And I bet you think Susannah is on the other side of that wall

violetcrush said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

I have always said this ^^^^^

I don't think the "listen very closely" was implying some hidden message. I think it was his way of saying, "listen closely to my cautionary tale so you don't make the same mistakes."

*

"this could be the saddest story ever been told. I used to want the house with the biggest pool. Reminiscing now I just feel like a fool..." and "give me back the time, you can keep the memories.". *

I think he's expressing how, if he could, he would turn back time and change how he behaved - both generally and in relationships - because he does not like thinking about how he behaved.

*

The last verse - "baby baby, see there's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall. I don't care, it's cool, as long as you catch me baby (catch me when I fall) if ever there's a fall.."

*

I think he's expressing that he is now able to be vulnerable and open with a woman, as long as she is there to help him through any "breakdown" or "fall" he may have.

Prince(r.i.p.) told the great tv host Arsenio (the last live Prince(r.i.p.) interview I attended) on his highly rated talk show. That "The BreakDown" was his favorite song. The live version is VERY heartfelt and the most beautiful melody I've ever heard.

getwild180 said:

This song has so much emotion. You can actually feel the pain and hurt as he was singing it. I can never bring myself to skip the song even if I wanted to. The more I hear it the better it gets. I'd say it's better than "Way Back Home" What do you think of this song?

Yes Indeed!

[Edited 7/23/19 13:12pm]

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

And I bet you think Susannah is on the other side of that wall

violetcrush said:

I don't think the "listen very closely" was implying some hidden message. I think it was his way of saying, "listen closely to my cautionary tale so you don't make the same mistakes."

*

"this could be the saddest story ever been told. I used to want the house with the biggest pool. Reminiscing now I just feel like a fool..." and "give me back the time, you can keep the memories.". *

I think he's expressing how, if he could, he would turn back time and change how he behaved - both generally and in relationships - because he does not like thinking about how he behaved.

*

The last verse - "baby baby, see there's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall. I don't care, it's cool, as long as you catch me baby (catch me when I fall) if ever there's a fall.."

*

I think he's expressing that he is now able to be vulnerable and open with a woman, as long as she is there to help him through any "breakdown" or "fall" he may have.

Nah....I'm not that presumptuous on this one, however, I do love that he reached out to her just before he passed to record with her again

ChocolateBox3121 said:

Prince(r.i.p.) told the great tv host Arsenio (the last live Prince(r.i.p.) interview I attended) on his highly rated talk show. That "The BreakDown" was his favorite song. The live version is VERY heartfelt and the most beautiful melody I've ever heard.

You're a bit late with the Arsenio info....I posted that on #15

*

I thought that appearance was actually quite cringe-worthy. Arsenio was trying to bring up old "partying" stories during the interview knowing full well that Prince would not want to discuss that. Then stating, "I have a Son now"...really? Not too sensitive considering that Prince had lost his own Son. Then that whole fake "let's ask Prince" Q & A thing about relationsips. I was like, nooooo!!! Don't do it Prince! Blaahhhggghhhh. Just awful. It was nice of Prince to try to help boost his ratings though.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

donnyenglish said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

I have always said this ^^^^^

The song is about his struggle with opioids. It is his version of Mary Jane, but much much darker. People will criticize this interpretation, but I feel strongly about it.

I think that is an interesting take.

What do you think about this verse?

Every book I've read said that I would meet somebody like you
Whenever I was sorry, so sorry for the things I used to do
A journal full of numbers that I used to go through
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) all behind me now, all because of you.

Who is you? (BTW, I also do not think it is a woman)

Try not to worry about criticisim, I am sincerely interested in your thoughts.

[Edited 7/23/19 14:41pm]

donnyenglish said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

I have always said this ^^^^^

The song is about his struggle with opioids. It is his version of Mary Jane, but much much darker. People will criticize this interpretation, but I feel strongly about it.

So you think the "baby" and the "you" in the song is him referring to the Opioids?? I think that is a bit of a stretch, because then the "there's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall" lyric would make absolutely no sense at all.

*

I think he is talking to a specific female, or a general female "character" about who he is now as opposed to back then.

violetcrush said:

donnyenglish said:

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said: The song is about his struggle with opioids. It is his version of Mary Jane, but much much darker. People will criticize this interpretation, but I feel strongly about it.

So you think the "baby" and the "you" in the song is him referring to the Opioids?? I think that is a bit of a stretch, because then the "there's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall" lyric would make absolutely no sense at all.

*

I think he is talking to a specific female, or a general female "character" about who he is now as opposed to back then.

