Just browsing the stupid iTunes Music Store and for Prince, HOPING NOT to see N.E.W.S on there, which wasn't, but found a list for Prince songs and most of them are labeled "Explicit".

Now I can understand Gett Off or Sexy MF...but Raspberry Beret...?

Songs that are labeled "EXPLICIT":

When Doves Cry?
Soft and Wet - Okay, suggestive, I can understand.
Why You Wanna Treat Me so Bad?
Uptown?
1999?
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man?
Nothing Compares 2 U (Live)
Adore?
Sign o' the Times?
When You Were Mine - this one too, yes...it can be "explicit"
Pop Life?
Pink Cashmere?
7?
Alphabet St.?
I Feel for You?

There are a lot more labeled as such.

Now, what the F makes Raspberry Beret or 7 "EXPLICIT"?!?!

Let's look at Rasp's lyrics, shall we...


I was working part time in a five-and-dime
My boss was Mr. McGee
He told me several times that he didn't like my kind
'Cause I was a bit 2 leisurely

Seems that I was busy doing something close 2 nothing
But different than the day before
That's when I saw her, Ooh, I saw her
She walked in through the out door, out door

She wore a
Raspberry beret
The kind U find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her

Built like she was
She had the nerve 2 ask me
If I planned 2 do her any harm

So, look here
I put her on the back of my bike
And-a we went riding
Down by old man Johnson's farm

I said now, overcast days never turned me on
But something about the clouds and her mixed

She wasn't 2 bright
But I could tell when she kissed me
She knew how 2 get her kicks

She wore a
Raspberry beret
The kind U find in a second hand store
Raspberry beret
And if it was warm she wouldn't wear much more
Raspberry beret
I think I love her

The rain sounds so cool when it hits the barn roof
And the horses wonder who U are
Thunder drowns out what the lightning sees
U feel like a movie star

Listen
They say the first time ain't the greatest
But I tell ya
If I had the chance 2 do it all again

I wouldn't change a stroke
'Cause baby I'm the most
With a girl as fine as she was then

(Raspberry beret)
The kind U find (The kind U find)
The kind U find (In a second hand store)
Oh no no
(Raspberry beret)
(And if it was warm)
Where have all the raspberry women gone? (She wouldn't wear much more)
Yeah (Raspberry beret)

I think I... I think I... I think I love her

(Raspberry beret)
No No No
No No No (The kind U find)
(In a second hand store)
(Raspberry beret)
Tell me
Where have all the raspberry women gone? (And if it was warm she)
(Wouldn't wear much more)
(Raspberry beret)
I think I love...looove her!

Where's the explicitness?!

Make me wanna slap some of those geeks so afraid to offend their target market, middle upper class whi...!



[This message was edited Wed Jul 16 1:40:41 PDT 2003 by FlyingCloudPassenger]

Maybe P talking about his first time.

just pointing out the obvious ...

You do know the song is about meeting the virgin raspberry woman and fucking her in a barn, right?


Built like she was
She had the nerve 2 ask me
If I planned 2 do her any harm

So, look here
I put her on the back of my bike
And-a we went riding
Down by old man Johnson's farm

they went RIDING. I assume you know who old man JOHNSON is.



and

They say the first time ain't the greatest
But I tell ya
If I had the chance 2 do it all again

I wouldn't change a stroke
'Cause baby I'm the most
With a girl as fine as she was then

allusion to first times and not changing a STROKE.

Well, it's not his most explicit -- and you're right: it shouldn't come with a warning...but I wouldn't want any children singing about strokes and old man johnson's uhm, farm.

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

cuz they both have "damn" in 'em?

th' hell???

i'm not fuckin just 4 kicks...?

if what you read in newspapers and see on the news every night is 'explicit', so be it...

i don't get it...

"sexy dancer" is more explicit than this shit


the folks at apple are nuts.

How dense are you?

"She wore a 'raspberry beret.'" Not strawberry. Not blueberry. "Raspberry." Get it?

Then: "The kind you find in a 'second-hand' store."
And you know what "second-hand" is a euphemism for, right?
Prince had to be blushing when he wrote that line.

And then later: "I think I love her." "Love." I mean, what's more graphic and explicit than the "L" word?

I don't know how that song ever got any radio airplay. It used to be such a guilty pleasure whenever I'd hear some unsuspecting D.J. play the unedited version. Too bad Prince doesn't do that kind of stuff anymore. Those were the days, weren't they?

OneMoJam said:

OneMoJam said:

there is an unedited version? what does he say in that?

Wow, you made me see another one of Prince genius. I always thought of that song as so 'non-explicit', but now reading into the words…
[This message was edited Tue Jul 15 21:11:03 PDT 2003 by Starmist7]

FlyingCloudPassenger said:

"dig if you will the picture, of you and I engaged in a kiss, the sweat of your body covers me, can you, my darlin', can you picture this? Dream if you can a courtyard, an ocean of violets in bloom, anmials strike curious poses, they feel the heat-the heat between me and you"

"you usta love it when I do ya, you used to say I was the best you ever had"

"she even made love to me, the best that I ever had"

"I"ve got a lion in my pocket, baby, he's ready roar"

"I may be qualified for a one night stand"

you're kidding, right?

