I do love me some Prince.
It’s surprisingly upbeat for the topic…but maybe a hopeful note is what we need right now.
The video got blocked overnight — here’s an official source where you can hear it.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
I’ve just listened to it three times in a row.
Grimace!
If there ain’t no justice
then there ain’t no peace.
yup
I didn’t need another reason to love Prince, but I’m happy to have one.
Meh. Just another privileged celebrity.
So the fact someone is a celebrity automatically gives them no say in social justice?
I know, right? an african american from Minnesota who grew up in a family of jazz musicians, so, y’know, the richest, most advantaged people in the world, including a childhood bouncing between divorced parents and, for several years, staying with a friend’s family instead of either parent.
And then there’s his workaholic nature, possible severe medical condition for pending double hip surgery, and losing his son 10 days after birth to pfeiffer syndrome.
It’s not like his deliberate attempts to adapt an androgynous persona haven’t given him a first hand experience of sexism and homophobia to go with a knowledge of racist persecution. Nor does he know anything about exploitation due to the music industry and it’s gross disrespect of artists as people, that hasn’t been a public struggle.
yeah, he’s just a product of a bunch of privilege and knows nothing of suffering.
I mean, damn man, I can understand not being down with Prince (sort of. Gold Experience is on my short list of best albums ever made) but “meh. Just another privileged celebrity” is a special kind of arrogant dismissal.
@#5
Sarcasm?
Nope. Didn’t say I disagreed with him. Just don’t like Prince.
@karpad …wow you mean Prince had struggles? Just like every other human being? Relax. I think his music is shit so I made an offhand comment. Prince sleeps on bags of money so forgive me if I think he may be a little more disconnected than others.
AtheistPowerlifter
You don’t like his music therefore his politics are suspect?
AtheistPowerlifter #9
These words seem dumb.
@chigau #10
No…I…ugh.
Look…I had a bad day (long story involving very sick mom-in-law and a dying dog) so I’ve been drinking. Came here to lurk as usual. Sometimes it helps my anxiety…sometimes not so much. I can’t stand Prince…hate his music, always have. So I see a post about him and throw out my comment. I admit it was thoughtless (though I still do think that as a famous multi millionaire he may be somewhat insulated from reality…but what the fuck do I know). No idea what his politics are…don’t care. Not someone I would look to listen to about anything (though maybe I should?).
So just tune me out. Gonna shut up now anyway. Surprisingly rum hasn’t helped any…what a surprise. Think I’ll have some more anyway.
Apologies all. Even you Prince.
AP
AtheistPowerlifter #12
I am sorry to hear about your troubles and, though it is of little practical help, genuinely hope things pick up for you.
@tkreacher #13
Thanks. Seriously. Very sorry for my stupid comment and for derailing any conversation. I will say it’s out of character (though of course you have no proof of that). I dunno…maybe in reflection it was just a stupid way to get some attention/interaction. Honestly don’t know…I rarely comment.
I come here because it’s a safe place, and I have learned a lot about myself reading comments. Have had my consciousness raised over and over again (thankfully).
This wasn’t about Prince…it was me being an asshole for no reason. I didn’t even listen to the song.
So again, my mistake. Just ignore.
And thanks for your comment. From one silly human stranger to another, it made me feel better (or it could be the fresh rum :) )
AP
Add me to the wishers of well. It sounds like a genuinely difficult period in your life and I truly hope it improves sooner than later.
AtheistPowerlifter #14
Not a problem, and no harm done. I personally wasn’t upset or offended or anything, just confused. Heh.
And believe me, I know how it is to feel anger/disillusionment/futility from time to time for various reasons, and can sometimes lash out as a result. Despite what people who know me might sometimes think, I am human after all. So I can certainly commiserate with you on multiple counts.
I’ll raise a little rum myself tonight to solidify that commiseration.
Like you, AtheistPowerlifter, I rarely comment, but I do remember your comments in the past about getting your consciousness raised here. I didn’t begin to doubt what I’d read from you in the past; I was thinking this stuff was – as you said – out of character. Then I did think an immediate “uh oh” when I got to the “Relax” you wrote in comment 9.
With comments 12 and 14, I can gladly erase the “uh oh.” I hope things improve for you and yours as soon as possible.
Don’t you mean “The Artist”, oh wait, did he give up to that eventually? /s
Prince did some good music, but he does strike me as a bit of a wanker.
Can’t understand the lyrics of this song, but good on him if he took a non-asshole position.
@AtheistPowerlifter: Sorry to hear that you have it hard. Take care of yourself and those around you man!
I write shit without thinking far too often, so you are not alone. =)
Thank you, Prince! Thank you! I thought the days of music that spreads the word about social injustice in America was a thing of the past! I hope this knocks some of those brain-dead dance-club tunes and obnoxious screeching about women’s backsides off the charts and we can see some more music with teeth. Perhaps I can finally see some rock music that’s fun to listen to and makes me feel like I can take on the world, instead of the dull, somber, gravelly Nickel-crap I always seem to encounter when I tune in.
He lays down some hella guitar on this track too. He’s been rocking out more and more lately, and I think it looks good on him.
I was almost feeling like I was gonna have to be the only person here who doesn’t like Prince. Glad to see I’m not.
