Dsoul said:

Buttox said:

Buttox said:

Honestly I think after D&P Prince started to lose his grip on writing melodies and hooks that create classic songs. He seemed to want to keep doing unusual things and writing lots and lots than honing and refining fewer songs. TMBGW is a single melodic phrase and hook that repeats in verse and chorus ( a bit like When Doves Cry) and after that was a hit it feels like he said "F this hook melody thing, it's boring I'm going my own way." The Morning Papers is too meandering and its melody and hook are not strong enough. You could see a reworked version with a stronger melodic hook being a massive hit. There's a ton of songs like this where you feel Prince is only a few melody and hook choices away from a monster hit and is more interested in doing something unusual with the song than ensuring the hook and melody are the supreme objective. For me this is the main reason he dropped off the charts: he refused to conform to create songs disciplined by hook and melody. Here's a partial list: My Name is Prince ( the best melody and hook is in the background chant and it is wildly overworked) The Sacrifice of Victor ( messy and overwrought chorus) The Greatest Romance Ever Sold (structurally and rhythmically off) Clouds ( the opening hook is awesome and he neglects it for most of the song) Cinnamon Girl ( sounds unfinished and like music was forced onto lyrics) Dinner with Dolores(melody teases hook but never delivers and its not very singable) Dolphin (melody in chorus too complex and as if the hook was strangled out of it as an F U to Warners) Endorphine Machine (main hook is in the accompanying melody line not the singing- neither chorus or verse are very singable) Somebody's Somebody (chorus meanders and kills the hook and rhythm) Sex in the Summer ( chorus is too cumbersome and aryyhmic killing the melodic hook) In this Bed I scream (chorus tapers off messily and unsingably) www.emale.com (lacks the final hook) White Mansion(each chorus line does something at the end and in the accompanying music that interrupts the rhythmic and melodic flow) I Rock Therfore I am (chorus is phoned in like he doesn't care) We March ( chorus and its hook is almost completely missing after verses promise so much) Billy Jack Bitch ( another one where the music is deformed to fit clunky lyrics) I'll stop there with the explanations but you get my drift. Here are a few more: Last December So Far So pleased Baby Knows Black Sweat Fury ( the hook her is in the background melody not the singing!) Beautiful loved and blessed If I was the Man in Your Life And to those saying he flooded the market, that's true but a hit song is still a hit. 7 has the strongest melody and hook on the symbol album and it charted well. If he'd trimmed the chorus a bit and not let ir go on for so long I think it would have stayed longer on the charts. These examples suggest to me that he was always more willing to compromise melody and rhythm than change lyrics which is an interesting take I hadn't thought of before. [Edited 8/7/21 1:41am] [Edited 8/7/21 1:46am] [Edited 8/7/21 1:47am] [Edited 8/7/21 1:50am]

Have to disagree on three of those: "Greatest Romance" is a killer structure and melody, as is "If I Was the Man in Your Life", and "Clouds"

"Black Sweat" is more a chant on a groove... not really meant to be the melody type of genre of pop songs. More of the James Brown mode of rhythm based appeal, except slow and heavy and electronic.

But "Greatest romance" was, in my book, a really crafted attempt by Prince to make a melody based pop structured song that uses the melody as the hook, and not the rhythm.

RODSERLING said:

Is that supposed to be a joke? TGRES and IIWTMIYL, or even clouds, killer melody? Beatles'Let It Be is a killer melody/ song, these songs are just mostly trash.

Are you kidding? "Greatest Romance" is him going into full Beatles-esque mode with the melody on full blast. The entire song is rooted in its melody. Play it on a keyboard. Just like "Question of U" is a melody based idea.

Shave it down to a MIDI file.

https://midifiles.com/nl/...strumental

And I know my Beatles.... I can play the "Let it Be" hook on the keys.

ufoclub said:

RODSERLING said:

ufoclub said:

People, come on, in the pop landscape when that single was released... it was not an exciting, meaningful, inventive, or catchy pop song.

"7" was. And that hit.

7 was a huge flop outside the US.

The US is all that matters in music....everywhere else follows behind us

ufoclub said:

Vannormal said:

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If there was a scientifc formula to proof that, we would only be left with horrible perfect fit hit songs.

And about 'the charts' / 'Bilboard' indications...

Honestly, how many records do you have that fit the charts/bilboards lists ?

Look here at this wiki info :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_singles

Not much of these best 15 million selling copies mean much to me, or is in my collection.

And most important of all, the overall quality of most songs with these selling numbers are by far mediocre (imho).

Just sayin'

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Thats not the point of this thread though, its asking about charts, not the value of the song. I agree with you that personal taste sometimes has nothing to do with the charts. I marvel at how I love Prince songs that others don't care for and vice versa.

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Oh your absolutely right.

But i had to get this off my chest;

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funkman88 said:

RODSERLING said:

ufoclub said: 7 was a huge flop outside the US.

The US is all that matters in music....everywhere else follows behind us

well... the UK & the US have been the leaders of pop music... but now a retro emulation has arisen.