What do you think influenced The Work pt. 1. The Matrix?!

love

I don't think it was The Matrix, but there are many similar themes in The Matrix and The Rainbow Children - all about "the one" and opening your minds etc! Oh, and the "digital garden" ... maybe there is something there

Prince has stated that the song is about the media.

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langebleu said:

and there it is!

it is gnosticism through and through.

yeah, and its matrixy, (a modern rewrite of gnostic motifs) to say the least. didn't prince refer to the film just recently, in saying that the mind is the battleground, and the soul is the prize, or something of that sort?

but these strains are to be found throughout prince's music from the beginning. "in a world so cold" (space universal love, when doves cry), "why did you come down to a world so cold" (the holy river), 1999, moonbeam levels, into the light, sexuality, and the whole 'the dawn' thing, and the song welcome 2 the dawn all exhibit facets of this.

the whole 'time is a trick' and the ideas about numbers, counting, and how we were born in this world not knowing that we were going to die until somebody told us, (pearls b4 the swine), 'reflection' and its whole we could get another body when this one wears out, 'one song' and its identification with The One beyond being. Very Gnostic, all of this. there's also the atttudes towards food and purity issues as in Animal Kingdom and Silicon. And yes Jehovah's Witness and Seven Day Adventist have very gnostic strains.

his music, often its the eschatological and apocalytic orientation, sometimes leans toward the gloomy gnostic idea about the inherent evil of the world, and the crowd (eye no.)

that's how i see it. so yeah i think the matrix is part of that, and that's why he's always been diggin on those movies.

right about the time Neo was discovering that he was an anagram for the word 'One', prince was completely intot the concept of The One. the song "The One" "One of Us", the cover of "Still the One" and always those messages about one/won, one plus one equaling not three but one in the loveforoneanother site, about one not being a number of division, like any other number. it was really a sort of neoplatonic fascination with the One. all really cool i thought.

CherrieMoonKisses said:

Excuse me, you mean - media=matrix?
Interesting thread.
And let me ask you all again: Who has noticed the guest appearence of George Clinton in Matrix?

The Illuminati.

I think Prince is a big conspiracy theorist - a few of the songs on The Rainbow Children, and the song, The War show that he must have read quite a bit of conspiracy theory stuff, which ties in with when he was spouting about ancient Egypt etc.

well 'matrix' must be more than simply equated with media qua 'the media.'
'media' considered more broadly and philosophically, (since i don't think prince is simply being that specific, as he hardly ever is) can be seen as the problem of MEDIATION.
media(tion) distorts, and falsifies rather than IM-MEDIATION, and the seeing of truth face to face.

"and the illusion continues..."

TonyWilliams said:

At which part and in which one? Number 1?

xpsiter said:

Oh i am sorry. It`s Matrix 2. But i won`t spoil it.
Now you have to see the movie again...hihihi....

Romance1600 said:

The Illuminati!! I love you, Romance1600!

I agree with you too....BIG-time paranoid conspiracy theorist...I mean, The War almost makes you wanna check the guy into a mental hospital - and of course I mean that in a good way....that's by far the most amazing piece of music he released from 1995-2000. IMO.

Do you remember the NBC Good morning show from 1996? It`s almost like
Neo&theNPG perform Dinner with Delores and Zannalee.
Like he invented the Neo-look.

Anji said:

No. His JW faith.
[This message was edited Wed Mar 17 12:02:16 2004 by scififilmnerd]

BorisFishpaw is 'the one'...

love

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[This message was edited Thu Mar 18 10:55:04 2004 by Anji]

Anji said:

Hi Anji!

HiinEnkelte said:

I have no idea what you just said.

HiinEnkelte said:

I agree.
It shows up in so many songs like 1999, Dance On, Moonbeam Levels and Crystal Ball.

When Prince wrote Moonbeam Levels, 1999 and Crystal Ball, nuclear war was a viable threat. This was before the wall came down in Berlin and the cold war between Russia and USA was still on. Heck, even I had my share of nuclear nightmares in my teens.

But The Work comes from another source of inspiration than fear of nuclear armageddon. It's just Prince preaching to do "the work" which in Jehova language is to go doorknocking and recruit - or as JWs like to call it "open peoples eyes to the truth". The lyrics can be interpretated as saying that if you do not open your eyes to "the truth", that "we're living in a world designed by the Devil", you won't be among the chosen few to be saved on Judgment Day - as the JWs believe they will be. And Prince wants to be among "the chosen few" so he's willing to do the work - to recruit. Ain't nothing Matrix about that.

