We're Not Who You Think We Are
Album: Sign o’ the Times
Year: 1987
I realize that nearly every one of the previous Prince songs I’ve written about were all huge iconic songs, so here’s a (relatively) deep cut for all y’all.
Coming out of nowhere to open side four of Sign o’ the Times, “The Cross” is probably my favorite Prince song, despite (or because!) The fact that it’s one of his most overtly religious from the get-go, as over a whisper-quiet acoustic guitar, Prince sings:
Album: Sign o’ the Times
Year: 1987
While 1999 broke him into the mainstream and Purple Rain was his biggest record, if there is a consensus “Greatest Prince Album,” it’s 1987’s Sign o’ The Times.
Not only did it feature aspects of everything that he’d done before, it added some new wrinkles to boot. It also spawned three massive singles and was also rapturously received by the critics. And nearly 30 years later, it sounds as much of a tour de force as ever.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #520: Prince – “I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man”
Album: Parade
Year: 1986
It took Michael Jackson five years to follow up Thriller. It took Bruce Springsteen three years to follow up Born In The U.S.A. It took Madonna two years to follow up Like a Virgin.
It took Prince ten months to follow up Purple Rain.
That said, after I heard the underwhelming (despite the pure pop glory of “Raspberry Beret”) Around The World in a Day, I started a pattern with Prince that I’ve kept up for three decades: I started dipping in and out of his discography.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #519: Prince & The Revolution – “Kiss”
Album: Purple Rain
Year: 1984
Literally don’t even know where to start here. How about this: this was Prince’s signature song. Sure, he had bigger singles (and in fact, cutting the “Purple Rain” down to 4:05 for its single was as stupid as when The Who cut “Won’t Get Fooled Again” down to 3:36, I mean why even bother?), but I don’t think he had a bigger song. On every level.
I mean, you could imagine going to a Prince concert and not seeing any other song, but going to a Prince concert and not seeing “Purple Rain” seems totally unimaginable.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #518: Prince & The Revolution – “Purple Rain”
Album: Purple Rain
Year: 1984
The utterly monster lead single from the quintillion-platinum Purple Rain, “When Doves Cry” is the sound of Prince having it … I was gonna say “both ways,” but we all know that “both ways” was probably boring to Prince.
So let’s just say that Prince had it every single fucking way he wanted with “When Doves Cry.”
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #517: Prince & The Revolution – “When Doves Cry”
12″ Single, 1984
With its gospel opening, punk rock speed and blazing guitar solos, “Let’s Go Crazy” was already my favorite song on Purple Rain even before it was released as a single.
But when I heard the extended “Special Dance Version” in the summer of 1984, “Let’s Go Crazy” became my favorite Prince song full stop, and with the possible exception of “The Cross,” it has remained so.
Album: 1999
Year: 1982
The inconification of Prince starts right here. While “1999” didn’t become a hit single until it was re-released in the wake of the success of “Little Red Corvette” it kicked off the album with an explosion of nuclear paranoia.
In 1982, 1999 was as far away in the future as 2016 was from 1999. So writing a song about partying on the edge of the presumed millennial apocalypse somehow felt both futuristic and fun. And “Tonight, we’re gonna party like it’s 1999” instantly became part the lexicon.
Album: Dirty Mind
Year: 1980
In baseball, there is the concept of the “five-tool player.” That’s a guy who can run, throw, field, hit and hit for power. Guys like Mike Trout and Willie Mays.
I would argue that Prince was one of popular music’s five-tool players. He was a top-notch songwriter, singer, performer, producer and a masterful musician. I didn’t love everything he did, but I loved that he did everything he did.
And, of course, when he put it all together, he was a great as anyone ever.
[Read more…] about Certain Songs #514: Prince – “When You Were Mine”