Tag: for you

Press Rewind: “Strange Relationship”

Post author By Zachary Hoskins
Post date August 9, 2021
No Comments on Press Rewind: “Strange Relationship”

Single cover for "If I Was Your Girlfriend"--not "Strange Relationship," but close enough. © Warner Bros.

Last week, I made my long-awaited (by somebody, I’m assuming) return to Jason Breininger’s Press Rewind podcast to talk about one of my favorite songs, “Strange Relationship.” Turns out it was actually the 100th episode, so I’m honored to have been able to participate in this milestone. Check it out below–and, if you haven’t been keeping up with Jason’s podcast, check out the other episodes, too. Every Sign “O” the Times episode I’ve listened to so far has been great.

Press Rewind: “Strange Relationship”

Now, here’s the part where I give a general update of where I am with my own stuff. The next post, on “Computer Blue,” is still coming along, but probably won’t be ready this week. In the meantime, I just recorded a podcast with Jack Riedy, author of a really cool new collection of writing about Prince. That will be available (to patrons, anyway) by the end of the week. See you then!

Tags 1983, 1985, 1986, alex hahn, ballad of dorothy parker, beatles, camille, christy norman, computer blue, duane tudahl, electric word life, elton john, eye love u but eye don't trust u anymore, for you, i could never take the place of your man, i wanna be your lover, i've seen that movie too, if i was your girlfriend, jack riedy, jason breininger, jealous guy, jill jones, john lennon, katrina's paper dolls, laura tiebert, lisa coleman, los angeles, mayte, minneapolis, press rewind, prince, prince and the purple rain era studio sessions, purple rain film, rise of prince 1958-1988, she's always in my hair, shep pettibone, something in the water, starfish and coffee, strange relationship, sunset sound, susannah melvoin, u got the look, under the cherry moon film, vanity, waiting to exhale, wendy melvoin, when you were mine, why you wanna treat me so bad, wonderful ass

Podcast Prince, 1979

Podcast: Prince (1979) Revisited

Post author By Zach
Post date October 19, 2018
3 Comments on Podcast: Prince (1979) Revisited

Cover art for Prince, 1979; photo by Jurgen Reisch, © Warner Bros.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

October 19, 2018 marks the 39th anniversary of Prince’s self-titled second album–not the most glamorous occasion, perhaps, but reason enough to reassemble the review panel from our For You podcast for a reappraisal. Once again, Zach is joined by Harold and KaNisa for a track-by-track discussion of this underappreciated album, its resonances throughout Prince’s career, and why it still matters.

Tags 1000 x's & o's, 17 days, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1999 song, 1999 tour, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 3rdeyegirl, act i tour, act ii tour, adore, all day all night, alpha studios, alphabet st, american bandstand, andre cymone, andy allo, anna stesia, arif mardin, baby, bambi, bob mockler, boogaloo shrimp, breakin, burbank, cameo, capri theatre, carolina coliseum, celebration 2001, chaka khan, chic, controversy tour, coyote, darling nisi, dennis locorriere, denver auditorium arena, dez dickerson, diamonds and pearls tour, dick clark, diffrent strokes, dirty mind, dirty mind tour, do me baby, don't disturb this groove, dortmund, dr hook, egyptian lover, ellen degeneres, ellen degeneres show, endorphinmachine, erica thompson, everything but you, extraloveable, fire it up tour, first avenue, fleetwood mac, for you, foreigner, friend lover sister mother wife, furious five, g-spot, gayle chapman, gotta broken heart again, grand funk railroad, harold pride, head, heart, hit n run tour, how come u don't call me anymore, i feel for you, i wanna be your lover, i'm yours, if i was your girlfriend, international lover, it's gonna be lonely, jack u off, jesse johnson, jill jones, john blackwell, joni mitchell, jungle love, jurgen reisch, just as long as we're together, k-funk interview, kiss, kiss band, lakeland, le freak, linn lm-1, lisa coleman, little red corvette, live out loud tour, livin on the nile, los angeles, love we make, lovesexy 30, lovesexy tour, lust u always, main ingredient, mazarati, mc hammer, melle mel, mia bocca, michael dean, michael jackson, midnight special, minneapolis, mo ostin, monkees, muse 2 the pharaoh podcast, musicology tour, my name is prince, nadeara, new york university, nile rodgers, nona gaye, north sea jazz, nothing compares 2 u, nude tour, one nite alone tour, piano & a microphone tour, prince, private joy, purple medley, purple rain, purple reign conference, ray sawyer, rebels, record plant sausalito, revolution, rick james, rosie gaines, screams of passion, seattle, sexy dancer, sexy mf, sinead o'connor, so blue, soft and wet, sometimes it snows in april, soul train, stevie wonder, still waiting, sue ann carwell, system, tc ellis, turn me loose, uptown, vancouver, violet blue, warner bros records, welcome 2 europe tour, wendy melvoin, when we're dancing close and slow, why you wanna treat me so bad, with you, xenophobia celebration

