17 Prince Songs You Ain’t Never Heard — But Should (Part 2 of 2)
Part 1 of this article has been previously published.
10. “The Exodus Has Begun” — Exodus, 1995
“Spatch cocks in black face offer us pennies”
Arguably, Exodus is the funkiest album Prince ever released, albeit under his band’s moniker New Power Generation. I’ve said for years that Prince always put out his best material when he was conflicted. His ever-rising tension with Warner Bros. Records often led him to take his anger and frustration out in the studio. Many fans gravitate toward the mid-80s, it’s just as easy to feel pulled toward the mid-90s. Prince has never not been prolific. These two peaks of his career with incredible output showcased not only a sheer volume of material but quality and substance that was some of Prince’s best. The mid-80s saw his conflict in his relationship with Susannah Melvoin, his then-girlfriend (practically fiance), his band, and his growing general uneasiness being under a contract to produce music. The mid-90s saw him smack dab in the middle of the toughest of battles with Warner Bros. He had already created the new NPG Records, and those albums fell under much different ownership than material released through WB or Paisley Park Records. But Prince wanted to be truly free, and he could see the beginning of the end. It’s why Exodus is such an appropriate title for the second New Power Generation album.
There is a plethora of comedy segues in between the funk songs, but it’s once you get to the end of the record that the 10-minute, bottom heavy, no-fucks-were-given session takes hold. That’s when you realize you’ve not only just listened to a slew of songs that probably flooded your basement, but you’re now right in the middle of him packing up of the offices, and he’s walking out of the building with his middle finger up and flying like his sigil of defiance. Every corporate shill knows who he is and precisely what he’s thinking. That’s what “The Exodus Has Begun” feels like, it’s what it means. When you dig into the lyrics, you realize that his mission of freedom is more than lip service; it has an endgame. He can see the finish line, and he’s got his second wind. You can come with, or get lost in the dust.
“These are the names of the children of the sun
Pumpin’ the love sign in the days of wild
Tearin’ shit up with a vengeance and still they smile
Though their lives were made bitter with hard labor and no pay
These are the children that will come 2 save the day”
But don’t be fooled. As he leaves the building of corporate and creative oppression, bassist Sonny T. is quoting bible verses, bell tolling judgment on his oppressors, in this case, the oppressors being the slave owners at Warner Bros. The song has plenty of cussing, and a healthy peppering of the N-word telling the listener to get their house in order. Years before, Prince said, “no one man would be ruler, therefore love must rule them all/dishonesty, anger, fear, jealousy and greed will fall.” “The Exodus has Begun” seems to be the lyrical sequel to 1990’s “Still Would Stand All Time,” (Graffiti Bridge, 1990) where the idea of hope and salvation is “just around the corner” when men gather to unite as humans, and injustice is no more. “The Exodus Has Begun” calls out the rich men who run record companies and keep artists like him in corporate bondage.
“Spatch cocks in black face offers us pennies
When there’s millions and millions that they reap
Millions and millions that they reap
What the fuck is that about?
What the fuck is that about?
What the fuck is that shit about?
We don’t play that muthafuckin’ shit!
U think we got a muthafuckin’ joystick up our ass or somethin’?
Fuck that!
I don’t know what U thinkin’ about
But the exodus has begun muthafuckas!
The exodus has begun”
The odd thing about this release is that its predecessor, Goldnigga, and its successor, NewPowerSoul (the other two of the New Power Generation trilogy) were released in the U.S; Exodus wasn’t. It was only released Taiwan, Europe, and Australia. The impact it’s had in the U.S. with fans has been nothing short of monumental. Prince continues to put away his name and former career, using aliases like the symbol and Tora Tora to not only get more music out but to give a firm nose up to his bosses at Warner. Prince is dead, and he will be until he’s free from his contractual obligations. Sonny T. firmly puts the old Prince to rest at the end of the song.
“This shit is dedicated 2 the memory of His Royal Badness
I know his name, that muthafuckin’ Prince
Rest in peace nigga!”
Was the release limited because Warner Bros. quickly realized that most of the album, especially its title track, was directed at them? Was it too many records coming out and “saturating the market” (a term used by WB when they refused to release Crystal Ball — a 3LP set)? Prince’s mid-90’s music was filled with institutional backlash. Prince kept creating, proverbially rising above the moments he felt were akin to the strap on the back. Warner telling him what he could and couldn’t put out (in volume, not content) felt restrictive for such a prolific artist. Prince knew if he could keep digging in and getting up the mountain, that he’d reach the top. “The Exodus Has Begun” would be the peak of that summit Prince was more than willing to pay for and plant a flag. The men on the moon ain’t got shit on this trip.
11. “Acknowledge Me” — Crystal Ball, 1998
“I only wanna be your friend”
Supporting the notion that Prince’s best output was in the midst of conflict, “Acknowledge Me” — written in 1993 — not only supports that, with its infectious and irresistible bottomed out bass and drum, but is one of his best classic funk songs ever produced. While Prince’s fight with Warner Bros was ramping up exponentially, the fighting motivated him not only to show what he was worth as a signed artist but what they would soon be missing out on not having him an as artist roster. He had already changed his name to the symbol and opted not to perform much of any Prince-era songs, often citing the crowd to chant “Prince is dead”. His setlists relied mostly on albums like Come, The Gold Experience, and unreleased music like “Acknowledge Me” for his live shows.