Violet-I would like to encourage you to be a little less literal and try to read between the lines. Prince was not literal; he often spoke metaphorically. He is going deeper. Using straight up logic will not work when attempting to decipher Prince's thoughts. It just won't.

Please try to practice restraint in your opinions and let in other perspectives.

PeggyO said:

violetcrush said:

So you think the "baby" and the "you" in the song is him referring to the Opioids?? I think that is a bit of a stretch, because then the "there's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall" lyric would make absolutely no sense at all.

*

I think he is talking to a specific female, or a general female "character" about who he is now as opposed to back then.

Violet-I would like to encourage you to be a little less literal and try to read between the lines. Prince was not literal; he often spoke metaphorically. He is going deeper. Using straight up logic will not work when attempting to decipher Prince's thoughts. It just won't.

Please try to practice restraint in your opinions and let in other perspectives.

Peggy - yes, I know that Prince was not always literal with his lyrics, however, the words and phrasing he used in this song seem to lean more toward a physical being and not his situation with the pain meds. Even with his classic song LRC - while he's using a car analogy he also uses the term "baby" which infers that he is singing about a relationship with a woman, and not an actual car.

*

If you look at the rest of AOA several of the songs pertain to a relationship with a female - This Could Be Us, Breakfast Can Wait, Clouds, Time, etc. Here is a verse in the song Time, where he uses the "break down" phrasing:

*

Oh oh I think I need you to be my girl
Travel with me around the world
Baby baby
So no paper
This works out fine
But not half as fine
As when I get time
With you

Sugar have you heard?

Keep breakin' you down
Down down down

[Chorus]

[Outro]
You, you, you, you

Baby, baby u can too!

*

In my opnion, I think it's a big stretch to give Breakdown some abstract meaning. I think it's fairly straightforward, and the rest of the album is as well.

violetcrush said:

ChocolateBox3121 said:

Prince(r.i.p.) told the great tv host Arsenio (the last live Prince(r.i.p.) interview I attended) on his highly rated talk show. That "The BreakDown" was his favorite song. The live version is VERY heartfelt and the most beautiful melody I've ever heard.

You're a bit late with the Arsenio info....I posted that on #15

*

I thought that appearance was actually quite cringe-worthy. Arsenio was trying to bring up old "partying" stories during the interview knowing full well that Prince would not want to discuss that. Then stating, "I have a Son now"...really? Not too sensitive considering that Prince had lost his own Son. Then that whole fake "let's ask Prince" Q & A thing about relationsips. I was like, nooooo!!! Don't do it Prince! Blaahhhggghhhh. Just awful. It was nice of Prince to try to help boost his ratings though.

Without getting into ANOTHER drag out fight on here with U again about Arsenio. I pass.

ChocolateBox3121 said:

violetcrush said:

You're a bit late with the Arsenio info....I posted that on #15

*

I thought that appearance was actually quite cringe-worthy. Arsenio was trying to bring up old "partying" stories during the interview knowing full well that Prince would not want to discuss that. Then stating, "I have a Son now"...really? Not too sensitive considering that Prince had lost his own Son. Then that whole fake "let's ask Prince" Q & A thing about relationsips. I was like, nooooo!!! Don't do it Prince! Blaahhhggghhhh. Just awful. It was nice of Prince to try to help boost his ratings though.

Without getting into ANOTHER drag out fight on here with U again about Arsenio. I pass.

K

donnyenglish said:

The song is not about a woman or women. Listen very closely ...

someone gets it right...

jfenster said:

donnyenglish said:

The song is not about a woman or women. Listen very closely ...

someone gets it right...

Remember when everyone thought that Starfish and Coffee had some abstract meaning and/or hidden message, and then we found out it was a literal story about what an autistic girl would say at school??

*

Another one was Wasted Kisses - I remember reading an old thread about it where someone thought it was about Mayte and their Son's death Completely far-fetched interpretation of the lyrics. That song was straight-up about the finality of losing a former lover, which is why it was a hidden track. Prince would never have written such a dark song about the loss of his Son.

*

Yes Prince used creative word-play and phrasing in his lyrics, especially when disguising sexually explicit details, however, most of the messages in his songs were pretty clear. You know when he's singing about sex, love, politics, race, violence etc.

You need to quit.

The first time I heard this song, I knew it had nothing to do with a woman.

P's messages were NEVER pretty clear.

violetcrush said:

jfenster said:

someone gets it right...

Remember when everyone thought that Starfish and Coffee had some abstract meaning and/or hidden message, and then we found out it was a literal story about what an autistic girl would say at school??

*

Another one was Wasted Kisses - I remember reading an old thread about it where someone thought it was about Mayte and their Son's death Completely far-fetched interpretation of the lyrics. That song was straight-up about the finality of losing a former lover, which is why it was a hidden track. Prince would never have written such a dark song about the loss of his Son.

