RJOrion said:

LoveGalore said:

It's the perfect distillation of Prince's whole gig. What he was always talking about, basically. It's being so spiritually in touch with your higher power that you are bursting with joy (race cars metaphor for hot, energy) that a mere kiss could send you into euphoric states, nevermind what he planned to do to [you] "tomorrow." Like being high on his love for Jesus. He often made references to being so horny that a girl would only have to touch him or look at him and he'd cum. There's also an allusion to this in Gigolos Get Lonely Too. So yeah, Prince was super into the idea of a state of euphoria brought on by his love for God and how it powered his sexuality.

Yeah ive heard that esoteric explanation before... i dont know if i completely buy into it though... there's an undercurrent of hidden (and not so hidden) possible references to drugs/addiction in multiple songs early in his career.

I've never paid attention to this. Which songs ?

paisleyparkgirl said:

paisleyparkgirl said:

Lovesexy
Eye No
Private Joy
Dream Factory
Breakdown

RJOrion said:

Dream Factory is about Paul, you know that. Breakdown is just Holy River 2.0.

Private Joy??? I don't see the connection.

LoveGalore said:

Dream Factory is about Paul, you know that.

Didn't we determine that's untrue after all this time?

TrivialPursuit said:

I haven't heard anything different!

Edit: That said, and to RJ's point, he still says "a man I am not."
[Edited 1/27/23 12:55pm]

Private Joy

Shoot me up baby, let's take a trip
I can't get enough can't get enough of your private, private joy, joy
Joy, such a such a pretty toy
Joy, you are my private joy
Joy, shoot me up baby, let's take a trip

Dream Factory

In the streets more than I be at home
I take a pill to wipe away my doubts
But a pill can't cure my being alone
Vodka and seven straight to my brain
Put me under false impressions, hide all my pain
Somebody help me, I'm losing control

Guess im just a sucker in the Dream Factory
OHHH HO

Breakdown

First one intoxicated, last one to leave

LoveGalore said:

Of course he did...then he continues on throughout the verse singing in first person...who knows what he really meant by saying "a man i am not", before continuing on in first person...P was slick and mysterious like that...im not saying i know anything for sure...but in light of how he passed away, and the multiple stories that came out afterwards, by people who were there, i have my suspicions and thpughts...nothing definitive one way or the other though.
[Edited 1/27/23 13:13pm]

RJOrion said:

Breakdown First one intoxicated, last one to leave

That line left me wondering because when I heard it for the first time I thought "Well Prince was never known for being intoxicated at parties" if anything he would tell his bandmates not to get drunk. It's confusing.

paisleyparkgirl said:

Prince was a showman, an entertainer. He sang songs that were based in reality but clearly not always real. Like in the video for Holy River that depicts him being dragged out drunk, it just didn't actually happen like that, IMO. Prince might have dabbled here and there in whatever but he didn't talk about drinking and drugging the way actual drinkers and druggers do. Even when he mimics smoking a joint in Now, it sounds like how someone who doesn't smoke weed thinks of weed smoking.

Alot of artists and celebrities over the years have carefully crafted reputations of being drug free and squeaky clean, but would get down in secret, behind the scenes...Earth Wind & Fire always had that squeaky clean rep...but Philip Bailey has even said while Maurice White didnt get high, he and other band members would sneak and get high behind his back.

Im not trying to pour dirt on Prince's name at all...Im just looking at all the possible signs, and considering how everything went down at the end, im just wondering out loud.

RJOrion said:

..Im just looking at all the possible signs, and considering how everything went down at the end, im just wondering out loud.

Good point.

LoveGalore said:

You say that but Prince has said himself, that if you want to know about him, listen to the lyrics of his songs...thats the mastery and mystery and duality of his artistry...only He (not us) knows what is reality and what is fantasy...i always lean towards taking his lyrics literal, unless he himself says otherwise...just like we believed what he said on "I Wanna Be Your Lover" or "When Doves Cry"

RJOrion said:

I honestly can't think of an artist in modern times who drank with any regularity that has not been caught on camera being intoxicated EXCEPT Prince. Madonna? Videos drunk and/or high. MJ? Same. Whitney? Same. Mariah? Same. The Beatles? Same. Elvis? Big same. James Brown? Big same.

