Category: Ephemera, 1983
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Roundup: Ephemera, 1983
I know I say this every time, but hoo boy, has it ever been a while since I wrote one of these: one year, four months, and 30 days, to be precise. In my defense, though, the sprawl of the Purple Rain era has meant that I’ve been concurrently working on two albums (soon to…
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Father’s Song
Prince conceptualized Purple Rain during a period of estrangement from his father; yet the specter of John L. Nelson haunted the project from the beginning.
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Wednesday
“Wednesday” is over so quickly that it may take a few listens for the grim desperation of its lyrics to register.
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Irresistible Bitch
Whether or not Prince intended “Irresistible” as his tip of the hat to the burgeoning rap scene, he was happy to take credit for it in retrospect.
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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.