“Acknowledge Me” was once meant for The Gold Experience, but was eventually removed and replaced by “Shhh.” (It would be re-recorded with Sonny T.’s vocals and destined for Exodus but was again removed.) The song was highlighted in a European TV special, the BEAUTIFUL experience, and the audio was subsequently circulated from the broadcast as a bootleg. It wasn’t until 1998 that it saw the light of day on an album, albeit a compilation.
Fans argue that his music transcended race, but I’d say the opposite. People of all ethnicities and races enjoyed Prince’s music, but Prince was always black. He was a black artist, wrote black music, had black musicians, and wrote about black experiences. If there was ever a black song from a black artist that speaks to “what is the black music experience,” it’s “Acknowledge Me” by Prince. It’s the new world’s “Up For The Down Stroke” or “Aquaboogie” (from Parliament). It’s not a surprise that this most-funky of tracks was recorded in the same sessions as “Gold,” “Billy Jack Bitch,” “319”, “Right the Wrong,” and “Chaos and Disorder.” It’s disappointing that it didn’t show up on Exodus as it was perfect for that record.
I would warn readers not to let comparison or its blackness deter you from enjoying the song. The fact that anyone can hear Prince’s music and love it speaks volumes not only about his prowess as a songwriter but the listener’s ability to recognize amazing music when they listen to it. Surely Prince channeling his conflicts into music manifested diamonds like “Acknowledge Me,” a song directed toward a record company who was losing interest in their star child, and possibly his fans who may have been lost under the riptide of confusion following the then-recent name change.
“Acknowledge me, don’t dog me anymore
I was here in the beginning and I’ll be here 4ever more
Acknowledge me, I only wanna be your friend
I can make U happy, baby, over and over again”
Prince is pleading not only with a woman, again in the role of pining for her affections instead of being the aggressor, but with Warner Bros Records. It seems he almost wants to continue their business relationship, but new terms need to be applied. “I can make you happy… over and over again” promises great music and record sales which puts money in everyone’s pocket in virtual perpetuity. Prince not only battled loneliness in his personal life, but it would appear he was facing greater disconnection not being part of a larger record company and the machine behind it. During the 90s, to be an independent artist with the clout of a name like Prince was certainly not a mainstream idea; one that wouldn’t even be realized by Prince, fully, until the end of the decade as a whole. I believe Prince ultimately wanted to continue his relationship with Warner Bros. He would later speak of being friendly with those at Warner Bros, or at least the possibility of it, in later songs like “Dolphin,” in a metaphorical “what is it going to take? People want to save dolphins. Is that what it’s going to take? Me being a dolphin for you to pay attention to me? Would you save me then?”
If I came back as a dolphin
Would U listen 2 me then?
Would U let me be your friend?
Would U let me in?
To him, though, being a friend was allowing him to own his music, and take the proverbial collar from his neck. There was a point in the 90s that Prince inked a deal with Warner that was worth $100,000,000. But he later told Oprah Winfrey that the devil was in the details. Warner wanted an album to sell 5M (for example) before Prince got paid the bonus for the record, and would get a bigger payment for the next record. A hit record guaranteed the means to make the next hit record. It was live or day, song by song, minute by minute. It was a notion in which Warner Bros wasn’t interested. Prince still had hope that terms could be worked out for the better, hoping and believing that Warner Bros would finally see his side of things. They didn’t.
I‘m waitin’ 4 the phone call, but it just don’t ring
I’m lookin’ 4 a letter or a sign from heaven or anything
Every day that goes by is another day I want U more
I’d give a million dollars 2 see U, baby, standin’ at my door
“Acknowledge Me” eventually delves into some of Prince’s most sexual liberator we would hear in a five-album span either before or after. It’s easily defined as sexual seduction, a plea for a girl’s attention; but the implied boss-employee — rather, master-slave — dynamic is evident. One can’t help but overlay the battle Prince endured, and SLAVE written across his face, in every song he wrote throughout the bulk of the 90s, using it as a filter for his music; fans would continue to question what song was about his fight for freedom and what song was simply about a new girlfriend.
It deserves to be noted everything on NPG Records was owned by Prince, while distributed by Warner Bros. It’s why he would continue the NPG Records stamp long after he left Warner and why Paisley Park Records folded. It’s also why Sony now, through negotiations, owns the rights to the NPG Records material (everything after 1993’s The Hits/The B-Sides), and Warner owes everything before that. It’s also noteworthy to mention that once Prince gained ownership of his Warner Bros masters, he would let them have exclusive license to distribute it. The “Warner Bros/NPG Records” label — showing master then slave — then became “NPG Records, licensed exclusively to Warner Bros Records”; the slave has become his own master. It was an accomplishment Prince saw before he died. Ultimately, he was acknowledged in the way he wanted, as the owner of his work.
