This list is wack.

Purple and Gold is a given, everything else is good to very good.

SoulAlive said:

“Take Me With U” is a good song.I think fans criticize it only because of Apollonia’s weak vocals

yeeep.

Her off-key out-of-tune wailing makes it more "real" to me. Like a real impromtu spring romance, like Prince hooked up and they broke into song right then and there. Like word painting. Random people falling in love ain't gonna sing like prime Gladys Knight. It works for the track--which is one of his best pure pop compositions.

Landonfunkmonkey said:

Am I alone in really liking Graffiti Bridge? I can hear why it's not liked but I always really enjoy it.

I don't really stan it but I don't dislike it by any means either. It's good enough for what it is.

WhisperingDandelions said:

FunkJam said:

Temptation is one of the best! I guess it's too artistic and experimental for some. [Edited 9/10/23 5:19am]

I fully agree.

Fan-tas-tic song!!!

Same for 'Take Me With U' & 'Hot thing'... i mean, really ????

-

I also like 'Arms Of Orion' which is not on this list

but use to be hated by all before 'Purple & Gold' was out.

"Temptation" might be "definitive Prince song" territory like Lovesexy is his definitive cover art.

You may or may not like them, but these things really capture the true essence of Prince on full display.

[Edited 9/13/23 6:22am]

Landonfunkmonkey said:

Am I alone in really liking Graffiti Bridge? I can hear why it's not liked but I always really enjoy it.

Sounds like a song that would end an episode of Sesame Street. Absolutely awful.

Hard to believe this was from a man who wrote The Beautiful Ones, Adore & How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore a few years earlier.

SquirrelMeat76 said:

Landonfunkmonkey said:

Am I alone in really liking Graffiti Bridge? I can hear why it's not liked but I always really enjoy it.

Sounds like a song that would end an episode of Sesame Street. Absolutely awful.

Hard to believe this was from a man who wrote The Beautiful Ones, Adore & How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore a few years earlier.

Well, from the guy who also wrote "Free", and from that perspective "Graffiti Bridge" wasn't all that much of a stretch.

WhisperingDandelions said:

SquirrelMeat76 said:

Sounds like a song that would end an episode of Sesame Street. Absolutely awful.

Hard to believe this was from a man who wrote The Beautiful Ones, Adore & How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore a few years earlier.

Well, from the guy who also wrote "Free", and from that perspective "Graffiti Bridge" wasn't all that much of a stretch.

Good point. Free did stand out before 1989 as being too schmaltzy for a Prince song. Then came Arms of Orion which was even worse! Graffitti Bridge is on another level though. I was 13 when I heard it for the first time and even then I thought WTF!!!

Vannormal said:

FunkJam said:

Temptation is one of the best! I guess it's too artistic and experimental for some. [Edited 9/10/23 5:19am]

I fully agree.

Fan-tas-tic song!!!

Same for 'Take Me With U' & 'Hot thing'... i mean, really ????

-

I also like 'Arms Of Orion' which is not on this list

but use to be hated by all before 'Purple & Gold' was out.

im sorry but Prince's worst song is Guitar ... boringest song ever

took him a whole 2 seconds to write it

Steelclawz said:

im sorry but Prince's worst song is Guitar ... boringest song ever

took him a whole 2 seconds to write it

Good nomination.

Notice his phoned-in guitar-emphased material is always given a pass by his rock-leaning fanbase. Put out an R&B or rap record and it's "blahblahblah following trends blahblahblah". But he busts out some riffs straight jacked from the 70s like "Guitar" or "Cream" and it's pure idolatry.

Steelclawz said:

im sorry but Prince's worst song is Guitar ... boringest song ever

took him a whole 2 seconds to write it

It was great fun live.

SquirrelMeat76 said:

WhisperingDandelions said:

Well, from the guy who also wrote "Free", and from that perspective "Graffiti Bridge" wasn't all that much of a stretch.

Good point. Free did stand out before 1989 as being too schmaltzy for a Prince song. Then came Arms of Orion which was even worse! Graffitti Bridge is on another level though. I was 13 when I heard it for the first time and even then I thought WTF!!!

I really don't like Free, but I've always had a soft spot of The Arms of Orion. I'm not sure what that says about me!

WhisperingDandelions said:

"Temptation" might be "definitive Prince song" territory like Lovesexy is his definitive cover art.

You may or may not like them, but these things really capture the true essence of Prince on full display.