"I ain't fuckin' just for kicks"

whole damn song

"What you puttin' in you're nose? Is that where all you're money goes? The river of addiction flows, yo think it's hot, but there won't be no water when the fire blows"

I'll get back to you on these

Now all of the lyrics I posted under the songs are probably what makes them "explicit"
What's explicit to someone may be perfectly normal to someone else, you have to remember who runnng this opperation


well, quite frankly, he's talking about having sex with a not-so-bright virgin/tease in a barn

iTunes Music Store classifies albums as explicit, not songs. If you search by album, the Hits/B-Sides is marked as explicit which means if you're just buying the version of a particular song from it then it will be marked as epxlicit as well. For the record, this is what they've got marked as explicit:

Chaos & Disorder
The Hits/B-Sides (partial album - seems to be complete, though)
The Love Symbol Album (sic) (partial album)

and non-explicit:

Controversy
Diamonds & Pearls
Dirty Mind
For You
Prince
Hits 1
Sign O' The Times (partial album)
Under The Cherry Moon

They tend to only put one version of the song on as well - if you buy Sign O' The Times (album), you get the 3:40 Hits version of ICNTTPOYM. Being in the UK I can only browse and not buy so someone else may be able to check that out.

Giles

Nope, not dense here. Maybe naive...

Now, sure, some of the lyrics are sexual, but EXPLICIT implies straight up nasty.

These as ya'lls have pointed out have have sexual INSINUATIONS, playful, almost hidden, in such a creative way, romantic manner. You can be all sexually cynical or just shrug it off as fun stuff. It just says something about you...perhaps.

Sure, I kind of got Raspberry Beret about the virgin thing, but I never read deeper with the color association, never really read into it. Although it is one of my all time favs.

But this ain't no straight up EXPLICIT stuff.

But, it's just crafted right. Not EXPLICIT as in "Ooooh, me so horny" Or "I Like Big Butts" or "Smack My Bitch up" kind of way.

Apple is just paranoid about "offending" it's oh-so-hipper and holier than though customer base, the ones that "Think Different" or rather "Don't Steal Music".

Right.

If you search for Miles Davis, they also flagged Bitches Brew as explicit.

APPLE is DENSE. Not me.

I don't go around looking for songs and expect a little EXPLICIT sign behind life things...Life, sex, love is not EXPLICIT.

And Pop Life, so what?! It's an anti-drug song, "explicit" is if he were to sing "Don't fucking do Cocaine, or you'll get addicted and steal money and get all addicted to that shit you be putting in your fucking nose, dummy." Now, THATS "explicit".

Anyway, thanks for all your posts. One more reason I will not buy ONE single song from them Apple dummies.

Wow,I guess I never really took the time to analyze the lyrics.I have no idea what "Old Man's Johnson's Farm" is,or what the phrase "second-hand store" really means.I never considered this song to be explicit but that's Prince for you,always using cryptic metaphors...lol...

Old Man Johnson is actually a stab ay Jesse Johnson for leaving the Time shortly after Purple Rain. He also took a stab at Morris in Pop Life as the what's u putting in u're nose is that where u're money goes line of the song.

As for a second hand store, I am sure he meant second hand.

The thing is, lyrics can be interpreted into whatever u 2ish 2 make of it.

2 me 7 is a religious song but 2 someone else, he could be talking bout the size of his member..i mean old man johnson. lol

Nothing Compares 2 U - "all the flowers that you planted mama" implies insest.

Raspberry Beret, The rain is a metaphor for Sperm and the barn roof is a metaphore for her back. The horses that he referes to a Trojan (condoms) and they wonder who you are because you are a stanger to them because you don't use them.

Sorry, Swifty, but I think you are really reaching a bit far there!! Especially with the Nothing Compares 2 U line - I mean, maybe that line could be interpreted your way in another context (but, even then, that would require some explaining!!), but in the context of this song, absolutely no way!!!

Unless, you would like to enlighten us further...

Mindflux said:

No, I was just jesting.

I thought you might be!!

The omission of a didn't help!!

I thought it was so obviously a joke that a wasn't needed.

Hehe - you'd thinks so wouldn't you? But, given some of the other "interpretations" on this thread, perhaps a distinction was needed

Mindflux said:

I know what you mean mate. The mind boggles sometimes. It's all good though. I get more laughs from this site than from Adam Sandler.

SynthiaRose said:

The raspberry virgin/johnson/riding thing...you just blew my mind. I thought they went on his motorcycle...THEN...

If "explicit" means genius, then yes.

jseven said:

Solid observation I didn't know that Old Man Johnson had a farm

However, I thought that he was talking about Vanity when he said "What's u putting in your nose?" since she was heavy on them drugs.