Follow author Erica Thompson as she completes her book on Prince's spiritual journey on "a purple day in December." She provides updates on her writing and research, interviewing, networking and progress on securing a book publisher. And there are extra interviews, essays and pieces just for the fun of it! Cheer Erica on as she follows her dreams and the life of an extraordinary musician.
If you study the liner notes of Prince's '90s music, you'll unearth a trove of gems, including esoteric messages, humorous commentary and beautiful artwork. You'll also learn about songs Prince sampled in his music.
That discovery has proven enjoyable for me in recent years. I think it's for several reasons: 1) Even a singular artist like Prince couldn't ignore a trend. 2) It provides insight into songs that were important to him, apart from the samples that everyone was using at the time. 3) It shows his creativity as a beat-maker. 4) The fact that he was being sampled, while participating in sampling--a foundation of hip-hop music--only strengthens his importance in the history of black music.
With that said, can you name the Prince songs featuring the samples below? The answers are at the end of the article. Hint: One is a song Prince co-wrote for The Time. Also, you may have to listen to one song all the way through to catch the connection.
No cheating!
1) "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson, 1967
2) "Lyin' Ass Bitch" by Fishbone, 1985
3) "I Can't Stand It" by The Chambers Brothers, 1967
4) "Good Old Music" by Funkadelic, 1970
5) "Squib Cakes" by Tower of Power, 1974
6) "Feel Good, Party Time" by J.R. Funk & the Love Machine, 1980
Answers Below
1) "7" 2) "Billy Jack Bitch" 3) "Thieves in the Temple" 4) "Sex in the Summer" 5) "Release It" (The Time) or "Sleep Around" 6) "Gett Off"
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Sometimes, you can trace Prince's lyrics directly to the Bible ("God," "Anna Stesia," "7," "And God Created Woman," "Love," etc.). Other times, Prince's lyrics appear to be indirectly inspired by scripture.
His 1996 album, Emancipation, falls into the latter category. It also draws on other spiritual systems and universal creeds.
"The Holy River"
Stretching over 1,500 miles through India and Bangladesh, the Ganges river is sacred to people with ties to the Hinduism spiritual system. They pray and bathe in the water, believing their karma will be washed away.
We don't know for certain if Prince was inspired by the river or if he made a pilgrimage there, but it is possible; "The Holy River's" lyrics and video can be interpreted from a Hindu perspective. For example, when Prince sings of asking his soul "over and over" about visiting a "cold" world, and "coming back" after death, he may be alluding to reincarnation. Hindus believe that we repeat cycles of life and death until we achieve liberation ("moksha").
Furthermore, the video includes a prominent painting of one eye within a flower, likely referencing the mystical third eye, which symbolizes extraordinary perception. That perception leads to higher consciousness and includes intuitive gifts like psychic ability. The concept is rooted in Indian spirituality.
Additionally, the flower in the video is likely a lotus, which is a Hindu symbol of purity and transcendence.
Those references do not exist in a vacuum; Prince sang about reincarnation, karma, the third eye and lotus flowers throughout his career. His ex-wife, Mayte Garcia, was also forthcoming about his interest in Eastern spirituality in her book, The Most Beautiful. (Note: I do a deep dive on Prince and Hinduism in my book.)
It's important to note that these concepts did not replace Christianity in Prince's world; his beliefs simply expanded. After all, he still mentions Jesus on "The Holy River."
There are so many layers of interpretation to wade through on the song, but Prince summed up its meaning quite simply in a 1997 interview:
'"The Holy River' is about redemption."
"One of Us"
Tackling faith and perception of God, this cover of Joan Osborne's 1995 top ten hit is a fitting choice for Prince. Instead of asking, "What if God was one of us/Just a slob like one of us," he inserts "slave," which is how he famously described his position at Warner Bros.
At a "media day" at Paisley Park in 1996, he told journalists, "I think it’s important for every musician to cover that song. And every person of color should cover it, too.”
While he didn't elaborate, it seems he may have been using the song to encourage other artists to recognize their own power; at the time, he was calling for all musicians to take ownership of their music. He was especially passionate about highlighting the historical mistreatment of black artists, and advocating for their independence. We were reminded in a recent New Yorker article that that fight continued up to his death.