And reading religious aspects into The One is plain silly. Prince himself didn't consider it as anything but a straightforward love song until during an interview where he became enamored of the idea of The One also being interpretated as a song about religion. Well, I read the lyrics and I really don't get what gave the interviewer that silly notion. My guess is the interviewer just wanted to suck up to Prince by sounding like he had read the lyrics in some deep, meaningful fashion, and Prince liked that it could have been interpretated in such a fashion and seemingly became enamored of this interpretation to the point where he later talked about The One to have been written with that possible interpretation in mind. Yup, that Prince. He sure is enamored of his own genius.
[This message was edited Thu Mar 18 18:24:57 2004 by scififilmnerd]

Anji said:

Dear Anji: HERE is your ANSWER!:
We are living in a system of the devil's design: you have 4 corporations in America ruling media outlets, therefore dictating WHAT is "news", WHAT you're "Suppose to" THINK is important, that HYPE products,shows, pollitical ajendas of those corporations.... American's are SO programmed in what to believe, what their tastes are....("tell us what we want/what to believe")

SO MANY Americans are pickled in Erotica, Violence, Consumerism: a spectacle of Corporate America's design.....there are a hell of a lot of Americans who DON'T know their TRUE, AUTHENTIC SELVES! They're not an INDIVIDUAL: they're a "TYPE"! They watch "Friends", "American Idol",CNN, they eat at McDonalds, they shop @ The Gap,they buy the music that they're told is "hot"...

Corporations are the architects of this system, because all they want is your $$$! "The American Dream" has become a NIGHTMARE!

THAT is THE SYSTEM OF THE DEVILS DESIGN!

"The Work" touches on something that doesn't occur to the non-thinking American. It is a BRILLIANT lyric, and shows Prince is not a stupid rock star! I totally respect his new outlook; others wish he would "just go back to swearing"- as Prince says, "it's a reflection of them"!

THERE'S YOUR ANSWER ANJI! SORRY FOR THE LENGTH!


"I saw the top/and it's just a DREAM!"

warning2all said:

And Prince don't?

The idea of Corporations as villains was very popular in the '70s. I think it is very old now, whether they still are or not.
[This message was edited Thu Mar 18 18:37:29 2004 by scififilmnerd]

Oops
[This message was edited Thu Mar 18 18:36:10 2004 by scififilmnerd]
[This message was edited Thu Mar 18 18:36:30 2004 by scififilmnerd]

scififilmnerd said:

EVERYBODY needs $$$--even YOU, scififilmnerd !

American's are provided with a spectacle "Tell(ing) us what we want/what to believe"... by multi-media corporations. Disney OWNS ABC, therefore ABC news slants to Disney's political interests, w/ commercials for Disney-approved products or morality....

The thing is corporations don't feel anything; their only objective is to make $$$. They don't care about you! McDonalds doesn't care about you; tobacco companies don't care about you! YET: ABC will put on programming with McDonalds commercials, Disney will make movies w/ smoking....

To defend a corporation that puts $$$ ahead of your best mental/physical health is stupid! Prince wants $$$ in return for artistic expression! You can't compare the two in a smart-ass quip, scififilmnerd!

The "American Dream" has gotten totally twisted and become a "System of the Devil's design" maybe you're too much caught up in it to see that?

A lot of American's think the world hates them because of jealousy of what "they have". I think a lot of the world is DISGUSTED by what America has BECOME, and that's a "system of the devil's design"...food for thought anyways!

Cheers!

warning2all said:

Now that is a dumb response. Im not any kind of TYPE becauseI happen to watch Friends or buy Gap clothes. Not everyone has their own clothes tailor made or their own chef to make their food. Life is what u make it.

As for swearing, now theres irony for you, words are just a form of expression as Prince should well know - nothing like an advocator taking a U turn!

Makes em look like a complete hypocrit.

warning2all said:

I'm very well aware of the danger in powerful conglomaretes enjoying a situation of monopoly. Thankfully, here in Denmark we have legislation where the government can step in should such a situation arise and prevent such a company from taking advantage of such a situation. They did so recently against a milk product company that raised its prices considerably. The company was forced to lower the prices back to where they were. So the system works.

If you do not have such legislation in USA, then I have just found yet another reason to be happy that I am Danish.

jagshrapnel said:

It's a BRILLIANT response thank-you.

There are a LOT of cookie-cutter people walking around that watch shows just because it's "hot", or everyone at work's watching it, or buy clothes to be accepted at school, or go with the gang to McDonalds for lunch.

Yes, life IS what yo make it, but too many people get caught up in what they're hyped, or as Prince said (tell us what to want/what to believe)

Some people, if they weren't hyped "American Idol", probably would pass. A lot of people would maybe rather go to a corner deli, than McDonalds, if they paused to question it. Michael Eisner said recently that," Disney sells magic, and magic is deception".

Corporations sucker,lie, and decieve you into things through many means and that is "living in a system of the devil's design".

And Prince is NOT a hypocrite for once swearing & now NOT- he's come to a new understanding & should be applauded!

ANYWAYS....that is MY interpretation of "Living in a system that the devil designed"...I can't see it being anything else!...certainly not a lyric inspired by Keanu Reeves IMHO! Prince is "willing the do the work" to get in touch with his authentic/spiritual self, not the "self" that "the system" is trying to make him.....

What else could it possibly be?

Isn't it about a retarded girl he went to school with?
















oopswrongsong

He knows...

PRINCE IS TALKING FROM THE BIBLE & HOW SATAN HAS CORRUPTED THE EARTH KNOWING HE HAS LMITED TIME!