's dick. He is a light skin dude thus Ivory= lightskin tower= penis.

Kiss on the spine. -- Kissing ,Cuddling and making out.

Do the things we never do- Doing freaky stuff in bed

Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower. - Swallow- do I have to explain,

Pride- she took it or they took each other's pride as in begging for more loving.

Joy- Ogasms.

Once again if you read her book they got together during the PR tour and that is when this song was written. They were often stuck in the hotel together doing that tour. She does not go into the details in the book about their relationship but you can figure out what went on. I believe this song came out of that time on that tour.

Prince' songs to me are like a guy just writting his life experiences out in songs instead of a journal.

Well they may not be French but you obviously aren't an English speaker either, I've just checked:

ivory tower

noun

noun: ivory tower; plural noun: ivory towers

1. a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world.

   "the ivory tower of academia"

ivory towernoun [ C ]

UK ​ /ˌaɪ.vər.i ˈtaʊər/ US ​ /ˌaɪ.vɚ.i ˈtaʊ.ɚ/ disapproving

​

To live or be in an ivory tower is not to know about or to want to avoidthe ordinary and unpleasant things that happen in people's lives:

Academics sitting in ivory towers have no understanding of what is important for ordinary people.

.

.

.

It would be nice if people stopped seeing dicks everywhere.

.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:06am]

[Edited 12/28/16 11:07am]

I know what an Ivory Tower means but that is not what they are talking about in the song.

Do you think the traditional definition for Ivory Tower makes any sense in that song?

You need to be careful when attacking people's intelligence because you are not even putting the term in context of how it is being used in the song. In addition, you seem to think that the ability to look up a word in an on-line dictionary makes you a rocket scientist.

A lot of popular music is rooted in slang and culture which usually have nothing to do with the traditional or correct definitions of words. This is pop music not Shakespeare.

Prince also used the term "Tower" in the song Desire by the family.

Do you think he means Tower as a building in this song?

--------------

So long have we known each other (So long have we known each other)
So little do we know (Little do we know)
Sometimes I feel like strangers (Sometimes I feel like strangers)
The real us we seldom do show (Seldom do show)

CHORUS:
Desire, it covers our faces
It happens in curious places
Your body, it covers my tower
Ecstasy is ours

I dream of a physical evening (Dream of a physical evening {x3})
I long 4 a night within U
U're saving your love 4 some soldier (Some soldier {x3})
Who'd much rather die than stay by your side
If U only knew

CHORUS

A ghost from your past
Prevents us from knowing the pleasures of love
What must I do 2 convince U
Isn't the expression on my complexion enough?
(Ecstasy)

Don't tell me we have conflicting emotions
It's written all over your face
Come my love, cover my tower
Ecstasy is ours

So long have we known each other (So long have we known each other)
So little do we know
Let me show U

CHORUS {x3}

---

Sorry to inform you but Prince did write a lot about sex. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable but I thought we were all grown ups.

I also told you what was going on with Sheila and Prince at the time the song was recorded this info came from her book.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:25am]

laurarichardson said:

databank said:

Well they may not be French but you obviously aren't an English speaker either, I've just checked:

ivory tower

noun

noun: ivory tower; plural noun: ivory towers

1. a state of privileged seclusion or separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world.

   "the ivory tower of academia"

ivory towernoun [ C ]

UK ​ /ˌaɪ.vər.i ˈtaʊər/ US ​ /ˌaɪ.vɚ.i ˈtaʊ.ɚ/ disapproving

​

To live or be in an ivory tower is not to know about or to want to avoidthe ordinary and unpleasant things that happen in people's lives:

Academics sitting in ivory towers have no understanding of what is important for ordinary people.

.

.

.

It would be nice if people stopped seeing dicks everywhere.

.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:06am]

[Edited 12/28/16 11:07am]

I know what an Ivory Tower means but that is not what they are talking about in the song.

Do you think the traditional definition for Ivory Tower makes any sense in that song?

You need to be careful when attacking people's intelligence because you are not even putting the term in context of how it is being used in the song. In addition, you seem to think that the ability to look up a word in an on-line dictionary makes you a rocket scientist.

A lot of popular music is rooted in slang and culture which usually have nothing to do with the traditional or correct definitions of words. This is pop music not Shakespeare.

Prince also used the term "Tower" in the song Desire by the family.

Do you think he means Tower as a building in this song?

--------------

So long have we known each other (So long have we known each other)
So little do we know (Little do we know)
Sometimes I feel like strangers (Sometimes I feel like strangers)
The real us we seldom do show (Seldom do show)

CHORUS:
Desire, it covers our faces
It happens in curious places
Your body, it covers my tower
Ecstasy is ours

I dream of a physical evening (Dream of a physical evening {x3})
I long 4 a night within U
U're saving your love 4 some soldier (Some soldier {x3})
Who'd much rather die than stay by your side
If U only knew

CHORUS

A ghost from your past
Prevents us from knowing the pleasures of love
What must I do 2 convince U
Isn't the expression on my complexion enough?
(Ecstasy)

Don't tell me we have conflicting emotions
It's written all over your face
Come my love, cover my tower
Ecstasy is ours

So long have we known each other (So long have we known each other)
So little do we know
Let me show U

CHORUS {x3}

---

Sorry to inform you but Prince did write a lot about sex. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable but I thought we were all grown ups.

I also told you what was going on with Sheila and Prince at the time the song was recorded this info came from her book.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:25am]

IDK where the notion of me being incomfortable with sex lyrics comes from but thanks nonetheless for the articulated reply. I would agree with the phallic reference in Desire, however I do not believe it applies here. And that's precisely because I put it in context.