It’s notable that the song uses a “hey!” scream by Boni Boyer from an unreleased song, “The Line.” It also uses a slowed-down spoken segment — the “welcome, this is where I live, this is where I dream my dreams” section — from the still-unreleased “All My Dreams.”
12. “Solo” — Come, 1993
“the curb looks like a skyscraper”
Come was credited to Prince, while its sister-album The Gold Experience was credited to the symbol. Prince wanted both released, like a battle in the market to see which one the public preferred. Come’s mood is Gothic and fully absorbed in the sensual side of the soul. In one of his most explicit albums, Come explores many themes, but the undercurrent of isolation is prominent and heart-wrenching in “Solo.” (Solo being a play on the words “so low.”) It’s an unusual song whose lyrics were written by David Henry Hwang, a composer of M. Butterfly. Prince asked Hwang to write a poem for him “about loss,” intended as a spoken word interlude in or around a song. He faxed the poem to Paisley Park. Days later, Hwang received a cassette of the completed song. He also received a gold record when Come reached gold status but was never paid for his writing efforts.
“Solo” is a haunting tale of loneliness and loss, feeling destitute and dying to one’s self. The last lines of “I am no one” reminds us years later how Arya Stark became “no one” on Game of Thrones, a girl with no name. Prince’s sense of utter loneliness redefines his very humanity and diminishes his foreseeable future in another song about resolving to one’s fate.
“I’m so lost, no one can find me
And I’ve been looking 4 so long
But now I’m done
I’m so low”
The arrangement is an incredibly sparse production and orchestration. A plucked harp and pizzicato strings complement each other while laying softly behind Prince’s vocal hurdling between his deeper range to his perfected falsetto. The song is a relief to heavier themes and production like the animalistic, lust-driven “Pheromone,” the account of child abuse in “Papa,” or the techno-heavy club thump of “Loose!”. The song is nestled snuggly in the 2nd half of the record, almost acting as a lead-in for the soul-baring “Letitgo.”
It’s another example of Prince’s ongoing search for connection. The 90s were a particularly prolific era for Prince, but it was also a time of anger and solitude. Prince stayed busy with his music. And while band members and girlfriends surrounded him, there remains a permeation of isolation in his music. Even in the next song, “Letitgo,” he reflects on all the fame and money ultimately profiting nothing if he’s lost those around him. He cynically acknowledges his seclusion and seems to give into the ideas of “Solo,” where he’s just at the end of his rope.
All my life this heart’s been under lock and key
My curtains were drawn, there wasn’t nobody home …
Better off dead if I couldn’t be alone
In “Solo,” you won’t hear any guitar solos here, catchy drum beats, or bass lines that vibrate your undergarments. What you will find is probably one of the most distinctive and introspective tracks Prince ever produced.
13. “Old Friends 4 Sale” — “All My Dreams” — unreleased, but circulating
“Africa, Cap’n Crunch, Norma Jean, Sex and Cheerios”
Both songs are outtakes from 1985 sessions for Parade, which served as the soundtrack to Under The Cherry Moon. I think “All My Dreams” would have helped the movie better as an ending song (although who could deny “Mountains” being included anywhere?). The popular, and uber-personal, “Old Friends 4 Sale” initially segued into “All My Dreams,” and many bootlegs keep that intact. “Old Friends 4 Sale”, in a lyrically toned down version, was released on The Vault… Old Friends 4 Sale, but that version pales significantly compared to the confessional lyrics of the original.
Prince name checks his manager, the late Steve Fargnoli, when he told Prince the public’s lack of appreciation for his post-Purple Rain music, and partly because of hiring Wendy Melvoin as guitarist once Dez Dickerson left the band. Even those around Prince at the time, like Jill Jones, would later express their distaste for The Revolution. Arguably, The Revolution is the most popular of all of Prince’s band configuration. The Lovesexy band had their kudos from fans, as did the paired down New Power Generation with Sonny T., Michael B., Tommy Barbarella, and Morris Hayes.
“Bad news, Steve said, and people are talkin’
They say your kingdom is fallin’, yeah
They say U lost your fire
When another musician U hired”
He mentions Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’s infamous delayed flight in Atlanta, Georgia, which caused them to miss a concert and subsequently be fired from The Time by Prince himself. “The sun set in my heart this afternoon/4 2 friends of mine got stuck in the snow.”
There is a cocaine reference possibly about Morris Day’s drug habit at the time.
“In Uptown when winter’s alarmin’, oh
Cocaine becomes charmin’
But U talk about things U don’t know ‘bout”
One of the other notable references is to his former bodyguard, “Big Chick” Huntsberry when he sold a story to a tabloid magazine after leaving Prince’s employ.