All these artists sang about drugs or drinking, their own or someone else's, and were known to do one or both.

Now, with Prince, we have a man who sang about not drinking too much but definitely drinking some, and sang negatively about anyone else EVER using actual drugs (aka not metaphors for addiction and love and all that).

Everyone agrees Prince has been drunk before and everyone agrees he's done drugs before.

But what he describes in Holy River, Breakdown, and very few others is this notion that he was some sort of hard partier. We just know he wasn't. We know he wasn't from our own experiences (tell me you could work his schedule while also drinking or drugging with regularity, I dare u), we know from contextual info and real life accounts from the people who really did know him best, and we have his own statements.

Prince was an entertainer and he definitely painted with a huge set of colors. But sloppy drink or drugged out Prince never happened more than a few times, I'd put money on it.

Btw, ever notice how prince never sang about what it felt like to be high? I don't necessarily mean a song called "Ripped" and he's describing bong hits.

I mean listen to songs by anyone else that did drugs. They'll talk about highs and drug use and whatnot with a sort of familiarity that only other people who have done drugs (or smoked weed etc) would understand. In fact I bet those folks take it for granted that others don't know it to that extent.

Prince never wrote about that. Never. And his metaphors for drug use were always about sex. "Possessed" and "Automatic" and "We Can Fuck" and on and on. Any song he talked about his primal desire for something, it was sex. Not drugs. He didn't even care enough about being high or drunk as to describe what it felt like.

Im not implying that P spent his career hiding a sloppy stumbling type of substance abuse problem...but i do wonder if there were moments in his career or eras in his life, where certain pleasures or vices may have gotten out of control...none of us are perfect, and despite his otherworldly musical gifts, he was just a man made of flesh, blood, bones and water...im sure there were certain things he carefully hid from the public and from his loved ones...we are ALL guilty of those fallen moments, and we all have some unseen skeletons in our closets.

LoveGalore said:

RJOrion said:

You say that but Prince has said himself, that if you want to know about him, listen to the lyrics of his songs...thats the mastery and mystery and duality of his artistry...only He (not us) knows what is reality and what is fantasy...i always lean towards taking his lyrics literal, unless he himself says otherwise...just like we believed what he said on "I Wanna Be Your Lover" or "When Doves Cry"

I honestly can't think of an artist in modern times who drank with any regularity that has not been caught on camera being intoxicated EXCEPT Prince. Madonna? Videos drunk and/or high. MJ? Same. Whitney? Same. Mariah? Same. The Beatles? Same. Elvis? Big same. James Brown? Big same. All these artists sang about drugs or drinking, their own or someone else's, and were known to do one or both. Now, with Prince, we have a man who sang about not drinking too much but definitely drinking some, and sang negatively about anyone else EVER using actual drugs (aka not metaphors for addiction and love and all that). Everyone agrees Prince has been drunk before and everyone agrees he's done drugs before. But what he describes in Holy River, Breakdown, and very few others is this notion that he was some sort of hard partier. We just know he wasn't. We know he wasn't from our own experiences (tell me you could work his schedule while also drinking or drugging with regularity, I dare u), we know from contextual info and real life accounts from the people who really did know him best, and we have his own statements. Prince was an entertainer and he definitely painted with a huge set of colors. But sloppy drink or drugged out Prince never happened more than a few times, I'd put money on it.

Maybe he drank alone ?

Nobody saw him take pills either.

I recall an interview where he said that when he was dealing with his demons he turned to vice, drinking and women. I know someone can find it.

