I had to do it this morning. I went through all of my Prince music on iTunes and boiled it down to one CD. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I'll probably have to revisit this another time but I gotta throw it out there. In alphabetical order:
Acknowledge Me
Prince didn't often come with the hard hophop track, but damn when he does it's just slamming. This is a kind of retro kicking beat which is just the kind of new jack swing that I thought he was going to do big time. Whereas most of Diamonds and Pearls was just over the top beat overkill, this one had just the right balance.
Adore
There's only one thing I regret about this song and that I was never really in love with the women I applied it to. I didn't really know the song very well until my boys were crackin' "..maybe not the ride..". This is one of the great love songs of all time, and clearly one of Prince's best.
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
Every bit as witty as its namesake, this is just a killer little minimalist song. Just proof that the man in purple was a master lyricist.
Billy Jack Bitch
The only song in the universe that samples Fishbone, what's not to love? And really, there aren't many songs that Prince has recorded that just slam a woman. Most of the time he's bending over backwards to be be the perfect lover. He's just hard on this one, pretty unique. Also, you've just got to love the organ solo.
Come On
The groove on this song is just hypnotic. Whenever I get new stereo equipment, I pump this song through. "I got the butter for your muffin, just need the keys to the room". Damn!
Computer Blue
Of all the classic Prince cuts, this is the one that still resonates as something that cuts extraordinarily close to the man. The essential melody of this song as he revealed in the film Purple Rain, was just too compelling to let go. And yet he still managed to orchestrate it into something both rocking and electronic as well. This is also a personal favorite from back in the days I got flack for loving it. When all kinds of questions would arise for lovers of Prince's 'out there' music, I couldn't resist this cut no matter the cost to my rep.
Da Da Da
When I got Emancipation, I was like.. we waited all these years for this? This was one of the few cuts that I really dug. Hard Prince.
Don't Play Me
The greatest acoustic cut off Crystal Ball. A grown-up song for grown-ups, a smack in the face to the record industry and a bold declaration. "My only competition is.. well, me in the past".
Gett Off
Yeah. How can I put this in a way not to offend or unnerve? That there is my alter ego all over the place. Lucifer Jones. When I laugh and think about some conversation that Nulan or Fish was talking about in which the buppie was embarrassed out of his shoes when the conversation turned to raunchy sex, this is sort of the song I think about. People who know me, know me to be one of those characters known as a closet freak. Yeah well, something about this song just goes straight to my balls.
I Rock, Therefore I Am
Of all the defiant Prince songs and anthem songs, I like this one almost the best. That's because it came on one of his most despised albums, Chaos and Disorder. Musically, it's actually not so very interesting, it's the only one with a Jamaican accented rapper on it. But when I was grooving to it, I really got deep into it.
Lovesign
Another massive groove. One of the few Prince songs that I don't mind playing with the kids around. Smooth, funkin', positive.
The Sacrifice of Victor
For some reason, I tend to think that this song is somewhat autobiographical. It's one of the blackest of Prince songs. He goes there. I very good anthem.
SEVEN
I confess that I just played this symbol album to death. Three Chains of Gold just wore a hole in my CD player. SEVEN still stands up and I just love the moaning harmonies over the crisp beat and elements of jingling percussion. Just good uplifiting lyrics and wonderfulness.
Slave
This is the song that passed through my iTunes last night and made me stand up and take notice. I was like damn. I hereby declare that it is now the official anthem of the black contrarian. "Everybody keep trying to break my heart / Everybody except for me / I just want a chance to play the part / The part of someone truly free.
Starfish And Coffee
I consider this a classic. Just a perfect little Prince song.
2 Nigs United For West Compton
Squirrel meat! Just an extraordinary run, the first real extended Prince jam. An amazing piece of musicality. In one way, this is kind of the ultimate Prince song, emotionally unleashed, dirty underground, witty and clever, funky and rocking.
Honorable Mention:
The usual suspects (Housequake, Temptation, Pussy Control, The Pope, White Mansion, Another Lonely Christmas, Bob George, Suzanna's Pajamas (by The Family), Irresistible Bitch, 17 Days)
Oh yeah and its true that Come On is the last song I ever really listened to by Prince. I really have no idea what he has been up to since then. I remember that Musicology was about something, but I haven't really listened hard since The Gold Experience.
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