.

What I read, right or wrong, is this, which is consistant with context and what Sheila says in the video (I haven't read her book):

The moon up above, it shines on upon our skin we are covered in light (spotlights, exposure or maybe even a more metaphysical, divine light as in being beautiful and chosen?), we shine in the dark
Whispering words that scream of outrageous sin we daresay (to each other or the world?) things that are shocking to most, maybe a reference precisely to those sexual lyrics common to P's songs, though the "whispering" verb suggests a more inimate dialogue
We all want the stuff that's found in our wildest dreams even though we are lucky enough to do whatever we want to, everyone's like us and wants it too, only they just can't or won't allow themselves = we are not that different = don't judge us so promptly
It gets kinda rough in the back of our limousine I guess this one is pretty much self explanatory

That's what we are, we all want a love bizarre again we're not that different from the lot of you

A strawberry mind, a body that's built for two I really have no explaination for the strawberry mind (the images related with strawberries in English somewhat elude me) but the body built for 2 is an obvious reference to fusion/sexual fusion
A kiss on the spine, we do things we never do OK with the reference to cuddling and doing unordinary sexual things, we agree on this
Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower here I believe it's a way of saying "we enjoy the privileges and happiness of being part of that rich and famous elite that has the freedom to realize its fantasies without caring for what others think"

.

It's also possible that Prince and Sheila intended a double meaning, making a sexual allusion at the same time on purpose specifically by adding trhe verbe "swallow" to "ivory tower" but I am convinced that "ivory tower" was originally used in its primary sense, which you must admit makes sense in the context of the rest.

.

Please realize that I do not claim to know anything about the true meaning of those lyrics, but I believe my interpretation is valid. Now if anyone can explain the strawberry mind?

.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:47am]

databank said:

laurarichardson said:

I know what an Ivory Tower means but that is not what they are talking about in the song.

Do you think the traditional definition for Ivory Tower makes any sense in that song?

You need to be careful when attacking people's intelligence because you are not even putting the term in context of how it is being used in the song. In addition, you seem to think that the ability to look up a word in an on-line dictionary makes you a rocket scientist.

A lot of popular music is rooted in slang and culture which usually have nothing to do with the traditional or correct definitions of words. This is pop music not Shakespeare.

Prince also used the term "Tower" in the song Desire by the family.

Do you think he means Tower as a building in this song?

--------------

So long have we known each other (So long have we known each other)
So little do we know (Little do we know)
Sometimes I feel like strangers (Sometimes I feel like strangers)
The real us we seldom do show (Seldom do show)

CHORUS:
Desire, it covers our faces
It happens in curious places
Your body, it covers my tower
Ecstasy is ours

I dream of a physical evening (Dream of a physical evening {x3})
I long 4 a night within U
U're saving your love 4 some soldier (Some soldier {x3})
Who'd much rather die than stay by your side
If U only knew

CHORUS

A ghost from your past
Prevents us from knowing the pleasures of love
What must I do 2 convince U
Isn't the expression on my complexion enough?
(Ecstasy)

Don't tell me we have conflicting emotions
It's written all over your face
Come my love, cover my tower
Ecstasy is ours

So long have we known each other (So long have we known each other)
So little do we know
Let me show U

CHORUS {x3}

---

Sorry to inform you but Prince did write a lot about sex. Maybe it makes you uncomfortable but I thought we were all grown ups.

I also told you what was going on with Sheila and Prince at the time the song was recorded this info came from her book.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:25am]

IDK where the notion of me being incomfortable with sex lyrics comes from but thanks nonetheless for the articulated reply. I would agree with the phallic reference in Desire, however I do not believe it applies here. And that's precisely because I put it in context.

.

What I read, right or wrong, is this, which is consistant with context and what Sheila says in the video (I haven't read her book):

The moon up above, it shines on upon our skin we are covered in light (spotlights, exposure or maybe even a more metaphysical, divine light as in being beautiful and chosen?), we shine in the dark
Whispering words that scream of outrageous sin we daresay (to each other or the world?) things that are shocking to most, maybe a reference precisely to those sexual lyrics common to P's songs, though the "whispering" verb suggests a more inimate dialogue
We all want the stuff that's found in our wildest dreams even though we are lucky enough to do whatever we want to, everyone's like us and wants it too, only they just can't or won't allow themselves = we are not that different = don't judge us so promptly
It gets kinda rough in the back of our limousine I guess this one is pretty much self explanatory

That's what we are, we all want a love bizarre again we're not that different from the lot of you

A strawberry mind, a body that's built for two I really have no explaination for the strawberry mind (the images related with strawberries in English somewhat elude me) but the body built for 2 is an obvious reference to fusion/sexual fusion
A kiss on the spine, we do things we never do OK with the reference to cuddling and doing unordinary sexual things, we agree on this
Swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower here I believe it's a way of saying "we enjoy the privileges and happiness of being part of that rich and famous elite that has the freedom to realize its fantasies without caring for what others think"

.

It's also possible that Prince and Sheila intended a double meaning, making a sexual allusion at the same time on purpose specifically by adding trhe verbe "swallow" to "ivory tower" but I am convinced that "ivory tower" was originally used in its primary sense, which you must admit makes sense in the context of the rest.

.

Please realize that I do not claim to know anything about the true meaning of those lyrics, but I believe my interpretation is valid. Now if anyone can explain the strawberry mind?

.

[Edited 12/28/16 11:47am]

We will have to agree to disagree. I do not hear the song in this manner. Later in Prince's life I could see some of this being accurate but not in his 20s and just based on what was going on in their relationship at the time.