"Every artist should own his masters, he told me, especially black artists," said Dan Piepenbring, co-writer of Prince's upcoming memoir, The Beautiful Ones. "He saw this as a way to fight racism. Black communities would restore wealth by safeguarding their musicians’ master recordings and all their intellectual property, and they would protect that wealth, hiring their own police, founding their own schools, and making covenants on their own terms." So "One of Us" could be another example of Prince utilizing religious songs as coded messages to black people, similar to negro spirituals. Read more about that perspective here.
"The Love We Make" Reportedly written for musician Jonathan Melvoin (described in the liner notes as "a lost friend"), the song appears to reference Jesus with lyrics about God setting a table for his son, and the return of the savior.
But to Kat Dyson, who played the guitar solo on the track, the message is more spiritual than religious.
"We have to make our energy," she told me "We have to lay in the bed that we make with our minds and our mouths and our bodies and our actions."
And of spiritual discussions with Prince, she said, "It was very much metaphysical, very much karma."
But Prince's emphasis on love, obviously included in "The Love We Make," is a recurring theme in all of his music. In my opinion, spreading that message was an integral part of his spiritual mission.
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Florida-based writer Gin Love Thompson has a great reverence for the beauty, sanctity and symbolism associated with flowers. They adorn our homes, represent transcendence (think of the lotus flower) or signify celebration or mourning, she pointed out.
They are also a reminder of the fleeting nature of life.
"They require tender tending to," Thompson said. "Each flower must be enjoyed in the moment; for in an instant, petals may begin to fall away."
It's not a surprise that flower imagery sprouts up throughout Thompson's first collection of poems, Sunrises at Midnight, released in June. Though the image on the cover is meant to denote sun rays, it could just as easily be read as petals.
Chronicling the bright and dark moments of her life in seven parts, the book also features a segment on Prince, with whom she shared a connection. And she employed similar metaphors in those poems, which include titles like "Coup My Flowers," "Violets For You" and "Flowers in My Garden," though it wasn't done purposely.
"Prince's love and use of flowers in his own writing and art was subconsciously an inspiration," she speculated.
*Click to enlarge
Thompson said she met Prince face-to-face in 2004. Upon reading her poetry, he asked her a simple question that left an indelible mark: "What are you going to do with this?"
"I don't want to say he planted a seed," she said. "It's more like he planted a tree. ... I had so much growth to go through myself before I could absorb it and really be ready. That tree sheltered me and it strengthened me."
Thompson began writing poetry as a child, but the further she advanced in her career as a psychotherapist and a nationally known relationship expert, she found herself losing touch with her creativity.
"I just had this sinking, empty feeling like, 'This isn't what my life was supposed to be,'" she said.
Thompson said her last interaction with Prince was January 2016. After his unexpected death a few months later, she was moved to finally share her work. Sunrises at Midnight is dedicated to the artist "for being a reflection of what I was not yet able to see in myself," she wrote.
"He had a way of seeing straight through you," she recalled. "He saw your talents and had no issue with pointing those out and encouraging [you]."
*Click to enlarge
Thompson has presented on the therapeutic nature of expressive arts, and she found her own healing through poetry after Prince's departure. But the book covers much more than Prince; it includes pieces about other loved ones she lost, difficult relationships, sensuality and spirituality.
"It's all about making connections with other people to let them know they're not alone," she said. "These experiences that we have, while they're unique to each of us, they're also universal in many ways. And we're in this together."
Prince's spiritual vocabulary was so vast. The Bible is important, but I have to look at other texts to grasp everything he studied. Here is just a snapshot of my current reading list:
Earlier this year, I did a blog post on Prince's references to the Biblical prophet Moses. I suspected it wasn't a comprehensive list, and some fans pointed out a couple allusions I'd missed. And as I continue to study Prince's spiritual development for my book, I gain greater clarity about his lyrics.
With that said, here are a few more references--and one correction--on a list that I would bet is still incomplete.