*

Yes Prince used creative word-play and phrasing in his lyrics, especially when disguising sexually explicit details, however, most of the messages in his songs were pretty clear. You know when he's singing about sex, love, politics, race, violence etc.

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

Violet-I feel other respected orgers have asked you to "quit" as well in other threads. Please learn to post a little less often and allow the thread to breathe.

PeggyO said:

He cried at the end of the song in Montreux (2013). He seemed very sad and one thing he mentioned was he wanted more time here. I feel he was too sad for it to be anything other than a serious chronic or acute illness.I feel he was asking God to "catch him" if he fell during this scary process.

I think he was upset with himself for wasting precious time on superficial as well as harmful pursuits.

Re: the show in Sydney, I think sometimes Prince mentioned attraction to women in his songs/performances as a cover for other, perhaps deeper and more vulnerable feelings. He could not directly tell us that he was very ill as it would have caused a media circus.

I think he was saying good-bye for a couple of years. The album, Art Official Age was a farewell in IMO. Took alot of courage.

.

If you look, you can see Hannah crying too. I agree 100%. No matter what the investigation says, and the guy who wrote the book on the investigation says... there was something chronic or acute going on beyond painkillers.

PeggyO said:

He cried at the end of the song in Montreux (2013). He seemed very sad and one thing he mentioned was he wanted more time here. I feel he was too sad for it to be anything other than a serious chronic or acute illness.I feel he was asking God to "catch him" if he fell during this scary process.

I think he was upset with himself for wasting precious time on superficial as well as harmful pursuits.

Re: the show in Sydney, I think sometimes Prince mentioned attraction to women in his songs/performances as a cover for other, perhaps deeper and more vulnerable feelings. He could not directly tell us that he was very ill as it would have caused a media circus.

I think he was saying good-bye for a couple of years. The album, Art Official Age was a farewell in IMO. Took alot of courage.

I have said from the beginning that The Breakdown is about his relationship with God - and not just as it relates to his addiction. When he says, "There's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall," he is saying, "Yes, my God - I accept you wholeheartedly and trust you to catch me if I fall." God has broken through the walls Prince put up in his life. He's put his journal (his reliance only on himself) away and is trusting a higher power to guide him. "Every book I read said that I would meet somebody like you" - he's talking about the books of the Bible. But he's acknowledging that he didn't really accept the teachings the way he should have - he continued in the same way he had before. God finally "broke him down" and found a way into his heart.

violetcrush said:

ChocolateBox3121 said:

Prince(r.i.p.) told the great tv host Arsenio (the last live Prince(r.i.p.) interview I attended) on his highly rated talk show. That "The BreakDown" was his favorite song. The live version is VERY heartfelt and the most beautiful melody I've ever heard.

You're a bit late with the Arsenio info....I posted that on #15

*

I thought that appearance was actually quite cringe-worthy. Arsenio was trying to bring up old "partying" stories during the interview knowing full well that Prince would not want to discuss that. Then stating, "I have a Son now"...really? Not too sensitive considering that Prince had lost his own Son. Then that whole fake "let's ask Prince" Q & A thing about relationsips. I was like, nooooo!!! Don't do it Prince! Blaahhhggghhhh. Just awful. It was nice of Prince to try to help boost his ratings though.

Although I really like Arsenio and was very happy to see him back with his show, I do agree with you on this. Seeing Prince on the show was awesome as it always is, but I too found it to be a bit fake and I did not enjoy the Q&A, that was very fake. His performances are always great though.

Genesia said:

PeggyO said:

He cried at the end of the song in Montreux (2013). He seemed very sad and one thing he mentioned was he wanted more time here. I feel he was too sad for it to be anything other than a serious chronic or acute illness.I feel he was asking God to "catch him" if he fell during this scary process.

I think he was upset with himself for wasting precious time on superficial as well as harmful pursuits.

Re: the show in Sydney, I think sometimes Prince mentioned attraction to women in his songs/performances as a cover for other, perhaps deeper and more vulnerable feelings. He could not directly tell us that he was very ill as it would have caused a media circus.

I think he was saying good-bye for a couple of years. The album, Art Official Age was a farewell in IMO. Took alot of courage.

I have said from the beginning that The Breakdown is about his relationship with God - and not just as it relates to his addiction. When he says, "There's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall," he is saying, "Yes, my God - I accept you wholeheartedly and trust you to catch me if I fall." God has broken through the walls Prince put up in his life. He's put his journal (his reliance only on himself) away and is trusting a higher power to guide him. "Every book I read said that I would meet somebody like you" - he's talking about the books of the Bible. But he's acknowledging that he didn't really accept the teachings the way he should have - he continued in the same way he had before. God finally "broke him down" and found a way into his heart.

