05-1980 : Home Studio : Dirty Mind sessions
American Jam
Bulgaria
Dirty Mind * - Dirty Mind
Do It All Night (1) - Dirty Mind
Gotta Broken Heart Again (1) - Dirty Mind
When You Were Mine (1) - Dirty Mind
Eros
Dirty Window Pain
Gotta Stop (Messin’ About) (1) – Let’s Work B-side
Head (2) – Prev. Mountain Ears 07-79 - Dirty Mind
I Don’t Wanna Stop (1)
Partyup (1) – Dirty Mind
Rough (1) – Later intended for Alexander O’ Neal / The Family
Sister (1) - Dirty Mind
Big Brass Bed
Uptown (1) - Dirty Mind
During May and June of 1980, Prince recorded his forthcoming LP, Dirty
Mind. Apart from a few “guest appearances," he recorded everything on
his own in his makeshift 16-track studio in the basement of his new
Minneapolis home, at Lake Minnetonka. (credited as "Somewhere in
Uptown"), and completed in June, 1980 at Hollywood Sound Recorders,
Los Angeles, CA, USA. Several songs were introduced on the 1980 tours,
including "When You Were Mine," which Prince wrote in a Florida hotel
room while on tour with Rick James.
Dirty Mind is the first time a bandmember (Dr. Fink) was given co-writing credit for music, as he had developed the repeated
keyboard line. Uptown refers to the popular commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis, Minnesota, centered at the Uptown
Theater (the former Lagoon) at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue. The track was based around a bass line
created by André Cymone, although he is uncredited. Head introduced new band member Lisa Coleman who contributed a spoken
word segment after Gayle Chapman objected to the song's lyrics and left the band. Partyup was based on a groove created by
Morris Day. In return for using the groove, Prince offered a choice of $10,000 or help in getting a record deal. Day rejected the
money, and instead, Prince helped to create The Time for Day in early 1981. Eros was remixed by engineer Chuck Zwicky in 1988.
Little is known about the track, but it is believed to be an instrumental. At some point between June, 1980 and April, 1981, Prince
recorded a new version of Rough with Alexander O'Neal, but recording details are not known. In 1984, the song was considered for
The Family, but no new recording was done on the track at the time, as it seemed inappropriate for the group's style. The lyrics
describe a tough girl, who will take your money, your self respect and your personality. "She keeps her money in a garter belt. Next
to a .38. If you get the chance to take her out. You better not be late." The song was copyrighted on 25 March, 1985 as Rough, and
is commonly incorrectly referred to as Too Rough, Tough or Too Tough.
Dirty Mind
There's something about u, baby
It happens all the time
Whenever I'm around u, baby
I get a dirty mind
It doesn't matter where we are
It doesn't matter who's around
It doesn't matter I just wanna lay ya down
In my daddy's car
It's you I really wanna drive
But you never go too far
I may not be your kind of man
I may not be your style
But honey all I wanna do is just love you for a little while
If you got the time
I'll give you some money
To buy a dirty mind
Don't misunderstand me
I never fool around
But honey you got me on my knees
Won't you please let me lay ya down
(Down, Down, Down, Down, Down)
(Down, Down, Down, Down, Down)
(Down, Down, Down, Down, Down)
(Down, Down, Down, Down, Down)
I really get a dirty mind (Mind, Mind, Mind)
Whenever you're around
It happens to me everytime (Time, Time, Time)
You just gotta let me lay ya
Gotta let me lay ya, lay ya
You just gotta let me lay ya
Gotta let me lay ya down
In my daddy's car
It's you I really wanna drive
Underneath the stars
I really get a dirty mind
Whenever you're around
I don't wanna hurt you, baby
I only want to lay you down
Do It All Night
Pardon me, I wanna talk to you
I may be kinda shy
But I just gotta tell you
What I'm going to do
Someone over there says
He wants to get to know you
I don't care cuz
I really wanna hold you
And I'm so scared
[Girl], he might do something
To you that you like
Now I've been waiting
Such a bloody long time
Just to get this close to you
Now that you're near me
I want you to hear me
I'll tell you what I wanna do
Oh, I wanna do it
Do it all night
I wanna do it
Do it to you right
Giving up so easy
Is something that I never do
But I'm so easy, so easy
When it comes to loving you
Can't you understand that I want
To hug and kiss you
I'll do anything I can just
To give you happiness
And I drown, baby, drown, baby
In your arms, c'mon baby
Can't you get to this?