[Edited 1/27/23 14:18pm]

LoveGalore said:

Btw, ever notice how prince never sang about what it felt like to be high? I don't necessarily mean a song called "Ripped" and he's describing bong hits. I mean listen to songs by anyone else that did drugs. They'll talk about highs and drug use and whatnot with a sort of familiarity that only other people who have done drugs (or smoked weed etc) would understand. In fact I bet those folks take it for granted that others don't know it to that extent. Prince never wrote about that. Never. And his metaphors for drug use were always about sex. "Possessed" and "Automatic" and "We Can Fuck" and on and on. Any song he talked about his primal desire for something, it was sex. Not drugs. He didn't even care enough about being high or drunk as to describe what it felt like.

What about superfunkycalifragisexy, he was describing being high off ecstasy.

If you do to much, your skin will be sensitive to touch
The first person that touches you, you want to fuck
You take them to your crib and you tie them to a chair
Then you make funny faces "til they get really scared

paisleyparkgirl said:

In all of the songs referenced, he's clearly talking about being drunk in public.

paisleyparkgirl said:

If that ain't a great example of someone who doesn't know what drugs feels like describing drug use then I don't know what is.

paisleyparkgirl said:

LoveGalore said:

Lol...Cmon bro...different people can have different reactions to the same chemicals...keep in mind he was 5'2 and about 130 in his prime...no telling what drugs can do to a tiny little man like that...no disrespect, just science.

RJOrion said:

You tie them to a chair and you make funny faces till they get real scared and then you masturbate under a neon light?

Come the actual fuck on, lmao.

I'm so sorry but Prince didn't have the edge and that's a good thing. That's why his death is so anomalous. By then, he was way deep into a scenario he had clearly never been involved in at that depth. Prince didn't want drug use anywhere near his image which is why songs like Superfunky stand out.

LoveGalore said:

RJOrion said:

Lol...Cmon bro...different people can have different reactions to the same chemicals...keep in mind he was 5'2 and about 130 in his prime...no telling what drugs can do to a tiny little man like that...no disrespect, just science.

You tie them to a chair and you make funny faces till they get real scared and then you masturbate under a neon light? Come the actual fuck on, lmao. I'm so sorry but Prince didn't have the edge and that's a good thing. That's why his death is so anomalous. By then, he was way deep into a scenario he had clearly never been involved in at that depth. Prince didn't want drug use anywhere near his image which is why songs like Superfunky stand out.

Have you ever done X ?

paisleyparkgirl said:

Yes

LoveGalore said:

paisleyparkgirl said:

Have you ever done X ?

Yes

Do you think the way you reacted to that drug reflects how everyone will ?

paisleyparkgirl said:

What you're implying is that Prince didn't only do Ecstasy the one time he is famous for having done it and that he did it multiple times and wrote multiple songs about it.

LoveGalore said:

paisleyparkgirl said:

Do you think the way you reacted to that drug reflects how everyone will ?

What you're implying is that Prince didn't only do Ecstasy the one time he is famous for having done it and that he did it multiple times and wrote multiple songs about it.

I don't know how many times he did it.

Andre (or someone from his past I don't remember) has said that he tried shrooms with him when he was young and didn't like it. All I'm saying and I've said it before, he might have been open to experimentation and never said that he didn't do drugs, there is an interview when he said that he was open to everything when asked about drugs so I don't know where people get the idea that he was so clean.

I don't think he was a sloppy user or whatever he tried but I do believe he went through phases of experimentation depending on what he was dealing with in his life.

But again that's just my opinion.

RJOrion said:

Yeah ive heard that esoteric explanation before... i dont know if i completely buy into it though... there's an undercurrent of hidden (and not so hidden) possible references to drugs/addiction in multiple songs early in his career...i dont put anything past those sneaky ass Geminis...they are masters at lying and/or hiding shit...ive known too many "..Welcome to the New Power Generation The reason my voice is so clear Is there's no SMACK in my brain..." why would he feel the need to say that, as the 1st words out of his mouth on the Lovesexy album? [Edited 1/27/23 12:22pm]

Or "The Future".

People reject the ecstacy Black Album story, k, sooo, why's he open the record with,

"A yellow smiley offers me two hits of X like he's drinking 7-Up"...

[Edited 1/27/23 20:39pm]