Author: Zachary Hoskins
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Modernaire
The Modernaires’ screen time in Purple Rain adds up to only about 15 seconds, but it’s a memorable 15 seconds.
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Vibrator
A bold demand for a woman’s right to sexual pleasure, filtered through the distinctly 20th-century male anxiety of being replaced in the bedroom by a machine.
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Velvet Kitty Cat
A mildly naughty bit of fun, its lyrics loaded with winking references to “man’s best friend[,] furry, cuddly & fat.”
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If the Kid Can’t Make You Come
So sumptuous is “Kid” on a purely musical level that its more front-and-center narrative elements feel crass and unsophisticated by comparison.
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Chili Sauce
Whatever “Chili Sauce” might say about Prince’s instincts as an editor (let alone his questionable accent choices), his work ethic remained beyond reproach.
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Cloreen Bacon Skin (Tricky)
An unfiltered masterclass in groove by one of Prince’s most underrated rhythm sections.