“4 someone who said they would die 4 me
Sold some, they sold some more pictures and all my little memories
Chump change is 2 unravel the mystery”
These two songs are brilliant Revolution era tracks with beautiful orchestration by Clare Fisher, although the version of “Old Friends 4 Sale” meant for Parade was without Fisher’s input. Likewise, “All My Dreams,” with dialog by Wendy, and a big theatrical chorus is the exact opposite in mood and arrangement to the mournful dirge of “Old Friends 4 Sale”. “All My Dreams” is a call, as Oprah said, to live your best life. It’s an anthem of encouragement and love. I can see how it would have fit into Under The Cherry Moon, with it’s an ode to pursuing one’s dreams and maneuvering through love. It echoes the movie’s main character, Christopher Tracy’s quest for love, Mary Sharon, being the object of that love. “I’ll see u 2night, in all my dreams/My spirit’s in flight in all my dreams”. The song also compares a submarine diving for the first time to a man taking a woman’s virginity, then getting her pregnant and proposing marriage (a scenario we first heard in “Baby”).
Boiled down, it’s typical Prince fodder of love and marriage, and sex. However, it’s the uplifting nature of the chorus in “All My Dreams,” and the moody middle-section that captures the listener’s attention as Wendy tells, “Lisa, I’m gonna give U the brush and U’re gonna paint the side of the train.” It keeps the song in the proverbial bedroom but somehow in a spiritual realm of forgiveness and love. Prince has always been talented at mixing sex and religion, as noted herein and heard throughout his music. “All My Dreams” is more than an accurate summation of those beliefs coupling them with sexual innuendo.
While “All My Dreams” was once considered for the aborted Dream Factory set, the track, sadly, has never been released (yet?). Outstanding versions are circulating among collectors, as is the original lyrics and Fisher input version of “Old Friends 4 Sale”. I hope that someday the Prince estate sees fit to release these diamonds as they were intended, back to back and forever connected.
14. “Moonbeam Levels” — 4Ever, 2016
“I laid down in the grass tryin’ 2 feel the world turn”
I am glad this song, another in my top 5, was finally released, but it’s with great remorse that we have to enjoy it after Prince’s death.
The song was long thought to be considered for the 1999 record, a theory that turned out to be completely false. It was recorded during the 1999 sessions (the day before “Lady Cab Driver”) in July 1982 (the 1999 album came out that autumn). It seemed natural as the tropes of 1999 were abundant on “Moonbeam Levels.” Even I was guilty of the theory and lobbied hard that the song was meant to be on the album in place of “Free.” The theory was likely based on the real story of “The Beautiful Ones” replacing “Electric Intercourse” on Purple Rain. (“Electric Intercourse” can be heard on the Purple Rain Deluxe package.) “Moonbeam Levels” was later considered for the Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic project in 1988 (not to be confused with the 1999 album release with the same name).
I can’t quite say I know what the hell Prince is singing about in this song. But I’ll attempt to break down some similar themes that are mainstays in his music. The lyrics quasi-storyline of despair are sung with a hopeful sadness. It speaks about a boy who is unable to find any joy or connection in the world; he longs to feel something. A woman, possibly someone he knows or not that is far away. He hopes that under the same stars, she’s thinking of him. It’s much the same Romeo and Juliet puppy love detected in “The Arms of Orion” (Batman, 1989). The boy knows he’ll die, but he at least wants to be happy doing so, with the girl of his dreams. He’d rather die with love than without it. Wouldn’t we all?
“Please send all your moonbeam levels 2 me
I’m lookin’ 4 a better place 2 die”
The bridge echoes chords of revolution and a new future by noting children know what they are taught, good or bad.
“A newborn child knows nothing of destruction
Nothing of love and hate
What happens in between is a mystery
Because we don’t give a damn about his fate”
They are sentiments we’ve heard in “Sexuality” (Controversy, 1981):
“Don’t let your children watch television until they know how 2 read
Or else all they’ll know how 2 do is cuss, fight and breed
No child is bad from the beginning
They only imitate their atmosphere”
He finishes the line, in “Sexuality,” with there being nothing valuable letting children raise themselves:
“What’s to be expected… absolutely nothing”
It’s a sentiment echoed later in “The Future” (Batman, 1989):
“Pretty pony standin’ on the avenue
Flashin’ loaded pistol, 2 dumb 2 be true
Somebody told him playin’ cops and robbers was cool
Would our rap have been different if we only knew?”
He seems to question his view of the world, and his message had he been raised differently. It’s not a blame game toward his parents. It’s an overall review of society’s often ill-fated norms and how unhinged they make its citizens.
In “Moonbeam Levels,” the boy continues not to understand his own life. He is unclear how to proceed on a day to day basis. But he makes a vow to repeat anything good he’s accomplished, assuming it will produce a better outcome than possibly anything learned through new experiences. Prince presents it as a more hopeful way to journey through one’s life. To some listeners, it could appear to be a lazy way of handling life. Just repeat the few positive things, and ignore the rest. The idea lacks any insight into personal growth or development. It becomes ironic to Prince’s alleged outlook of raising children without anything but love and input from better sources. But perhaps he’s giving us the bad example, of what not to become or how not to act. The boy intentions seem to be coupled with apathy more than logic. He wallows in his loneliness, letting his life pass without much input. Oddly, the boy doesn’t have a death wish but merely lacks any motivation to embrace life and push forward, all because he remains unloved by a woman. It’s a sad tale of indifference.
