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Thread started 11/30/19 7:52pm

appleseed

How Many Anti-Drug Tracks? ... Purple Music etc.

There seems to be an anti-drug song on almost every album. So many, it's hard to think of them all at once. Anyone got others than those listed below?

• Purple Music

• Something in the Water

• Sign O the Times

• Clouds

For a musician of his calibre, Prince certainly wrote a lot of songs laced with anti-drug messages eschewing and expressing an apprarent distate for chemical use as a means to find freedom from trauma. He’s unlike nearly every other musician in this vein from his contemporairies like Rick James, Coltrane to Cobain, Hendrix to George Michael, and Lennon to Whitney whose passion for making music seemed to have been tragically exlipsed by substance abuse. He’d have made far more money and likely topped more charts if he took a less hard stance against drugs in his most public artistic statements. It makes it even more strange that someone who espoused the physical and moral virtues of healthy vegetarian/vegan diets to give up the ghost the way he reportedly did.

[Edited 11/30/19 19:53pm]

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Reply #1 posted 11/30/19 8:00pm

FragileUnderto
w

avatar

Escape (free your mind from this rat race) ?
Cant believe my purple psychedelic pimp slap pimp2

And I descend from grace, In arms of undertow
I will take my place, In the great below
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Reply #2 posted 11/30/19 8:06pm

alandail

Eye No

The Love We Make

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Reply #3 posted 11/30/19 9:46pm

purplepolitici
an

avatar

How is SITW an anti drug song? I'll add 1 though 😃. The Undertaker.
For all time I am with you, you are with me.
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Reply #4 posted 11/30/19 11:18pm

fabriziovenera
ndi

My little pill?

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Reply #5 posted 12/01/19 1:42am

pray4rain

avatar

Dream Factory

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Reply #6 posted 12/01/19 3:04am

nonesuch

appleseed said:

There seems to be an anti-drug song on almost every album. So many, it's hard to think of them all at once. Anyone got others than those listed below?

• Purple Music

• Something in the Water

• Sign O the Times

• Clouds

For a musician of his calibre, Prince certainly wrote a lot of songs laced with anti-drug messages eschewing and expressing an apprarent distate for chemical use as a means to find freedom from trauma. He’s unlike nearly every other musician in this vein from his contemporairies like Rick James, Coltrane to Cobain, Hendrix to George Michael, and Lennon to Whitney whose passion for making music seemed to have been tragically exlipsed by substance abuse. He’d have made far more money and likely topped more charts if he took a less hard stance against drugs in his most public artistic statements. It makes it even more strange that someone who espoused the physical and moral virtues of healthy vegetarian/vegan diets to give up the ghost the way he reportedly did.

[Edited 11/30/19 19:53pm]

Pop Life? What are you putting in your nose?

Anyway, kudos to Prince for having given anyone food for thought on drugs in the cocaine-investet 80's. Here's another aspect of his personal stance he had in common with Frank Zappa. I very much doubt that he would have made „far more money“ if he wouldn't have been speaking his mind on drugs. That is a strange assumption. How would it have worked? Please elaborate.

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Reply #7 posted 12/01/19 3:16am

nextedition

avatar

appleseed said:

There seems to be an anti-drug song on almost every album. So many, it's hard to think of them all at once. Anyone got others than those listed below?




• Purple Music


• Something in the Water


• Sign O the Times


• Clouds




For a musician of his calibre, Prince certainly wrote a lot of songs laced with anti-drug messages eschewing and expressing an apprarent distate for chemical use as a means to find freedom from trauma. He’s unlike nearly every other musician in this vein from his contemporairies like Rick James, Coltrane to Cobain, Hendrix to George Michael, and Lennon to Whitney whose passion for making music seemed to have been tragically exlipsed by substance abuse. He’d have made far more money and likely topped more charts if he took a less hard stance against drugs in his most public artistic statements. It makes it even more strange that someone who espoused the physical and moral virtues of healthy vegetarian/vegan diets to give up the ghost the way he reportedly did.



[Edited 11/30/19 19:53pm]


I dont see how his point of view made an impact on his sales. He is not known for his anti-drug message. Purple music wasnt even releasef and SITW is not even about drugs. He hardly had songs about drugs. The opposite, I actually think a lot of people in the 80s thought he was on drugs lol
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Reply #8 posted 12/01/19 3:17am

nonesuch

nextedition said:

appleseed said:

There seems to be an anti-drug song on almost every album. So many, it's hard to think of them all at once. Anyone got others than those listed below?