Wow, beautifully said.

Genesia said:

PeggyO said:

Violet-I feel other respected orgers have asked you to "quit" as well in other threads. Please learn to post a little less often and allow the thread to breathe.

PeggyO - no orger, other than those who are known for their snarky/catty remarks on certain threads, has asked or suggested anything of the kind of me. No Mod has either. Sorry if my opnion(s) do not always mesh with yours, but I reserve the right to express them just the same as every other member of this site.

*

I will kindly ask you to refrain from the "lecturing" responses, and to leave the post monitoring to the Mods - that is their job, not yours.

*

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a discussion/debate on this topic. Some believe this song is an abstract message about his addiction and/or relationship with God. I happen to think it is a message about how he's changed with regard to relationships and his behavior. This is not the first or the last time there will be varying opinions about Prince's songs, life, relationships, etc. A big part of this site is based on those discussions.

Genesia said:

PeggyO said:

He cried at the end of the song in Montreux (2013). He seemed very sad and one thing he mentioned was he wanted more time here. I feel he was too sad for it to be anything other than a serious chronic or acute illness.I feel he was asking God to "catch him" if he fell during this scary process.

I think he was upset with himself for wasting precious time on superficial as well as harmful pursuits.

Re: the show in Sydney, I think sometimes Prince mentioned attraction to women in his songs/performances as a cover for other, perhaps deeper and more vulnerable feelings. He could not directly tell us that he was very ill as it would have caused a media circus.

I think he was saying good-bye for a couple of years. The album, Art Official Age was a farewell in IMO. Took alot of courage.

I have said from the beginning that The Breakdown is about his relationship with God - and not just as it relates to his addiction. When he says, "There's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall," he is saying, "Yes, my God - I accept you wholeheartedly and trust you to catch me if I fall." God has broken through the walls Prince put up in his life. He's put his journal (his reliance only on himself) away and is trusting a higher power to guide him. "Every book I read said that I would meet somebody like you" - he's talking about the books of the Bible. But he's acknowledging that he didn't really accept the teachings the way he should have - he continued in the same way he had before. God finally "broke him down" and found a way into his heart.

I would absolutely align with this thought if it were not for the phrasing and words used throughout the song. If you look back at all of the songs he has written about God and his faith, he always used proper names - my Lord, God, He, Heaven, The Cross, etc. I think he had too much respect for his faith to use the term "baby" or "you" when describing God. He never wrote about God as if he were talking to a regular person or human. It was always clear that he was referring to a higher power, which is why they are so distinguishable from other songs.

*

Anna Stesia:

*

*

I don't think he ever felt the need to be abstract when he wrote songs about God or his faith. He was always quite direct with that message throughout his life, especially the JW period.

*

This is just my opinion, and regardless of what PeggyO writes, all here are entitled to respond and express their own thoughts

Empress said:

violetcrush said:

You're a bit late with the Arsenio info....I posted that on #15

*

I thought that appearance was actually quite cringe-worthy. Arsenio was trying to bring up old "partying" stories during the interview knowing full well that Prince would not want to discuss that. Then stating, "I have a Son now"...really? Not too sensitive considering that Prince had lost his own Son. Then that whole fake "let's ask Prince" Q & A thing about relationsips. I was like, nooooo!!! Don't do it Prince! Blaahhhggghhhh. Just awful. It was nice of Prince to try to help boost his ratings though.

Although I really like Arsenio and was very happy to see him back with his show, I do agree with you on this. Seeing Prince on the show was awesome as it always is, but I too found it to be a bit fake and I did not enjoy the Q&A, that was very fake. His performances are always great though.

Thanks Empress. I agree 100%.

violetcrush said:

Genesia said:

I have said from the beginning that The Breakdown is about his relationship with God - and not just as it relates to his addiction. When he says, "There's a door that you can walk through where there used to be a wall," he is saying, "Yes, my God - I accept you wholeheartedly and trust you to catch me if I fall." God has broken through the walls Prince put up in his life. He's put his journal (his reliance only on himself) away and is trusting a higher power to guide him. "Every book I read said that I would meet somebody like you" - he's talking about the books of the Bible. But he's acknowledging that he didn't really accept the teachings the way he should have - he continued in the same way he had before. God finally "broke him down" and found a way into his heart.