I've been waiting such a bloody long time
And you're talking to someone else
Now that I've got your attention
There's something I wanna mention
I wanna do it
Do it all night
I wanna do it, oh yeah
Do it to you right
Do it all night
I,I wanna do it, oh yeah
Do it to you right
I wanna do it
Do it all night
I wanna do it, oh yeah
Do it to you right
gotta do it, do it
Do it all night
Do it to you right
Do it all night
Do it to you right
Gotta Stop (Messin’ About)
Sittin' outside your door
About to break down
Fourth time this week
Somebody's come around
Who's it gonna be tonight ?
Who's the lucky man ?
Where you get the attitude
I'll never understand
Uh Oh, here he comes now
So happy that he came
Hey ! Was it good boy ?
[Thoughts on, of her aim]
What goes on inside your head
That makes you want to take them all to bed ?
Gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
U know u gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
When I call u on the phone
You act so unconcerned
(I wanna) I wanna get you all alone
(Ooh baby) To show u what I've learned
Why u won't give me the time of day
U won't give me some time,
U won't give me anything
God u think u're too fine
Can't u see ?
All I want is a little time
I've been playing with my toy so much I'm gonna go blind.
Gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
U gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
Gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
U gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
U gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
U do it too much
U gotta stop, gotta gotta stop, messin about
Stop !
Partyup
We don't give a damn
We just want to jam
Party up (Party up, got to party up)
That Army bag
Party up (Party up, got to party up)
Fightin' war is such a fuckin' bore
Party up (Party up, got to, got to, got to party up)
(Party)
Uh, uh, got to party down, babe
Ooh, it's all about what's in your mind
Goin' Uptown, baby,
I don't wanna die
I just wanna have a bloody good time
Party up
Got to party up
Party up
Got to party up
Because of their half-baked mistakes
We get ice cream
Such a double drag
Party up (Party up, got to, got to, got to party up)
(Party)
Got to party down, baby
Revolutionary rock and roll
Goin' Uptown, baby,
How you gonna make me kill somebody
I don't even know ?
They got the draft, uh, uh
I just laugh No cake
All lies
No truth
Is it fair to kill the youth ?
Party up
Party up
Got to party up yeah
Got to party up babe, ooh
Got to party up yeah
Got to party up babe, ooh
Got to party up yeah
Oooh ooh
Got to party up babe, ooh
Got to party up yeah
Got to party up babe, whoo
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah
(Party up - gotta party up)
Party up - Got to party up baby {repeated}
Revolutionary Rock and Roll
Party up - gotta party up
Party up - gotta party up
Party up - gotta party up
Party up - gotta party up
Party up - gotta party up
Party up - gotta party up, babe
Party up - gotta party up {continues in background}
you're gonna have to fight your own damn war
Cuz we don't wanna fight no more
you're gonna have to fight your own damn war
Cuz we don't wanna fight no more
you're gonna have to fight your own damn war
Cuz we don't wanna fight no more
you're gonna have to fight your own damn war
Cuz we don't wanna fight no more
I said we don't wanna fight no more (gonna have to fight
your own damn war)
Cuz we don't wanna FIGHT NO MORE !
Uptown
She saw me walking down the streets
Of your fine city
It kinda turned me on when she looked at me
And said, "C'mere"
Now I don't usually talk to strangers
But she looked so pretty
What can I lose
If I, just give a little ear ?
"What's up little girl ?
I ain't got time to play"
Baby didn't say too much
She said, "Are you gay ?"
Kinda took me by suprise
I didn't know what to do
I just looked her in her eyes
And I said, "No, are u ?"
