Prince took plenty of opportunities to ding greedy label execs over the years. As the inventive "Colonized Mind" from 2009's Lotusflow3r showed, however, his concerns about being co-opted went well beyond a hated contract with Warner Bros.

Ever the iconoclast, Prince argued here that evolution might have anti-environmentalism as an unintended consequence and made a sharp point about the isolating qualities of racism, while simultaneously taking down America's binary modern political system. And he was just getting started.

The thematic center point for an album dotted with thoughts of altruism, social justice and independence from conditioned belief systems, "Colonized Mind" arrived during a patented creative outburst, and it refused to give up even an inch of philosophical ground. Read More...

[Edited 12/3/17 10:53am]

FlyOnTheWall said:

Prince took plenty of opportunities to ding greedy label execs over the years. As the inventive "Colonized Mind" from 2009's Lotusflow3r showed, however, his concerns about being co-opted went well beyond a hated contract with Warner Bros.

Ever the iconoclast, Prince argued here that evolution might have anti-environmentalism as an unintended consequence and made a sharp point about the isolating qualities of racism, while simultaneously taking down America's binary modern political system. And he was just getting started.

The thematic center point for an album dotted with thoughts of altruism, social justice and independence from conditioned belief systems, "Colonized Mind" arrived during a patented creative outburst, and it refused to give up even an inch of philosophical ground. Read More...

[Edited 12/3/17 10:53am]

Interesting article.Thanks for sharing!

[Edited 12/3/17 11:16am]

[Edited 12/3/17 11:24am]

pinkcashmere23 said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Prince took plenty of opportunities to ding greedy label execs over the years. As the inventive "Colonized Mind" from 2009's Lotusflow3r showed, however, his concerns about being co-opted went well beyond a hated contract with Warner Bros.

Ever the iconoclast, Prince argued here that evolution might have anti-environmentalism as an unintended consequence and made a sharp point about the isolating qualities of racism, while simultaneously taking down America's binary modern political system. And he was just getting started.

The thematic center point for an album dotted with thoughts of altruism, social justice and independence from conditioned belief systems, "Colonized Mind" arrived during a patented creative outburst, and it refused to give up even an inch of philosophical ground. Read More...

[Edited 12/3/17 10:53am]

Interesting article.Thanks for sharing!

[Edited 12/3/17 11:16am]

[Edited 12/3/17 11:24am]

You're welcome, pink!!

that nuanced interpretation of the lyrics actually makes them a little easier for me to swallow. I might actually be able to enjoy the song more now... musically, it was always good.

A noble attempt at polishing a turd.

Man I get chills listening to this song. It's so climatic and meaningful on one of his most underrated albums Lotusflow3r.

[Edited 12/4/17 12:06pm]

paisleypark4 said:

Man I get chills listening to this song. It's so climatic and meaningful on one of his most underrated albums Lotusflow3r.

Reviews from 2008:

A glimmer of hope that Prince hasn't completely lost his songwriting and production chops.

--------

I TOTALLY LOVE IT..... I was ENTRANCED by it....This song is SO GREAT and gets better with each listen.

----

Much like "The Word," I will love the song while ignoring the lyrics.

---

I'm on the third listen to "Colonized Mind" Now. The song is based on that intricate weave between the mind and the spirit, cause and effect. God's Will and the Children's response.

----

Love the title, "Colonized Mind" It grabs one's attention right away. When he does the guitar solo in it, you get that blues/rock feel and feel the lyrics too, the kind that touches the soul. I got a tiny bit of a "gospel" feel out of it too, but that's just me, what can I say?. I like when I could feel the song with the lyrics where it touches your soul, awakes the mind.

---

My opinion on the below verses of "Colonize Mind", I have to say, in my opinion, reflects the absentee rate of fathers in the home or irresponsible fathers not living up to their responsibilities as fathers to their children; leaving a multitude of young males and females without proper male, role models in their lives. Often many, youth, not all, have fallen prey to the wrong elements of society, looking for that "whole family" image or father image, especially if the single parent that is raising them, is not strong enough to play both parental roles and teach them respect and mannerisms in the home which they could display outside of the home as well.

It's especially sad when females look for a father image in the men they date, only to find out later that "fatherly love," is a different kind of love, and you're not going to find "fatherly love" in a relationship with a man you date or marry. Sadly, many females, often get the two confused. Also, the visible lack of respect many of our youth have for adults and authoritative figures in our society today is astounding.

The 2nd verse basically speaks for itself; lack of maternal love or the experience of it, may lead to one not being able to display maternal love or affection.