Through all that, there seems to be an uplifting and almost optimistic approach to the melody and the chord structure of the song. There is hope in asking for someone to send all their moonbeam levels over, almost like a request for rejuvenation or inspiration. It’s also as simplistic as wondering where his lover is in the world and hoping that she’s inadvertently looking for him, all the while looking up at the same stars and moon. That perhaps their mutual effort to find each other will come to fruition, ending with their reunion. The mixture of quieter moments juxtaposed with the advance of a strong chorus and near-perfect bridge gives the song its pseudo-cheerful tone. Probably unintentional, but I can’t help but notice the duality of the indifferent lyrics coupled with a positive production value underneath. With any other lyrics, the song could easily be an anthem for love, unity, confidence, or just a call to party. Its motifs of disconnection, loneliness, and unrequited love are lifted from Prince’s own insular life. Even Chaka Khan, when answering a question about something no one would know about Prince, said that it probably didn’t show but that he was a very lonely person. The somber look on her face hinted at an untold and more significant story of his purposeful detachment from people.
For decades, I’ve floundered with different degrees of mostly-sub-substandard quality of this song in the bootleg world. I finally found a decent quality version and been grateful for having it. “Moonbeam Levels” was finally released on the 2016 compilation 4Ever, it was the main reason I purchased two CDs full of songs for which I had otherwise already paid. The source of the copy of the song is still up for debate, having the song in any better quality than what’s been around for over twenty years is of little concern. The song is too beautiful to worry about such things.
Ultimately, I have no idea what a “moonbeam level” is, and I don’t care. I care that this song exists and I get to hear it as often as I wish.
15. “Pink Cashmere” — The Hits/The B-Sides, 1993
“the cycle never ends, U just pray U don’t get burned”
Prince wrote this song for his then-girlfriend, Anna Garcia aka Anna Fantastic. He had a pink coat made for her. She posted a picture of the coat on her Twitter. The song was written in 1988, during the time Prince and Anna were together. It was one of a few songs he wrote with Anna as his muse. Batman’s “Vicki Waiting” was initially titled “Anna Waiting.” He worked on “Pink Cashmere” again in 1990, which would be the completed version. He would later release it as one of six new tracks on the 3-CD set The Hits/The B-Sides collection in 1993. No real video was ever produced for it, other than a collage of clips from previous videos. Since The Hits collection was the signal for the final years of his time with Warner Bros (and the effective end of Paisley Park Records, and the upstart of NPG Records which served different ownership of the master recordings than any previously under WB), he was inactively trying to promote anything that came out with Warner Bros. The video could have been beautiful but felt cheap and unnecessary.
The song, however, is a whole other story. It starts as a quiet mid-tempo head-bopper. It’s the perfect kind of song that you enjoy after a day at work while at home sipping a tumbler of Moscato wine. The lyrics harken back to the more sexual heavy “Tamborine” (Around The World In A Day, 1985), where both songs speak about love or passion sneaking up on an unsuspecting heart. “Oh my God, there I go, falling in love with a face in a magazine,” says the 1985 track, and “Pink Cashmere” announces, “Oh, here I go again, fallin’ in love all over…”. It doesn’t show repetitiveness in Prince’s music, but rather a growth in his attitude toward sex versus love. “Tamborine” was a sapphic metaphor, whereas “Pink Cashmere” is an official hymn to maturing love. Prince seems cautiously hopeful about the relationship, “the cycle never ends, U just pray U don’t get burned.” His desire for love and connection again trumps his lustful desire previous heard in “Tamborine” or “It,” or even “Erotic City,” often noting how random sexual hookups are good at the moment but the longer emotional connection stays aloof.
I’m makin’ U a coat of pink cashmere
U got 2 know how I feel about ya, how I always want U near
I’m makin’ U a coat of pink cashmere
I’m countin’ every minute of every hour til U are here
It seems that once Prince had been through a few serious relationships, his perspective on casual affairs or off-the-cuff marriage proposals faded in favor of something more fulfilling. Where he once considered sex as being close to God, it seems he grew into choosing love blessed by God; love that is God. He realizes love is a verb in itself, not a synonym for sex.
The song’s even keel speaks to Prince’s newly-innate desire for consistency in his own life. He presents himself as authentic and more level-headed to the women he’s addressing. He’s cleaned up his act and engages the tender moments outside the bedroom before anything else. He understands that swagger and wooing a woman starts in the mind. It’s a belief he began to address directly in his music.