Said to myself, said
"She's just a crazy, crazy, crazy
Little mixed up dame
She's just a victim of society
And all it's games"
Now where I come from
We don't let society
Tell us how it's supposed to be
Our clothes, our hair, we don't care
It's all about being there
Everybody's going
Uptown
That's where I wanna be
Uptown
Set your mind free
Uptown
Got my body hot
Get down
I don't wanna stop, no
As soon as we got there
Good times were rolling
White, Black, Puerto Rican
Everybody just a-freakin'
Good times were rolling
She started dancing in the streets
Girl, she's just gone mad
U know, she even made love to me
Best bed I ever had
I don't usually talk to strangers
This time it's all right
See, she got me hot
I couldn't stop
Good times were rolling all night
All night, yeah
Now where I come from
We don't give a damn
We do whatever we please
It ain't about no downtown
Nowhere bound
Narrow-minded drag
It's all about being free
Everybody's going
Uptown
It's where I wanna be
Uptown
U can set your mind free, yeah
Uptown
Keep your body hot
Get down
I don't wanna stop, no
Uptown Uptown
Everybody's going, everybody's going
Everybody gotta gotta
Uptown
Gotta go, Gotta go-go-go
Gotta go
Uptown
Uptown
All now
Uptown
Gotta go-go-go
Baby, gotta go, gotta
Uptown
C'mon, c'mon
U, u have to, you gotta go
Uptown
YEAH !
Gotta Broken Heart Again
I've gotta broken heart again
Cuz we're only supposed to be friends
You see he stole my old lady away from me
And now I'm just as blue as I can be
I've gotta broken heart again
Cuz I ain't got no money to spend
You see I spend it all on long distance phone calls
Beggin her to please come home, yeah, yeah
Ah, yeah
It doesn't matter what I do
I can't stop, ah, thinking about you
The little things you said
The things you do to me in bed
Oh baby, I can't get you outta my head
Oh, oh, gotta broken heart again, yeah
This time it's serious
It feels just like the end
Cuz once your love has gone away
There ain't nothing, nothing left to say
Sister
I was only 16 but I guess that's no excuse
My sister was 32, lovely, and loose
She don't wear no underwear
She says it only gets in her hair
And it's got a funny way of stoppin' the juice
My sister never made love to anyone else but me
She's the reason for my, uh, sexuality
She showed me where it's supposed to go
A blow job doesn't mean blow
Incest is everything it's said to be
Oh, sister
Don't put me on the street again
Oh, sister
I just want to be your friend
I was only 16 and only half a man
My sister didn't give a goddamn
She only wanted to turn me out
She [took a whip to] me until I shout
"Oh, [motherfuckersjustamotherfucker]
Can't you understand ?"
Oh, sister
Don't put me on the street again
Oh, sister
I just want to be your friend
I know what you want me to do
Put me on the street
And make me blue
Oh, sister, oohoohoooow
When You Were Mine
When you were mine
I gave you all of my money
Time after time
You done me wrong
Cause just like a train
You let all my friends come over and eat
And you were so strange
You didn't have the decency
To change the sheets
Oh girl, when you were mine
I used to let you wear all my clothes
You were so fine (So fine)
Maybe that's the reason
That it hurt me so
I know (I know)
That you're going with another guy
I don't care (Don't care)
`Cuz I love u, baby, that's no lie
I love you more than I did
When you were mine
When you were mine
You were kinda sorta my best friend
So I was blind (So blind)
I let you fool around
I never cared (Didn't care)
I never was the kind to make a fuss
When he was there
Sleeping in between the two of us
I know (I know)
That you're going with another guy
I don't care (Don't care)
Cuz I love you, baby, that's no lie
I love you more than I did
When you were mine
When you were mine
U were all I ever wanted to do
Now I spend my time
Following him whenever he's with you
I know (I know)
That you're going with another guy
I don't care (Don't care)
Cuz I love you, baby, that's no lie
I love you more that I did
When you were mine
When you were mine, yeah, oh no
Love you, baby
Love you, baby
When you were mine
Prince’s creative processes have remained consistent throughout his
career, although as his income has increased, so have his facilities. From
the very beginning, Prince had gone between demoing songs at home and
then working on them in the studio, but now that he had a new band,
songs started to come from those sessions. Matt Fink contributed the
keyboard part to ‘Dirty Mind’ and remembers the song coming out of a
1979 rehearsal at which Gayle Chapman was present. As would start to
happen more frequently over the next few years, the song came out of a
jam that was part of the band’s usual warm-up and rehearsal process.