Uncategorized

Prince Track by Track: “Crystal Ball”

Post author By Zach
Post date July 6, 2018
No Comments on Prince Track by Track: “Crystal Ball”

From Sign "O" The Times, Prince, 1987; © Showtime Films.

My recent run of guest appearances on Prince: Track by Track has taken me out of my comfort zone, into some albums that I frankly don’t care much for. But now we’ve finally reached Crystal Ball, allowing me to return–however briefly–to the warm embrace of 1986. But first, Darren Husted and I had to address the elephant in the room that is Crystal Ball’s disastrous 1998 release. As I note, there may be a lesson to be learned in this for those who want Prince’s estate to be run “the way he would have done it.” Listen to both episodes below:

Prince Track by Track:
Crystal Ball Album Introduction

Prince Track by Track: “Crystal Ball”

I’ll be back on Track by Track to discuss another epic from Crystal Ball later this month; before then, you can expect another track or two from Controversy. It’s taken some time, but I’m finally getting back to the grind!

For You, 1978 Podcast

Podcast: 40 Years of For You

Post author By Zach
Post date April 6, 2018
15 Comments on Podcast: 40 Years of For You

Cover art for For You, 1978; photo by Joe Giannetti, © Warner Bros.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

dance / music / sex / romance is fast approaching its third year, so to celebrate, we’re going…backwards? That’s right, to mark the 40th anniversary of Prince’s debut album, I thought now was the perfect time to go ahead with an idea I’ve been toying with for a while: our own sub-series of review podcasts looking at each of Prince’s albums in isolation.

I’m doing this for a few reasons. First, it’s a way to bring those of you who have been listening to the podcasts but not reading the blog into the loop on my chronological Prince project–and also a way for me to work through some of these albums before I can get to it with my glacially paced writing schedule.

Second, I’ve known from the beginning of this project that if I really wanted to do Prince’s catalogue justice, I would need to incorporate more voices and perspectives than just my own. We all have our biases and blind spots, and as a Prince fan I am acutely aware that one person’s sentimental favorite can be another’s unlistenable mess (and vice versa). That’s why I asked my friends Harold and KaNisa, both of whose encyclopaedic knowledge of Prince’s career dwarfs my own, to join me. I think you’ll find that our tastes and opinions both intersect and diverge in a lot of interesting ways, which allowed us–and hopefully, will allow you–to take a different perspective on some of these songs and the context in which they were created.

I hope you enjoy this new approach to an album that remains underappreciated in Prince’s catalogue. If you do, I hope you’ll subscribe to the podcast on your streaming app of choice (iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play), and if you’re so inclined, leave a review! No matter what, thanks for listening, and see you again soon.