In “Satisfied” (3121, 2006):
I ain’t talking about nothing physical
Cause 4play starts in the mind”
Earlier, in “Sexy MF” (O(+>, 1992):
In a word or 2, it’s U I wanna do
No, not cha body, your mind U fool…see, this ain’t about sex
It’s all about love being in charge of this life and the nextThis ain’t about the body, it’s about the mind
The song is what I’ve called, plugged-in acoustic, or organic electric. It could have easily been overwrought with synths, and smart drum fills. Instead, he balances the speaker-rattling bass and mellow keyboards with Clare Fisher’s strings and a lead acoustic guitar strumming over a simple drum machine beat. Prince lodges his melody in his falsetto, which seems to drizzle just the right amount of glaze on his pink cake. The song runs a bit longer than most songs of its nature, but the surprise changeup comes about halfway through the song when Fisher’s strings build to a beautiful crescendo then Prince pulls out his electric guitar and practically sings on six strings. Even greats like Chaka Khan raved about Prince’s guitar solos. I believe the one in “Pink Cashmere” remains underappreciated and mostly unheard by the greater music public. Fisher’s strings play beautifully against the solo, and there’s little room to wonder what is coming next; because you can’t know until you hear it.
Regarding the guitar and strings, there are a couple of slightly different mixes of the song. The “Guitar Mix” includes his guitar solo. The “Vocal Version” is edited to include all the vocals. These are released versions.
The song was also released on the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s Girl 6 movie (for which Prince’s music served as the soundtrack in whole). It’s one of Prince’s most beautiful songs, whose distinct texture compares to that of “Alexa De Paris,” “Anotherloverholenyohead,” or “Forever In My Life.” It’s an often forgotten gem that deserves to be polished and enjoyed regularly.
16. “Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)” — 1999, 1982
“U think U’re special, well so do I”
It’s easy to say Prince was honing his sound and craft on his first three records. His fourth, Controversy, is often seen as experimental, or a transitional album. I would agree with that. Experimental, as a label, can usually imply cheap or an unproven technique, yet that was hardly the case.
It wasn’t until 1999 that Prince began to nail down what we would know as the Minneapolis sound. That’s not to say the sound wasn’t present on 1999’s predecessor. But you can hear Prince just having fun with the newly discovered Linn drum machine, synths, and plenty of alone time in the studio. There was nothing quite like what we heard from Prince on the radio in 1981 when he was recording this album. The irony in that is that everyone else eventually had the same Linn drum machine, the same synths, guitars, and other equipment available to them. While bands like Flock of Seagulls, Human League, or Thompson Twins were more worried about sharp hooks or catchy melodies, Prince was changing the very way he recorded those instruments. Many times his instruments were wired directly to the mixing board, opposed to a mic in front of an amp. He put the drum machine through guitar pedals and detuned them for a different sound; nothing that a drum machine could give you on its own. Even the “door knock” sound on “When Doves Cry” is just regular drum toms, but detuning them an octave gave us that distinctive sound. The perfection of that methodology is where “Something In The Water” comes into my list.
1999 is a dark and cold record. The ‘warmest’ song on the two-LP set is probably “Free” or “Little Red Corvette”; more arguably “Lady Cab Driver.” Prince’s heavy use of synths and the Linn drum machine conveys an air of human disconnection, alluding to robotic love (much like ELO discussed in “Yours Truly, 2095”). The song’s harsher side of fetish based sexuality would later be played out in the 12-minute “Computer Blue” (Purple Rain Deluxe, 1984). “Something In The Water” balks at a woman’s wiles always causing him heartache rather than love. He doesn’t lose his self-confidence, “some people tell me I’ve got great legs,” “Some people think I’m kinda cute.” He’s confident in who he is as a man but is bewildered by a woman’s constant shunning of his affections. He’s a toy to her, or she’s not interested. He proceeds with confused caution, echoed in the warbly and unsteady bell-synth line, absent-minded of his shortcomings like he was in “Tamborine.” “Oh my God there, I go, falling in love with a face in a magazine.” Prince seems to continually have “oops, my bad” aesthetics in his love life.
Upon closer examination, we realize that it’s Prince who is the common denominator in his failed liaisons.
Must be something in the water they drink
It’s been the same with every girl I’ve had
At least he’s admitting he has a problem; or is he? Has it been the same because of him, or does he see women as unconquerable? We’re not sure why he’s so hung up on this particular rejection, but his frustration is palpable. His vocal delivery oozes with cynicism, the more unhealthy reaction to sarcasm. There’s a fine line between the two, but he seems firmly pissed off in “Something In The Water.”
The irony of the song almost goes unnoticed. It seems that despite Prince’s predilection of loneliness and opportunities to cure miscommunications is paid back to him by the vixen in question. He does his best to bargain his way into her life, offering her gifts which serve as a vehicle for conversation.
I’ll buy U clothing, I’ll buy U fancy cars
But U gotta talk 2 me, baby
Tell me who U really are
He makes a last plea, firmly placing himself on the pyre.
I do love U, I do
Or else I wouldn’t go through all the things I do
Near the end of the song, he lashes out, calling her a bitch. Maybe it’s justified, but perhaps he did something to piss off ol’ girl. The weird chords and manic drum machine ticking away gives the listener an uneasy, haunting feeling, the same he must feel in his dilemma of having emotionally abusive women around him. His trademark high-pitched yelps add to his tortured state. That state of discomfort materializes in “Automatic,” from the same album (and one track prior). The emotional nightmare becomes true:
I wonder if U have any mercy, don’t torture me
The production feels like confusion, a stream of thought with a million rhythmic questions being asked while Prince waxes philosophical. He’s found his proverbial fiddle while the monuments of his love life burn around him. His pleading falls on deaf ears.