Don’t get me wrong… he’s hella talented and man can he play guitar. Like nobody’s business. One of my favorite videos of all time is that tribute to George Harrison where they play “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and Prince plays the solo and just… that’s my third all-time favorite guitar solo after Jimmy Page’s “Heartbreaker” solo on How the West Was Won (at number 2) and David Gilmour’s “Comfortably Numb” solo on P*U*L*S*E* (at number 1).
Just… Prince in general ain’t my jam, you know? He deserves all the accolades he gets, but… I don’t know…
As for this song… I love the lyrics, but the music kinda gives me some whiplash. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about such upbeat, dance-able music being the background for such heavy, serious lyrics about… well… white supremacy. But I do love the lyrics. And good on Prince for not being an asshole about this. For some reason I thought he was one of those into respectability politics, but I guess I was wrong.
Good.
It is undeniable that Prince is a genius musician. And he may have something to say on Baltimore, as well. But still everything he does or says is tainted, at least for me, by his membership of the Jehova’s Witnesses. I have some experience with that group of people and they are as evil and insane a cult as Scientology or whatever. Why a talented and seemingly intelligent person like Prince should convert to that hateful theology, I will forever fail to understand.
I love the words and I love the music – though the style isn’t entirely mine or what I necessarily like, it is perfect for protests and for getting people moving out on the street in one of those peaceful gatherings that black people tend to have so much lately. (If you’ve ever watched video of protest, there’s a lot of dancing involved, too – for insight, I recommend this link, one of those videos should be the one I’m thinking of, sorry, work has blocked out all media.)
Is the song hopeful? I wouldn’t say so, but it certainly is engaging, and I think it’s going to get a lot of play in the coming days and weeks. Deservedly. Can’t quite get the same energetic effect with dark, slow dirges or with a more ‘serious’ melody – people know how serious things are, trust me, they know – let them have an upbeat song. Let them dance.
(And I don’t think us white folk are the intended audience, so who are we to judge upbeat, dance-able music vs. heavy, serious lyrics? Also, upbeat =/= serious? Really?)
And really, that radio (TV?) voice at the end really, really brings the message home. #NotJustBaltimore
And I like the word ‘really’.
[/ranty comment]
The video is no longer available due to copyright claim by Web Sheriff
*sigh*
I can’t find another video
Kudos to Prince. I’m glad that the tradition of protest songs isn’t dead.
It’s available to listen to on Prince’s Soundcloud channel:
https://soundcloud.com/prince3eg
Thank you, muskiet
Here ya go. The death and destruction in Baltimore did have some positive effect on at least some black folks. Prince, the band, the studio, the label will all make a lot of money off this piece with everyone wanting to hear it. We can probably guess quite easily to what city the vast majority of that money is not going.
But, but, he’s giving a concert in Baltimore, man.
And you can bet he will leave Baltimore with more money than when he arrived.
In every dark cloud …
Add my wide-eyed applause for the guitar brilliance! (Not so much in Baltimore but in other performances such as mentioned @21.)
And the reminder that without some sense of justice there can be no peace.
I don’t know much about the artist’s religio-side and have sort of resisted reading too much about it because MUSIC. Seems woo-woo is never far off and I turn away from bad smells…. which brings me to
azpaul3@27, yeah, all creative efforts, all art is just about lining the pockets…. And those black folks really know how! (Your asshole has crawled right up out of your mouth and exploded.)
The solo is gonna tax me a bit, by which I mean require very specific and methodical “what was that note?” preparation and then rote practice. Especially a couple passages between about 2:55 and 3:10.
Also, I don’t have any pickup-equipped stringed instruments, nor any amps, much less any pedal effects. So the crunch will be lost from the crunched 9ths (I think they’re 9ths) early in the guitar solo.
But other than that, the melody is pretty slow and straightforward near the beginning, and the chords are mostly majors – I won’t have any trouble picking up the majority of this song.
And hell, I’m going to. If I have to do the work all by myself to arrange it for UBass, guitar, guitulele, banjo uke, ukulele, frog-guiro, and dented-pot-percussion it won’t stop me from having an arrangement I like before the big, traditional, end-of-summer queer camping trip’s campfire jams. We’ll play it early, while the kids are still up to handle the percussion.
also? It was wise of Prince to wait a bit. Last week, I was feelin a bit more Drop da bomb if you know what I mean…*1
==========
@AtheistPowerlifter:
It took me a while to begin to appreciate Prince. I still haven’t learned to appreciate rum. May you & our Chocolate City a bit north of the Chocolate City that isn’t South both get a lot of good things coming to you in the near future.
In fact, maybe I can help:
The desired effect is what you get
When you improve your Interplanetary Funksmanship, dig?
========
*1 Is it just me, or does anyone else think “drop the bomb on the white boys’ roof” imply something about not dropping bombs on the black boys’ roofs?
and is it just me, or does THAT imply that TroubleFunk had a little ESP going.
Meh. It’s probably just my bad brains. First I think one thing, then I turn against myself.
I’m sure there’s a pithier way to say that.
@rq
Thanks for the Nina Simone link. She is timeless.
I don’t understand people having trouble with Prince making money from protest songs. It is his job after all. Would you rather have him make money by doing something useless? Why is it that good work may not pay?