I would absolutely align with this thought if it were not for the phrasing and words used throughout the song. If you look back at all of the songs he has written about God and his faith, he always used proper names - my Lord, God, He, Heaven, The Cross, etc. I think he had too much respect for his faith to use the term "baby" or "you" when describing God. He never wrote about God as if he were talking to a regular person or human. It was always clear that he was referring to a higher power, which is why they are so distinguishable from other songs.

*

Anna Stesia:

*

Maybe, maybe, maybe I could learn to love
If I was just closer to somethin' (closer)
Closer to your higher self
I don't know
Closer to heaven (Maybe) closer to God (closer to God)

Save me Jesus, I've been a fool
How could I forget that you are the rule
You are my God, I am Your child
From now on, for you I shall be wild
I shall be quick I shall be strong
I'll tell Your story, no matter how long (no matter how, no matter)

We're just a play in Your master plan
Now, my Lord I understand

Love is God, God is love, girls and boys love God above

*

I don't think he ever felt the need to be abstract when he wrote songs about God or his faith. He was always quite direct with that message throughout his life, especially the JW period.

*

This is just my opinion, and regardless of what PeggyO writes, all here are entitled to respond and express their own thoughts

"All of the songs" about God are up front about it? Yeah...no, they aren't. Again, as someone else pointed out, Prince's lyrics aren't always meant to be taken literally. He was a master of metaphor and personification (I Would Die 4 U is an excellent example of the latter).

I don't know why it's so hard to accept that he wrote songs about God (and his relationship with God) that weren't "beat you over the head" obvious, but whatevs.

violetcrush said:

jfenster said:

someone gets it right...

Remember when everyone thought that Starfish and Coffee had some abstract meaning and/or hidden message, and then we found out it was a literal story about what an autistic girl would say at school??

*

Another one was Wasted Kisses - I remember reading an old thread about it where someone thought it was about Mayte and their Son's death Completely far-fetched interpretation of the lyrics. That song was straight-up about the finality of losing a former lover, which is why it was a hidden track. Prince would never have written such a dark song about the loss of his Son.

*

Yes Prince used creative word-play and phrasing in his lyrics, especially when disguising sexually explicit details, however, most of the messages in his songs were pretty clear. You know when he's singing about sex, love, politics, race, violence etc.

it is intentional to make it mean something different for people who see it that way

getwild180 said:

This song has so much emotion. You can actually feel the pain and hurt as he was singing it. I can never bring myself to skip the song even if I wanted to. The more I hear it the better it gets. I'd say it's better than "Way Back Home" What do you think of this song?

One of the songs I've been trying to figure out since it got leaked a few years back (like that version without the "lasers", lol)

P really sounded like he was deep in his feelings about... something, always appreciated this song

Genesia said:

violetcrush said:

I would absolutely align with this thought if it were not for the phrasing and words used throughout the song. If you look back at all of the songs he has written about God and his faith, he always used proper names - my Lord, God, He, Heaven, The Cross, etc. I think he had too much respect for his faith to use the term "baby" or "you" when describing God. He never wrote about God as if he were talking to a regular person or human. It was always clear that he was referring to a higher power, which is why they are so distinguishable from other songs.

*

Anna Stesia:

*

Maybe, maybe, maybe I could learn to love
If I was just closer to somethin' (closer)
Closer to your higher self
I don't know
Closer to heaven (Maybe) closer to God (closer to God)

Save me Jesus, I've been a fool
How could I forget that you are the rule
You are my God, I am Your child
From now on, for you I shall be wild
I shall be quick I shall be strong
I'll tell Your story, no matter how long (no matter how, no matter)

We're just a play in Your master plan
Now, my Lord I understand

Love is God, God is love, girls and boys love God above

*

I don't think he ever felt the need to be abstract when he wrote songs about God or his faith. He was always quite direct with that message throughout his life, especially the JW period.

*

This is just my opinion, and regardless of what PeggyO writes, all here are entitled to respond and express their own thoughts

"All of the songs" about God are up front about it? Yeah...no, they aren't. Again, as someone else pointed out, Prince's lyrics aren't always meant to be taken literally. He was a master of metaphor and personification (I Would Die 4 U is an excellent example of the latter).

I don't know why it's so hard to accept that he wrote songs about God (and his relationship with God) that weren't "beat you over the head" obvious, but whatevs.

I Would Die 4 U was NOT a religious song. It was originally written as Prince describing himself to a/his woman - it was not a song about God. He later changed the lyric to "he's your Messiah, and you're the reason why"....however, the original lyric was "I'M your Messiah..." It was Prince having some fun with the "hey, I'm a mysterious dude and you'll never figure me out" message to his fans:

*

[Edited 7/24/19 14:30pm]

[Edited 7/24/19 14:31pm]