Five years on from the Purple One’s tragic passing, Music Critic James Simpson pics out five under-appreciated tracks to remember his iconic talent
Last Wednesday marked the five-year anniversary of the death of music legend Prince Nelson Rogers, better known by his first name, Prince. Renowned for his glamorous, purple aesthetic, rejection of conventional masculinity, and skill as a multi-instrumental virtuoso; Prince’s untimely passing still resonates across the music world and beyond. To commemorate one of pop music’s greatest losses, I will be exploring, in my opinion, five of the most underrated songs from His Royal Purple-ness.
Let’s Go Crazy
a bombastic, hard rock sequence, overlain with 80s synthesizers and thunderous drumming
Prince’s most commercially and critically successful album, Purple Rain, contains some of the singer’s best-known hits, including the title-track and ‘When Doves Cry’. ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, although released as one of the singles from Purple Rain, is perhaps less known but, in my opinion, deserves equal appreciation. The track opens with a monologue, set to an organ in eulogy-like style, in which the singer ruminates on themes of life, death, and happiness. This rather poignant introduction soon leads into a bombastic, hard rock sequence, overlain with 80s synthesizers and thunderous drumming. With each refrain of ‘oh no, let’s go!’, Prince and his backing band, The Revolution, are setting us up on a camp power ride fuelled by love, sex, and the spirit of 80s extravagance. The end of the song is marked by an elaborate guitar solo, and with it comes one of the most explosive and, in my own opinion, underrated displays of the singer-songwriter’s musical skill. Prince’s final, triumphant cry of ‘take me away!’, no matter how many times I listen to the song, gives me goosebumps every time. Truly, it is sensational.
It’s Gonna Be Lonely
‘It’s Gonna Be Lonely’ first appeared on Prince’s second and self-titled album, released in 1979, but was never a single. It failed to reach any notable critical or commercial success. Nevertheless, I feel that the song is one of several Prince recordings which deserve more attention. The song’s deep funk groove and glittering synths are highly characteristic of Prince’s early foray into disco and R&B music. It captures the singer-songwriter in a period much earlier than his prime. Here we encounter Prince several years before he had fully crafted his own, unique Minneapolis sound and dominating stage presence. The song, in which Prince laments the aftermath of a break-up, has a relaxed, exotic atmosphere. This is heightened by the singer’s gentle, falsetto vocals, rather different to the energy and bombast which would come to define his career later. ‘It’s Gonna Be Lonely’ is by no means Prince’s most impressive feat, but I find myself coming back to this little gem in his discography time and time again.
Electric Chair
one of Prince’s less innovative and critically-acclaimed works, it is the perfect song to rock out to while still enjoying the singer’s distinctive, funk flavour
Jump forward a decade and we find ourselves in perhaps a less memorable period in Prince’s discography. 1989 marked the released of Tim Burton’s film Batman. Like the film, its accompanying soundtrack, written and produced entirely by Prince, was hugely successful. There are, however, a few overlooked songs from the album. One of these is ‘Electric Chair’, the second track and, in my opinion, one of the stronger releases to have come out of the latter part of Prince’s career. The song recalls the funky cadences of the singer’s early career and combines this with a layer of abrasive guitar work, resulting in one of Prince’s heaviest pieces. Screeching guitar solos and booming bass accompany the singer’s slow descent into a series of passionate, shrieking vocals. It may be one of Prince’s less innovative and critically-acclaimed works, but it is the perfect song to rock out to while still enjoying the singer’s distinctive, funk flavour.
Around The World In A Day
Although bearing the title of one of Prince’s best-loved albums, ‘Around The World In A Day’ is often treated as one of its more forgettable tracks. Never released as a single, the song serves as the opening track to Prince’s 1985 album. It is, in many ways, a ‘filler track’. But, in the same vein as ‘It’s Gonna Be Lonely’, I think it deserves recognition as a song which really encapsulates a particular style and period in the singer’s musical life. The opening, whirling synthesisers, which soon give way to a piercing shriek and a medley of castanets and tambourines, capture a psychedelic sound which would go on to dominate the singer’s discography through the mid-1980s. The song’s exotic rhythms and heavy distortion signal a dramatic departure from Prince’s previous albums. While it may not stand-up as one of his best, ‘Around The World In A Day’ and the assortment of other tracks on the album represent one of the most fascinating and experimental episodes in his discography.
U Got The Look
Prince’s distorted, high-pitched vocals, which sound almost androgynous, reflect his feminine alter-ego, Camille
Admittedly, this final pick was a commercial and critical success; it is certainly more recognisable than some of the other songs discussed so far. ‘U Got The Look’ was released as the third and penultimate single from Prince’s 1987 album, Sign O’ The Times. By the time of the album’s release, the singer-songwriter had gradually abandoned his brief fling with psychedelia and returned to a more poppy, new wave-oriented sound reminiscent of Purple Rain. This is clearly evidenced in ‘U Got The Look’. A heavy atmosphere of synthesisers and grinding guitars dominate the song, beneath which we can hear the clap of electric drums and Prince singing in a ‘call-and-receive’ style alongside guest singer Sheena Easton. Prince’s distorted, high-pitched vocals, which sound almost androgynous, reflect his feminine alter-ego, Camille, which he assumes for the duration of the track. The song’s lyrical content is pretty ordinary, describing the singer’s sexual attraction to (presumably) one of his many, many girlfriends. But its explosive sound, culminating in a warbling guitar solo and sequence of synth chimes, consistently gives me chills every time I listen to it. I cannot quite put my finger on why, but, for me, ‘U Got The Look’ is Prince at his most free and dynamic as a musical artist.
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