Thursday, January 24, 2013

Purple Fumes




Am I being too critical? Has my Prince well been poisoned? Or is this new track really awful?

What the hell?

15 comments:

David said...

I don't hate it. I don't hate it at all.

steves said...

I kind of like the tune, but hate the lyrics and despise the hook.

It sounds like he's aiming for Bruno Mars' audience.

vanwoert said...

"What the hell" indeed. It reminds me of that horrible Bryan Adams song that had the video filmed in the bathroom. And what in God's name is that thing on his head?

JAYESSEMM said...

I saw a post this morning about this song at theawl.com:

"What is the last Prince song I heard that I liked as much as like this new one? Oh, right, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," from way back in 1995, when he was sending special glyph icons to magazine art departments so he would not have to see his name in print. It's a rockabilly pop tune, in the vein of his early 80's stuff like "When You Were Mine," but looser and grungier, as if it was played by, umm, Everclear instead of, umm, the Cars."

I'm somewhere between his "best in 18 years" and your "awful."

Guess that's what makes this stuff fun.

Stay warm Sal!

Anonymous said...

too critical. just throwaway pop, but better than anything else on the radio. i would not change the channel, probably even turn it up.

A walk in the woods said...

Ha! Yeah, it's hard to hear that and like it, even for a big Prince fan like me... he's obviously trying to be uber-mainstream/poppy - in an 80s way. Which on paper, I like. But that lyric is pretty contrived.

Interesting, too, that the video mimics the Stones' "Doom & Gloom" video in emphasizing typography over images. And emphasizing the lyrics, of all things.

Sal Nunziato said...

Anonymous-

if we are reduced to calling a new Prince tune, "just throwaway pop" and "better than anything else on the radio," I think the fat lady has sung. Sorry.

The man's throwaway tunes from 1981-1997 were all better than most of what he released.

This song just ain't fittin'.

Anonymous said...

when i tried to recall it after it was over, i came up with Elvis' "Pump It Up"

ge said...

Never could see the appeal in the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known nor elvis costello for instance either

pattirules said...

i kinda like it for what it is as well...

buzzbabyjesus said...

Interesting at first, but ultimately kind of offensive and stale.

ken49 said...

I would be happy if I was driving down the road and this played

Eric said...

substitue mick for prince and it could be any stones stone song post 81'

Sal Nunziato said...

@Eric

Right and no one ever says anything good about post '81 Stones music, so...

Michael Giltz said...

Sounds like a Prince B side. Not hateful but not exciting.