Why don’t U talk 2 me?
Tell me who U are
Don’t do this 2 me
Please don’t do this
Like “Solo,” yet totally unlike it, “Something In The Water” is one of the most memorable and trippy songs you’ll ever hear Prince record.
17. “Sexuality” — Controversy, 1981
“I wanna be in the new breed — stand up, organize”
When Prince finished the 1981 track “Private Joy,” he was pretty proud of himself. He had used the Linn drum machine for one of the very first times, played with how he fed the drum machine through guitar pedals and wrote a very catchy pop song. While many saw that album, Controversy, as experimental, I tend to believe that he was stretching his feet further into the pool of finding new sounds on Controversy. He had three albums under his belt, one of them arguably full of finished demos, and the other two closely mirroring each other. His fourth record, Controversy, was full of a variety of genres and styles, each sitting comfortably to the next and is likely the reason it’s labeled as experimental; a term Prince never enjoyed. I would offer a consolation that the album is a segue album. It’s a link between his bourgeoning Minneapolis sound, and the past three records of adult contemporary music blending into raw overly sexualized rock-funk romps.
While the album gladly offers samples of funk, soulful ballads, dance floor R&B, rockabilly, and pop goodness, “Sexuality” is easily the standout and weirdest track on the album. Some may argue that “Annie Christian” — a sparse track built over a chacha or foxtrot drumbeat likely found on an organ in your grandmother’s house — is the weirdest track. It’s one of the more politically charged songs on there (as is “Ronnie, Talk 2 Russia). “Sexuality” delves deeper into a shining of punk-funk to examine social contracts that no one signed. Punk-funk is a term Prince seems to have coined himself, although many would offer that Rick James had the same elements in his music, whereas I would more willingly call it sleaze-funk. Bolding out its second tracklist position with a scream, the song begins over a wop-rubbery bass and drum rhythm tracks that never gives up its place. It’s driving bass line keeps is worthy of a Jeep’s stereo. Prince’s vocal delivery is sarcastic as he summarizes his purview of the world around him.
“Sexuality” is a call to arms. Rather than guns, Prince’s weapons are knowledge, self-awareness, and acceptance of one’s fellow man. It’s an idea seeded in “Uptown” (Dirty Mind, 1980) where he proclaimed:
Now where I come from, we don’t give a damn
We do whatever we please
It ain’t about no downtown, nowhere bound, narrow-minded drag
It’s all about being free
Prince’s music, for decades and especially in the last days of his fight with Warner Bros Records, always encompassed everyone’s freedom whatever the cost. “Sexuality”’s mantra continues his utopic homeland of Uptown:
Stand up, everybody, this is your life
Let me take U 2 another world, let me take U 2night
U don’t need no money, U don’t need no clothes
The second coming, anything goes
He goes on to slice through ideologies of segregation, race, calling for people to “stand up, organize.” How ironic that he would coyly bark “take a bath, hippy” (albeit as a bystander) on his next record’s “All the Critics Love U In New York,” when his creed herein is one of most hippy cultures; that of personal freedom, embraced sexuality, and no government or police. In many ways, Prince preached anarchism in his early music and certainly embraced its underlying philosophy after becoming a Jehovah’s Witness (the sect doesn’t believe in voting or otherwise participating in government including military or civil service).
When Prince says, “I’m OK as long as U are here with me/Sexuality is all we ever need,” he boils down his fundamental beliefs back to personal connection, whether through sexual intimacy or however one identifies sexually. It would prove to be a sore thumb in a Reagan-era conservative America. Reagan wouldn’t even mention the words AIDS or HIV until well into his second term as president. No one spoke of “identifying as” anything. People were still scared to come out as gay or bisexual despite Pride events being an annual event for a few years. If Tipper Gore listed “Darling Nikki” as one of the “filthy fifteen” with her PRMC crusade to sticker albums with explicit content, she would have flipped her wig had she listened to Dirty Mind or Controversy. “Sexuality” is not exactly a warm song like “Private Joy” or “Do Me, Baby,” but it does champion intimacy. It stands in stark contrast to his yearning for a connection on 1999 and the album’s cold electronic aesthetic of disconnection. There is warmth on Controversy, even while he uses a drum machine more than any other album to that point.
In his monologue of social critique, he begins, “We live in a world overrun by tourists…” which seems to again speak to the ideas of people watching the world more than living in the moment. Much like today, people were watching the world through 8mm movie lenses and Instamatic cameras.
What? No flash again?
They’re all a bunch of double drags
Who teach their kids that love is bad
Half of the staff of their brain is on vacation
…is more profound of a lyric than it appears on the surface. The “no flash” comment could be people’s disappointment in the world around them (ultimately it’s because they didn’t live in the moment). They’re worried about the small things rather than the bigger picture. Life is in the details sure, but to get so lost in them is the sin. The latter part of the lyric shows how both parents (double drags) are less than sincere when teaching their children that any sort of love out of their perimeters is negative (e.g., anyone in the LGBTQ community).