• Purple Music

• Something in the Water

• Sign O the Times

• Clouds

For a musician of his calibre, Prince certainly wrote a lot of songs laced with anti-drug messages eschewing and expressing an apprarent distate for chemical use as a means to find freedom from trauma. He’s unlike nearly every other musician in this vein from his contemporairies like Rick James, Coltrane to Cobain, Hendrix to George Michael, and Lennon to Whitney whose passion for making music seemed to have been tragically exlipsed by substance abuse. He’d have made far more money and likely topped more charts if he took a less hard stance against drugs in his most public artistic statements. It makes it even more strange that someone who espoused the physical and moral virtues of healthy vegetarian/vegan diets to give up the ghost the way he reportedly did.

[Edited 11/30/19 19:53pm]

I dont see how his point of view made an impact on his sales. He is not known for his anti-drug message. Purple music wasnt even releasef and SITW is not even about drugs. He hardly had songs about drugs. The opposite, I actually think a lot of people in the 80s thought he was on drugs lol

Only those who didn't listen.

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Reply #9 posted 12/01/19 4:38am

nextedition

avatar

nonesuch said:

nextedition said:

appleseed said: I dont see how his point of view made an impact on his sales. He is not known for his anti-drug message. Purple music wasnt even releasef and SITW is not even about drugs. He hardly had songs about drugs. The opposite, I actually think a lot of people in the 80s thought he was on drugs lol

Only those who didn't listen.

I just don't think Prince was known for his anti-drugssongs.

The op says there were so many, but than names 4 of which 1 wasnt released and 1 isn't about drugs.

Does Purple Rain has an anti-drugs song? Parade? Dirty mind? Batman?

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Reply #10 posted 12/01/19 4:50am

nonesuch

nextedition said:

nonesuch said:

Only those who didn't listen.

I just don't think Prince was known for his anti-drugssongs.

The op says there were so many, but than names 4 of which 1 wasnt released and 1 isn't about drugs.

Does Purple Rain has an anti-drugs song? Parade? Dirty mind? Batman?

The term „anti-drug-song" really isn't chosen appropriately, when it comes to Prince. Nevertheless, he undisputably wrote quite a number of songs featuring anti-drug-messages (a term you used correctly). There may have been such messages on any of the records you have mentioned, because we can not possibly know every meaning of words correctly.

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Reply #11 posted 12/01/19 4:57am

herb4

The Future
Play in the Sunshine

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Reply #12 posted 12/01/19 10:00am

nonesuch

herb4 said:

The Future
Play in the Sunshine

Right, thanks for the reminder, I'd almost forgotten the line about Ecstasy in PITS.

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Reply #13 posted 12/01/19 10:16am

SoulAlive

nextedition said:

Does Purple Rain have an anti-drugs song?

the only thing I can think of is that one line in "Let's Go Crazy"....pills and thrills and daffodils will kill

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Reply #14 posted 12/01/19 12:33pm

jfenster

maybe not anti-drug songs ..but tons of references to drugs

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Reply #15 posted 12/01/19 12:41pm

JudasSmile

avatar

nextedition said:

nonesuch said:

Only those who didn't listen.

I just don't think Prince was known for his anti-drugssongs.

The op says there were so many, but than names 4 of which 1 wasnt released and 1 isn't about drugs.

Does Purple Rain has an anti-drugs song? Parade? Dirty mind? Batman?



The Future has the line "Yellow smiley offers me X" which could be interpreted as being about acid and/or ecstacy.

U been bamboozled, hoodwinked, took.
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Reply #16 posted 12/01/19 1:00pm

imprimis

Pop Life

Temptation (loosely)

Eye No

Positivity

By Alien Means

Yo Mister

New Power Generation (Pt. II)

.

[Edited 12/1/19 13:18pm]

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Reply #17 posted 12/01/19 4:09pm

appleseed

There are a lot of psychedelic songs that get played more often in clubs and parties because of their pro-drug messages. Rihanna is an excellent singer, but her embrace of popular (self-destructive) drug culture espousing it in her lyrics clearly boosts their reception in those circles. One would hope she'd know better being aware of how alcohol and other drugs destroy many communities including AAs and particularly some great AA women musicians.

"Cheers (Drink to That)"

"Pour It Up"

. "James Joint"

“Higher”

nonesuch said:

How would it have worked? Please elaborate.

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Reply #18 posted 12/01/19 5:30pm

jdcxc

Old Friends 4 Sale

“Little did she know, when you're stuck in the snow
Nobody gets out alive”
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Reply #19 posted 12/01/19 7:23pm

Strive

JudasSmile said:




The Future has the line "Yellow smiley offers me X" which could be interpreted as being about acid and/or ecstacy.





It's a direct reference to his ecstacy trip that caused him to cancel The Black Album and fast track Lovesexy.

It was also covered on an early version of Anna Stesia.


What's happening? It's happening.
Just like Kat told.
Jerome want to fly?
I feel so bad, I feel so good.