[Edited 9/13/23 6:22am]

exactly.

Steelclawz said:

im sorry but Prince's worst song is Guitar ... boringest song ever

took him a whole 2 seconds to write it

Have to agree.

I never liked the song.

That riff is so annoying.

A Prince song with that kind of clear ans simple title should've been some epic 15 minute all guitar skills thing, more in the style of Crystal Ball.

I can nearly imagine it.

I never liked the song.

Shows how divers his music is.. I love "Free"

But "Temptation" is rhe song that took me from casual to hardcore.

I knew of him since 1980 (the only music we were allowed was "American Bandstand" and my brother watched "Midnight Espress." I do not remember seen ME but my brother said he saw it and as we shared a room, I did too. But I saw Bandstand and thought that he would make my parents mad!

So I was aware... then 1999 came out and I saw kids with the tour shirts and I was kind of jelous. the Purple Rain... it was too much! I was in a "Prince sucks" phase.. I just could not get it... I was never one for following trends.

I had a copy of prurple rain and I was more into the backwords stuff... it was a novalty.


Then during my brother's graduation stuff on of his friends left a copy of ATWIAD in my car... and as I was about to drive back home I played it... (the drive home was about 12 hours) and it was TEMPTATION that captivated me... that was it... (I think that tape had PR on one side and ATWIAD on the other or it was on both sides...) But that was it.. over the next few weeks I got the other albums and then when B-side hunting....

yes and free and temptation are amazing songs

his falsetto live on free takes you to another deminsion ... and temptation

the acrobatic singing is from another galaxy ... "purple electricity whenever r bodies touch, ooh ohh baby i love it when oiur bodies touch"

cmon , who hasnt tried to sing that part, and the eleectric guitar is insane on that track

always been a favorite song of mine

Rainbow Children shouldnt be in any ´worse´ list. It may not be a masterpiece, but very good to listen to. I used to dislike Hot Thing in the past, but it has a killer groove

Took me a while to recover from the shock of seeing Hot Thing on the list to write this comment...

How is Tempation on this list when Tambourine is 20x worse and on the same album?

bozojones said:

Ugh, insane to see "Free" on that list...

it should have been in 1st place instead of tied at 3rd

Fully agree as it is one of my top 3 songs ("17 Days" & "Sometimes It Snows In April")!

bozojones said:

Ugh, insane to see "Free" on that list...

it should have been in 1st place instead of tied at 3rd

Why you don't like it?

Landonfunkmonkey said:

Am I alone in really liking Graffiti Bridge? I can hear why it's not liked but I always really enjoy it.

I like it also!

onlyforaminute said:

I think the vast majority would agree Purple and gold. Which is sad, given its intentions. Prince wasn't great at commissioned songs? Everything else on that list is arguably fans personal favorites. I love Free and RC. I've never liked Take Me With U but obviously many love it.

I often thought Prince produced top work when given creative focus. Like Breakdown for The Great Gatsby, Song of the Heart for Happy Feet, SST, PFunk, Sometimes It Snows in April...

leecaldon said:

Kind of a small sample size, is it not?

.

There are so many worse songs, just starting with the Musicology album alone...

A rather entertaining thread, this...

I know I'm going to take a heaps of flak for this, but in my opinion both

-

Sexy M.F.

-

and

-

My Name Is Prince

-

are both solid stinkers, opening the floodgate to an era where Prince tried to incorporate too many ideas and lost focus.

Add to the uncool list, most songs where he tries to incorporate 'rap' (or how to define it), both for himself, like Dead On It, and other artists. Handing Sheila E the song Holly Rock wasn't exactly the formula for her proudest moment.

It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night is a monster of a song until verse 4 (yeah... then one of my favorite
drummers tries to 'rap').

In my book, there's a shining exception of the above; namely Housequake, although it's more a chant than a rap.

And while the Graffiti Bridge adventure ended up in a sad excuse of a movie and an album trying to go in various directions, songs like Thieves In The Temple, Joy In Repetition and We Can Funk all deserve their place in my ears. But, sweet tap-dancing Jesus... that movie... yuk.

CAL3 said:

Kind of a small sample size, is it not?

.

There are so many worse songs, just starting with the Musicology album alone...

Musicology always struck me as a pretty solid piece of work. Life O' the Party is the obvious one that splits opinion. I can't think what else on there might offend.

You're all fired