Upload
A child with no father
Download
No respect for authority

Upload
A child with no mother
Download
A hard time showing love

[Edited 12/4/17 12:06pm]

All of THIS!!! I absolutely love Prince, the artivist. His message is powerful, but I think where you stand on this song, depends on where you sit in life. That is to say, if you were not born or did not live under the foot of a colonial, hegemonic power, then it's probably hard to relate to this, a protest song. Long story short, it is about social justice...and I am HERE for it.

FlyOnTheWall said:

All of THIS!!! I absolutely love Prince, the artivist. His message is powerful, but I think where you stand on this song, depends on where you sit in life. That is to say, if you were not born or did not live under the foot of a colonial, hegemonic power, then it's probably hard to relate to this, a protest song. Long story short, it is about social justice...and I am HERE for it.

You better tell the truth!!!!

FlyOnTheWall said:

Prince took plenty of opportunities to ding greedy label execs over the years. As the inventive "Colonized Mind" from 2009's Lotusflow3r showed, however, his concerns about being co-opted went well beyond a hated contract with Warner Bros.

Ever the iconoclast, Prince argued here that evolution might have anti-environmentalism as an unintended consequence and made a sharp point about the isolating qualities of racism, while simultaneously taking down America's binary modern political system. And he was just getting started.

The thematic center point for an album dotted with thoughts of altruism, social justice and independence from conditioned belief systems, "Colonized Mind" arrived during a patented creative outburst, and it refused to give up even an inch of philosophical ground. Read More...

[Edited 12/3/17 10:53am]

THanks so much FLy...

Really cool article

Lovejunky said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

Prince took plenty of opportunities to ding greedy label execs over the years. As the inventive "Colonized Mind" from 2009's Lotusflow3r showed, however, his concerns about being co-opted went well beyond a hated contract with Warner Bros.

Ever the iconoclast, Prince argued here that evolution might have anti-environmentalism as an unintended consequence and made a sharp point about the isolating qualities of racism, while simultaneously taking down America's binary modern political system. And he was just getting started.

The thematic center point for an album dotted with thoughts of altruism, social justice and independence from conditioned belief systems, "Colonized Mind" arrived during a patented creative outburst, and it refused to give up even an inch of philosophical ground. Read More...

[Edited 12/3/17 10:53am]

THanks so much FLy...

You're welcome, Love!!

databank said:

Really cool article

I agree. I think this song is grossly underappreciated and misunderstood.

paisleypark4 said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

All of THIS!!! I absolutely love Prince, the artivist. His message is powerful, but I think where you stand on this song, depends on where you sit in life. That is to say, if you were not born or did not live under the foot of a colonial, hegemonic power, then it's probably hard to relate to this, a protest song. Long story short, it is about social justice...and I am HERE for it.

You better tell the truth!!!!

206Michelle said:

Colonized Mind is a stellar track. The lyrics and guitar work are top-notch.

But he "forgot" to give credit where it's due.

[Edited 12/6/17 6:12am]

ludwig said:

206Michelle said:

Colonized Mind is a stellar track. The lyrics and guitar work are top-notch.

But he "forgot" to give credit where it's due.

[Edited 12/6/17 6:12am]

It does have a similar melody. I'm no musician, so I can't begin to compare chords and other musical elements, but might this similarity be incidental?

206Michelle said:

Latin said:

Thanks for posting this article on one of Prince's many political and social justice related songs.

You're welcome, Latin. I love that he used his platform to advocate for positive change.

Author wrote this:

"Upload: a joint venture record deal," Prince sings on "Colonized Mind." "It's just another way another man can still sleep, while he's sticking you with the bill."

Reality >>>

Upload: a joint venture record deal
It's just another way 4 the man 2 steal
While he's sticking you with the bill

Just sayin...

mothyham said:

Author wrote this:

"Upload: a joint venture record deal," Prince sings on "Colonized Mind." "It's just another way another man can still sleep, while he's sticking you with the bill."

Reality >>>

Upload: a joint venture record deal
It's just another way 4 the man 2 steal
While he's sticking you with the bill

Just sayin...

Paisley Park Records comes to mind.

ludwig said:

206Michelle said:

Colonized Mind is a stellar track. The lyrics and guitar work are top-notch.

But he "forgot" to give credit where it's due.

[Edited 12/6/17 6:12am]

I was just going to post this if someone hadn't already.

FlyOnTheWall said:

ludwig said:

206Michelle said:

Colonized Mind is a stellar track. The lyrics and guitar work are top-notch.

But he "forgot" to give credit where it's due.

[Edited 12/6/17 6:12am]

Never heard "Quit It" until now. I agree that there is a striking similarity, and he should have credited her. He had a tendency to leave people off of credits. For example, "Diamonds and Pearls" is a duet with Rosie Gaines, and should be listed as such.