I want to take Kat away with me.
I like to feel like I'm never 'fraid
Are you happy Dr. Fink? Can you brave this world without me?
"Of course," he says "that's nothing, it's Anna Stesia rapping I think"
I can't remember what's on the other side of the door.
I can't remember what I was put here for.
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 I shall be wild
I shall be quick
I shall be strong
I'll tell you a story
No matter how long, no matter how...
Please take us back and hold our hand
And lead us to LoveSexy man
With just a plan, your master plan
Now my Lord I understand
I understand


(Or he may be saying pray this world)
[Edited 12/1/19 19:24pm]
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Reply #20 posted 12/02/19 8:44am

lurker316

avatar


The long version of Alphabet St:

This is not music, this is a trip
No it's not a drug, it's something more hip


That's not necessarily anti-drug in that it doesn't explicity say that drugs are bad or should be avoided, but he is saying music is a better way to alter your mood than a chemical.



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Reply #21 posted 12/02/19 8:55am

udo

avatar

Drugs you get at a drugstore.

So why be against those?

Please be more specific...

Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill... If you don't believe me or don't get it, I don't have time to try to convince you, sorry.
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Reply #22 posted 12/03/19 3:30am

appleseed

good one. “stuck in the snow”

addiction is slavery.

jdcxc said:

Old Friends 4 Sale “Little did she know, when you're stuck in the snow Nobody gets out alive”

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Reply #23 posted 12/03/19 3:46am

appleseed

Anna Stesia

It's a bit more clear in the superior — if less elegant — “2002” unreleased version which references “Dr Fink” which is a play on both doctors and street drug dealers — aside from his former keyboardist Matt's stage name. The “Gregory” moment certainly sounds like someone is in or being tempted by a “temporary” (“4 a little while”) chemical haze of some sort and then looks for something higher:

Gregory looks just like a ghost
Then a beautiful girl the most
Wets her lips 2 say
"We could live 4 a little while
If U could just learn 2 smile
U and I could fly away, fly away"
Yeah...

Maybe, maybe, maybe I could learn 2 love
If I was just closer 2 somethin' (closer)
Closer 2 your higher self

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Reply #24 posted 12/03/19 3:54am

appleseed

“No it's not a drug, it's something more hip”

Seems pretty anti-drug (both Rx and “street”) to me and echoes early philosopher Edgar Cayce:

The medicine of the future will be music and sound.”

lurker316 said:


The long version of Alphabet St:

This is not music, this is a trip
No it's not a drug, it's something more hip


That's not necessarily anti-drug in that it doesn't explicity say that drugs are bad or should be avoided, but he is saying music is a better way to alter your mood than a chemical.



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Reply #25 posted 12/03/19 7:32am

lurker316

avatar

appleseed said:

“No it's not a drug, it's something more hip”

Seems pretty anti-drug (both Rx and “street”) to me and echoes early philosopher Edgar Cayce:

The medicine of the future will be music and sound.”

lurker316 said:


The long version of Alphabet St:

This is not music, this is a trip
No it's not a drug, it's something more hip


That's not necessarily anti-drug in that it doesn't explicity say that drugs are bad or should be avoided, but he is saying music is a better way to alter your mood than a chemical.





Yes, I think it's anti-drug too. But it's not *explicitly* anti-drug.

Saying X is hipper than Y doesn't necessarily mean Y is bad. It's just saying X is better.

If I say that I think Sign O The Times is hipper than Controversy, that statment doesn't mean I dislike Controversy. I may think Controversy is a very good album, I just think Sign O The Times is even better.

With that said, ultimately I believe Prince's intent with the line in Alphabet line was anti-drug.

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Reply #26 posted 12/05/19 3:09pm

herb4

How about "Don't Play Me?"

I know there's more but my memory is failing me. Usually, any "anti drug" message he wrote was a one off line within a larger song.

"My Little Pill" is creepy to contemplate given how shit worked out.

And "Clouds" doesn't seem about drugs to me. I thought he was talking about data storage and that cloud. Everybody getting off on putting everything they do into larger data storage and things like social media. Maybe not but "clouds" is only a "drug reference" for people who vape e-cigs. Could be a weed/THC reference but I never read it that way.

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Reply #27 posted 12/09/19 4:23pm

appleseed

“We’re “bass-in” put the drugs away!”

That Nude Tour concert rehearsal for #Sex that's out there exempliefied how EXPLICIT Prince was and encouraged his bands to be about using using music instead of manufactured chemical drugs. #Clouds was merely one of his more explicit updates:

“We don't need no clouds.”

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Reply #28 posted 12/10/19 4:39am

andymacfunky

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I've just read Morris Day's book. MD reckons Pop Life was Prince's message to him about going off the rails.

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Reply #29 posted 12/23/19 4:29pm

appleseed

“If you want to escape and truly be
All the crack in Compton won't set you free”

Escape (Free yo mind from this rat race)”, LoveSexy single

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