"Chelsea Rodgers" (2007): Amendment
Last time, I misinterpreted the following lyric from the Planet Earth album: “Moses was a pharaoh in the 18th Dynasty.” I explained that Prince could be referring to Thutmose III or Amenmesse (or Amenmose).
However, it is more likely a reference to the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. According to his former wife, Mayte Garcia, Prince felt a connection to the ruler. He reportedly read the book, Akhenaten: King of Egypt, and included the pharaoh's name in a hidden message in the video for the “The One” in 1998. Prince also, arguably, referenced the pharaoh in the 2001 song, “Muse 2 the Pharaoh.”
Given that Akhenaten rejected Egyptian religious tradition and attempted to persuade the people to embrace monotheism, he has been linked with Abrahamic religions. Some scholars (including Sigmund Freud) believe he mentored Moses, who presented the Israelites with the Ten Commandments--which includes the instruction, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
Others believe Akhenaten was Moses. That is a theory Prince may have supported.
“Revelation” (2015)
Prince arguably connects Moses and Akhenaten again on this song from the HitnRun Phase Two album.
“Through English glamour, casting a spell/Though Hebrew, Greek and Roman hell,” he sings. “Higher 'til we overstand, the color of the pharoah's hand.”
“What that’s about is Moses,” Prince said in his 2015 interview with Ebony, referencing the Biblical book of Exodus, chapter four, verse six. According to the passage, God showed Moses miraculous signs. Following God's instructions, Moses put his hand in his cloak, pulled it out, and noticed it was "leprous, like snow."
“What color was it before he put it in?” Prince asked in the interview. “So now we can start talking about that stuff. We couldn’t do that until you had a [black] president. Couldn’t do that until hip-hop.”
One could interpret this statement as Prince’s commentary on the whitewashing of Biblical figures. And by calling Moses “pharaoh” in the song, he may once again be alluding to the similarities between the prophet and Akhenaten.
It’s a school of thought rooted in Afrocentricity, a movement that highlighted the contributions of ancient African civilizations, with a heavy focus on Egypt. Proponents of the movement preferred to call the country by its native name, km.t.
At its height in the ‘90s, Afrocentricity was being introduced in the school system, from kindergarten to college, to the delight and dismay of different groups, depending on their viewpoint.
A review of Prince’s statements, lyrics and affiliations over time indicates he was very much steeped in Afrocentricty (more on that in my book).
“The first time I saw a person of color in a book, the person was hung from a tree,” Prince said in a 1996 interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, emphasizing the need for a more expansive education system. “That was my introduction to African-American history in this country.”
Exodus (1995)
Though this album was attributed to the New Power Generation, Prince was heavily involved in the project — one of the first to be released independent of Warner Bros. In the Bible, the book of Exodus details the story of Moses and the Israelites' exit from Egypt. Prince is using that allusion to articulate, not only his freedom from his own limitations under contract with the record label, but his desire for the liberation of black artists, historically mistreated by the music industry.
"It really was him talking about where things were with these record companies," NPG keyboard player Morris Hayes said in an interview with the Peach and Black Podcast. "I think that was his clarion call, like, 'You've got to know how we as artists are being stifled.'"
And just as black people used spirituals, including “Go Down, Moses,” as codes for their liberation from slavery, Prince utilized religious imagery in his songs to imagine “new worlds,” or better economic and social conditions for black people, according to scholars.
Even the cover art of the Exodus album can be interpreted as Afrofuturism imagery.
“Return of the Bump Squad” (1995)
I welcome interpretations of this funk, gospel-infused jam from the Exodus album. It seems to be a hodgepodge of rock-star cockiness, anti-music industry sentiment, a sprinkle of rap shade and bits of Biblical imagery.
Sonny T. references Moses' journey to Mount Horeb (aka Mount Sinai) and desire to pass through the land of Edom in a spoken-word section at the end of the song.
"And the people spake against God and against Moses," he said. "Wherefore have ye brought us up to Egypt to die in the wilderness?"
It seems Prince wanted to lead everyone to a land of artistic freedom, spiritual redemption and "real music."
"U best get your house in order," Sonny T. adds. "And get back in the music books."
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Much like Victor Frankenstein, Prince created a monster he could not control.