Tags 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1990, 2015, 94 east, adore, american bandstand, andre cymone, arp pro soloist, as, bambi, beach boys, beat it, beatles, betcha by golly wow, billy cobham, blue light, blue magic, bob dylan, bob marley, brian wilson, cameo, capri theatre, chic, chris moon, closer i get to you, commodores, controversy, crazy you, crystal ball, curtis mayfield, darling nikki, darling nisi, david cassidy, david z, deniece williams, diana ross, donny hathaway, duane tudahl, earth wind & fire, erotic city, evelyn champagne king, everybody dance chic, extraloveable, eye hate u, family minneapolis, fleetwood mac, flyte tyme, for you, funkadelic, funkytown, futurama, george duke, get it up, good vibrations, gotta broken heart again, grand central, grand funk railroad, harold pride, head, herbie hancock, housequake, i wanna be your lover, i wonder u, i'm under your spell, in love, intruders, isley brothers, jaco pastorius, jane clare jones, jelly jam, jellybean johnson, jimmy jam, johnny mathis, joni mitchell, just as long as we're together, kiss, kiss band, lady cab driver, ladysmith black mambazo, led zeppelin, let's go crazy, let's have a baby, lionel richie, lipps inc, marvin gaye, mazarati, mc hammer, michael dean, michael jackson, miles davis, millie jackson, mind & matter, minneapolis, mint condition, moonsound, morris day, most beautiful girl in the world, my love is forever, new york city, nude tour, numero group, o'jays, oberheim four voice, owen husney, patrice rushen, paul mccartney, philadelphia, philip bailey, pray, prince, prince and the purple rain era studio sessions, prince podcast, record plant sausalito, revolution, rick james, right on magazine, ripopgodazippa, roberta flack, rolling stone, russell avenue, santana, school of life, sexy dancer, shalamar, shame, she's soft and wet, sheila e, smokey robinson, so blue, soft and wet, solo, sonny t, sound 80, stanley clarke, stevie wonder, still waiting, stokley, stylistics, sunset sound, surprise, susan rogers, tamborine, terry lewis, they put me in the mix, time, todd rundgren, tommy tate, tommy vicari, too much too little too late, toto, verdine white, warner bros records, wax poetics, we are the world, weather report, wendy melvoin, with you, ying yang twins, you and i

Dirty Mind, 1980

Dirty Mind

Post author By Zach
Post date June 23, 2017
4 Comments on Dirty Mind

Dirty Mind is an album with a reputation. Rolling Stone’s Ken Tucker deemed it “positively filthy” (Tucker 1981). Self-proclaimed “Dean of American Rock Critics” Robert Christgau branded it with arguably his greatest one-liner: “Mick Jagger should fold up his penis and go home” (Christgau). And then, of course, there was the marketing: that provocative cover photo by Allen Beaulieu; those proto-PMRC stickers warning radio programmers to “audition prior to airing” (see above); the wave of interviews with the 22-year-old artist defiantly espousing his core values of unfettered sexuality and free expression. Almost invariably, from 1980 to 2017, critics have seen Dirty Mind as a turning point: the moment when Prince, swooning teen R&B lothario, became Prince, brash punk-funk libertine. “Nothing,” Tucker wrote, could have prepared us for the record’s “liberating lewdness” (Tucker 1981).

Yet, for those of us who have been following along at home, perhaps the most surprising thing about Dirty Mind is how unsurprising it feels. The album’s smutty disrepute rests, more or less, on two songs: the already-discussed “Head” and the even-more-notorious “Sister” (more on that later). On the other three-quarters of the record, however, Prince isn’t much more sex-obsessed than he was last time around. In fact, rather than a radical about-face for Prince, Dirty Mind is more accurately described as a refinement of what came before: stripping the music to its bare essentials, turning the innuendos unmistakably transparent. It’s different, but hardly unprecedented; if you didn’t see Dirty Mind coming after Prince, then you simply weren’t paying attention.

Zach on BambiApril 9, 2023
Eat shit, Blake! Have a blessed Easter!
Blake on BambiApril 9, 2023
Of course hellbound moronic sodomites would complain about something being "homophobic" like that's even a real thing.
Nadiya on Private JoyFebruary 26, 2023
I've always loved "Private Joy." As a matter of fact, I included it on a post about my top 30…
David Harvey on Annie ChristianFebruary 23, 2023
John Lennon was not killed by Annie Christian - he was actually killed by Mark David Chapman.
“Loring Park Sessions” – Music & Hi-fi Appreciations on “Loring Park Sessions”December 24, 2022
[…] https://princesongs.org/2016/07/29/loring-park-sessions/ […]