Certain Songs #522: Prince - "Endorphinmachine"

Album: The Gold Experience
Year: 1995

After Sign o’ the Times, I had another Prince blackout, finally checking back in with 1995’s The Gold Experience.

Of course, I didn’t ignore Prince completely: that was impossible for any lover of music. And from 1988 – 1995, his music was only slightly less omnipresent despite — or because of– his ongoing battles with Warner Bros and antics like changing his name to an emoticon or writing “slave” on his face while performing in public.

And I don’t know why I decided to check back in with The Gold Experience. I guess I was just curious again. Which, in retrospect was good timing: The Gold Experience had a bunch of terrific songs, jams like the funky rap “P Control,” the wistful “Dolphin” and the foot-stomping “Endorphinmachine.”

Opening with a big rock riff that circled back upon itself while being powered by cowbells, “Endorphinmachine” turns out to be one Prince’s most clever fucksongs.

You’ll believe in somethin’ before this night is through
Press one for the money, press two for the dream
And get ready for somethin’ that you’ve never seen
The Endorphinmachine

And when he follows a wah-wah guitar solo with a breakdown rap which slams back into the main riff which stops again so Prince could scream “yeahhhhhhhhh” I suddenly remembered just how much fun Prince can be when he’s jamming a shitload of musical styles together in the service of fucking you all night long.

There’s also a now-chilling spoken word moment at the end of the song where a female voice intones “Prince esta muerto. Prince esta muerto.”

Of course, it had everything to do with the Warner Bros fight, and it’s quickly followed with “Long Live The New Power Generation” in Spanish.

At the time, it didn’t even cross my radar, because in 1995, it was obvious that Prince — no matter what he wanted us to call him — had too much life to ever die.

“Endorphinmachine”