In 1981, Prince formed The Time, a vehicle to get even more of his music out to the world. But the funk outfit, led by the charismatic Morris Day, became a rival for attention and success.
"To this day, they’re the only band I’ve ever been afraid of," Prince famously told Rolling Stone in 1990.
According to Dez Dickerson, Prince's guitarist at the time, the friendly competition escalated into something more, especially as The Time desired more control.
"It just turned out to be more restrictive for them than they would have liked," Dickerson wrote in his book, My Time With Prince. "Prince, I believe, felt he created the band for a specific purpose, and the members were the actors he cast in his play."
Despite that tension, The Time put on dynamic performances that, for some, proved more entertaining than Prince's shows. A prime example is Prince's 1999 tour stop in my town of Columbus, Ohio.
The Columbus Dispatch gushed about The Time's opening set, but called Prince a "letdown." The publication had an even harsher perspective of opener Vanity 6.
Here's the review of the 1982 concert, re-posted with permission from The Columbus Dispatch. (Click on the image to expand.)
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Chances are, if you were a woman in Prince's life, you heard three magic words: "Do you sing?"
He may have used recording as part of his courting process. He may have been inspired by your voice. He may have been inspired by your beauty. Whatever the reason, he wanted to center an album around you.
Shortly after they met, Prince asked Mayte Garcia the magical question. A trained belly dancer since the age of 3, Garcia knew her strength was in movement. But she humored Prince and recorded the song, "However Much U Want." Four years later, in 1995, it was added to Garcia's debut album, Child of the Sun.
"I loved him all the more for being so supportive," Garcia wrote in her book, The Most Beautiful, "but my calling was to dance, and as I evolved as an artist, I was getting more and more interested in directing and editing."
Garcia admitted the album was actually fun. As a listener, you can tell it was a pleasant experience for Prince, too.
The project is intriguing to me because it was an outgrowth of their shared connection to Egypt. Garcia had performed there growing up, and Prince had begun to experiment with Arabic music prior to meeting her. Together, they imagined past lives in Egypt, and their love inspired Prince to create a mythic story, which unfolded on the 1992 Love Symbol album and in the 1994 3 Chains O' Gold short film.
Visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, they learned about Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten and queen Nerfertiti--"We felt connected to them in a way we couldn’t explain," Garcia said--and that the people were called "children of the sun" by some. But that was a few years after Child of the Sun was released, leading them to believe the album title was a divine foreshadowing.
While the album is not a masterpiece, some of the music is quite enjoyable. Prince doubles many of Garcia's vocals, which makes me long to hear the original demos. They both get assistance from the NPG musicians and other contributors.
Given that Mayte is such a beautiful, charismatic dancer, I don't think it's a stretch to say she could have been molded into a solo artist like Jennifer Lopez.
By managing Robin Power and Carmen Electra in the early '90s, Prince was ahead of the trend of glamorous, sexually forward female rappers that would follow. Similarly, with Garcia, he was ahead of the "Latin pop explosion" of the late '90s. (He even considered naming Garcia's album Latino Barbie Doll.)
However, all of the women may have fared better if Prince brought in producers who could craft stronger hip-hop and pop tracks--and write better rap verses--to be competitive in the industry. That isn't to say that Prince's work isn't interesting, but it sounds too much like Prince.
Furthermore, Prince seemed to project his thoughts and values onto his proteges without giving them agency. Writer Ann Powers said it best in her review of Love Symbolfor the New York Times: "The women who decorate Prince's epics also act primarily as vessels for their mentor's overflowing creativity," she wrote. "His only clear agenda ... is his devotion to an ideal that he himself embodies."
The femininity he expresses through the music is an element of his own psyche, she added.
And by listening to Child of the Sun, I can't say I have a proper window into Garcia's true personality.
Even if Prince had enlisted other producers, the album would not have made it to the U.S. market. Prince and Warner Bros. were in the midst of a public contract dispute, and the label refused to release the project. As a result, it was only available in Europe on NPG Records.
All that aside, the album is fun to listen to, and Prince even left some hidden messages next to each song in the liner notes.
Read on for my track-by-track review.