While he was entirely straight, Prince toyed with gender and sexuality, and his music welcomed everyone. He fought for everyone. As a black man, he knew he had to include everyone, or he would be no better than the people who would otherwise seek to oppress him based on his color. He argues against letting children absorb the evils of media before education; it’s a seemingly continuing problem in the 21st century of digital everything, and social media becomes news sources. I’ve expressed this idea being in his other music, but this is the first source:
Don’t let your children watch television until they know how 2 read
Or else all they’ll know how 2 do is cuss, fight and breed
No child is bad from the beginning
They only imitate their atmosphere
If they’re in the company of tourists, alcohol and U.S. history
What’s 2 be expected is …
Absolutely nothing
In this regard, Prince’s music was decades ahead of its time. He offers hope and an alternative to a stereotypical “bad seed” offspring. Anyone is a product of their environment. Whatever environment Prince grow from is reflected in his music, either mimicking it or directly opposing it.
As the song fades, Prince delivers a mantra as a reminder to why he’s encouraging his listeners that:
We need the new breed — Leaders, stand up, organize
I wanna be in the new breed — stand up, organize
Sexuality is all I’ll ever need
Sexuality — I’m gonna let my body be free
Sexuality is all I’ll ever need
Sexuality — I’m gonna let my body be free
I’d consider “Sexuality” a deep cut, and one most people would never know. So in that regard, I’m pretty happy to introduce it to the masses of whoever takes my queue. It was released as a single in Australia and Germany but also showed up on a 12" of “1999” in 1982, as a b-side. I can’t see this as a random move that Prince included such a volatile song at the beginning of a new album’s campaign. Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 all mirror the same dogma and ideologies. 1999 continue the seeds of Controversy’s ideology, so it’s perfectly plausible as to why “Sexuality” was a b-side, a year later, on the “1999” single.
In his later years of overt religious propensities, Prince renamed, and re-sang, the song as “Spirituality,” which seemed to anger more than a few fans (this one, included). This came soon after his becoming a Jehovah’s Witness. His subsequent, post-conversion album, The Rainbow Children (2001) quotes “Sexuality”’s, “Reproduction of the New Breed, Leaders, stand up! Organize!” chant in its title track.
There are probably 100 other lists that could highlight deeper cuts or less-known tracks from Prince’s extensive catalog of released (or unreleased) material. Every one of them would be just as valid as the next. My hope remains that you not only see Prince a bit of the way I saw him in his 57 years on earth but also that you use the list as a launching point to explore his music on your own. To pick an album, and listen front to back, learning his ideas, hearing his sounds, and absorbing the nature of his talent is the dream. So this list was never intended to be the end-all list of must-have Prince songs. It’s a list, a place to start your journey.
I hope more music comes out over time, that we hear even more of Prince recorded. And maybe, someday, another list like this would be for new listeners. That’s the beauty of music. It’s always there, and it can still find new listeners.
Hear me?
Credit to Databank Transcription Team for the transcription of Prince’s lyrics quoted herein, and Princevault for additional information.
Ernest Sewell was born & raised in Oklahoma. After living across the U.S. in places like Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, he’s settled in upstate New York for the past twenty years. He’s authored and published two books and is currently working on a new horror novel due in 2020. He shares his home with a friend, three cats, and his vinyl collection, all of whom have the same level of love from him. When he’s not causing an uproar on Prince forums or social media, he enjoys reads (a lot), trying new recipes, and prank calling people.
“Don’t take yourself too seriously. No one else does.”
Author note: I met Stephen R. Carter while we were teenagers, serving in the Navy in 1987 on the USS Independence. One day, I passed his office, and there were Prince posters on his wall. I stopped to say hi, mentioning the posters. That’s the moment we became fast friends; more importantly, we were lifelong friends. We sailed around the Americas together, from Philadelphia around Cape Horn to San Diego. He would remain there for years, changing from Dental Tech to Registered Nurse, while I lived in various places. When we lost touch in the early aughts, it was through prince.org that we found each other again, which was by coincidence; or maybe it was the universe keeping two dear friends together.
Steve died unexpectedly this week from a heart attack, after suffering a mild stroke early in the year. He loved Prince as much as I did if no more. We had phone conversations lasting upwards of three hours, just talking about our lives, music, and Prince. I would hope that he would have loved this article and agreed with every song on the list. Of course, he would have had his own list, too. (He still has my Prince and the Revolution LIVE VHS tape!)
Spirits come and spirits go
Some stick around 4 the aftershow
I don’t have 2 say I miss U
Cuz I think U already knowIf U ever lose someone dear 2 U
Never say the words — “They’re gone”
They’ll come back
“Comeback” (The Truth, 1998)
This article is dedicated to him. Rest in Funk, Steve. I love you, and I miss you. — “Christopher”