1. Children of the Sun
Hidden Text: Dance Party
I dig this track! This sets the tone for the album, which, in part, explores a '90s dance sound. I can imagine an instrumental version of this track opening a movie set in a busy city. I also love the piano part, the chant--"If your tears need company, this party ain't the one"--and Prince's "Yeah-hoo! Yeah-hoo!" backing vocals. It wouldn't be out of place on the Batman soundtrack.
2. In Your Gracious Name
Hidden Text: Prayer
This song reminds me of "Love, Thy Will Be Done," which Prince composed for singer Martika, based on a prayer she'd written. However, this track is a bit more upbeat. Instead of personifying god with the word "love," the song uses "glory." It also mentions "past lives," a sign that Prince was interested in thinking about reincarnation, while maintaining some of his traditional Christian beliefs.
3. If Eye Love U 2Night
Hidden Text: Sex
Prince really wanted to achieve a quiet storm sound. He would try again later with protege Bria Valente's 2009 album, Elixir. Compared to Garcia, Valente's voice is a bit more malleable and soulful. However, I truly believe Garcia's version of this track could have been a hit in the U.S. Prince originally penned the song in 1979 for Gayle Chapman. (Watch her recent live version here.) Next, he gave it to singer Mica Paris, who included it on her album, Contribution (I'm getting Chaka Khan vibes from her rendition). I'm not a fan of Prince's pattern of recycling music among proteges. With that said, he brilliantly reworked this song to better embody a mid-90s sound for Garcia.
4. The Rhythm of Your Heart
Hidden Text:Youth Culture
This dance track is pretty forgettable except for the part by the horn players. The verses are trivial, but the chorus is catchy and cute: "Shine like the sun/Laugh like the rain .... Try to stay happy on the darkest day." The vibe is clearly "Uncle Prince" encouraging young people, and I do like that.
5. Ain't No Place Like U
Hidden Text: Industrial Love
I'm really proud of myself for labeling this song "industrial" before I saw Prince's message in the liner notes. This is one of the best songs on the album due to his guitar playing. (See if you recognize the drum pattern.) According to princevault.com, the song was also recorded by Jevetta Steele, but that version was never released.
6.House of Brick (Brick House)
Hidden Text: Mighty Mayte
I'm not even mad. Prince wisely took advantage of the "Mighty Mayte" play on words while covering this Commodores hit. I get such a kick out of hearing Prince imitate Walter Orange's vocal inflection, and I like how Kirk Johnson added Latin percussion to better suit the sound of the album.
7. Love's No Fun
Hidden Text: 2 Whom It May Concern
This is another recycled track. Elisa Fiorillo Dease has the better version. Fun fact: this one features an appearance by Mike Scott on acoustic guitar.
8. Baby Don't Care
Hidden Text: Have Dog, Will Stray "Gloria Estefan, Mayte's in the house," Prince sings on the most Latin-sounding track on the album. I'm not feeling it. Prince's Latin interludes on some of his songs are more enjoyable. Again, this would have been an opportunity for him to bring in another producer to compete with artists like Estefan. Side note: I can't get over Troy Byer doing the speaking part in a Spanish accent.
9. However Much U Want
Hidden Text: Do It
There's backmasking at the beginning of the track, because Prince. This is really the only Arabic-style song on the album, which surprised me. Overall, it's interesting because of its self-actualization message. Prince really believed we could manifest anything in our lives.
10. Mo Betta
Hidden Text: Wetter
Because of the title, I was expecting a cool, sensual, modern (for that time) R&B track. Instead, I got saccharine pop ballad that isn't even that sexy.
11. If Eye Love U 2Night (Spanish version)
Hidden Text: Spanish Vibe
Now I'm remembering when the "Spanish version" of a hit pop song was a thing you'd see (hi, Christina Aguilera). Prince was a smart businessman. I'm kinda mad at Warner Bros. for hamstringing this project because they could have gotten an international hit out of this song.
12. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
Hidden Text: Beautiful Experience
I'm not sure why this was a thing. It is fascinating to think of how often Prince switched the perspectives of his songs for proteges. For example, a little birdie told me Bria Valente's "Another Boy" was once "Another Girl" ...
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