Prince noticed the chords Fink was playing and told him to remember
them for a later session. They rehearsed the song until midnight and
then, after Fink had gone home, Prince continued working on it, showing
up the next day with a finished song that would point to the direction for
the rest of the album. Fink was surprised but not concerned by the
graphic content of the album that grew out of that first song, finding the
finished record ‘really brilliant’. Although Dirty Mind’s credits clearly
state that the record was ‘produced, arranged, composed and performed’
by Prince, with Dr Fink contributing synth to ‘Dirty Mind’ (on which he
gets a co-writing credit) and ‘Head’ – featuring Lisa’s backing vocals – his
full touring band is pictured on the inner sleeve, dressed in their stage
outfits. It’s surprising that he would bother to tell us their names, unless
it was an ad for the upcoming tour, but this can be seen as the beginning
of a period when he would move more towards collaboration. Three other
songs on the album allegedly also had outside input. Fink and Coleman
contributed to ‘Head’, and Dez Dickerson writes in his autobiography
that ‘“Uptown” was built on a bass groove that André wrote in
rehearsal’. Dickerson also contends that ‘the most clear-cut “borrowing”,
though, came in the form of the song “Partyup”. That song was originally
written by Prince’s friend (ever present in the summer of ’80 rehearsals) Morris Day.’ It seems from other accounts, however, that
Dickerson slightly overstates Day’s ownership of the song: if it was a collaboration, it seems likely that Prince considerably
reworked the track, particularly the lyric.
Jun 80
06 to Early 07-1980 : Hollywood Sound
Dirty Mind mixing sessions
Do It All Night (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Gotta Broken Heart Again (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Sister (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Gotta Stop (Messin’ About) (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Head (3) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Partyup (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Uptown (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
When You Were Mine (2) * - Prev. Home Studio 05-80 – Dirty Mind
Despite his very hard-working nature, Prince wanted to release the Dirty
Mind album without having to remix the tracks in a prestigious studio as
he had done before for For You and Prince. After playing the tapes to its
management in Los Angeles, they agreed to remix the songs before a
configuration was presented to WB. Three songs were left off the LP,
"Lisa," "Gotta Stop (Messin’ About)," and "Wouldn’t You Love
To Love Me ?" (later recorded by Taja Sevelle). The titles
chosen for inclusion on Dirty Mind are a small part of the
recordings Prince made during 1980. "Gotta Stop (Messin’
About)" was left off Dirty Mind, but will surface laters as the Bside of the "Let's Work" remix. Another title from 1980 to notice
is "Rough" (also known as "Too rough", "tough" or "too tough").
This track will later emerge during The Family sessions in 1984
and for the Jill Jones album in 1987. At one point, the title was
given to Joyce Kennedy of Mothers' Finest, but the song
remains unreleased to this day. Prince works on post
production for Dirty Mind at the Hollywood Sound Recorders in
Los Angeles until early July. Prince’s new management were
crucial in convincing Warner Brothers to release the songs as
Prince’s new LP. Steven Fargnoli explains : “I thought Dirty
Mind was an album that deserved to be made. But Warner
Brothers, understandably, didn’t know how to react. The last
record had sold almost a million, and they expected something
with the same sound. They were very negative at first, but they
eventually got behind it.” Doubtless, Warner Brothers hoped for
or even expected Dirty Mind to be as commercial as Prince,
but it was obvious that this didn’t influence Prince’s songwriting
in the least : “l had a different management when I did my first
albums and they were geared a little bit more to the public.
This album that's out now is more me. I know that I'm a lot
happier than I was. Because I'm getting away with what I want
to do. With the other two albums I feel I was being forced to suppress part of myself, though also I was younger.”
04-08-1980 : Lisa (1/2) (5:57 / 2:14)
Lisa was filed for copyright at the Library of Congress on 4 August, 1980. It is not known if the track was intended for any particular
project, although its distinct synth sound and monotonous, hypnotic feel, probably led to Prince discarding it from any consideration
for the Dirty Mind album. An edited version also exists, potentially for inclusion on a single, although this is unverified. The track is
named after bandmember Lisa Coleman and contains humorous lyrics about tempting her away from her lover.
Prince's tour with Rick James ended in late April, so "Lisa" can probably be dated to May/July 1980. The song was probably written
tongue-in-cheek about new band member Lisa Coleman. In some ways, the song is a forerunner to some of the later 1999 material,
with its fast, repetitive bass and simple analogue drum machine beat (at least a year before the digital LM-1 Linn drum machine
appeared). The lyrics, stating how Prince knows Lisa is nasty and that she is "too groovy," would have fit in perfectly with the
concept of the Dirty Mind album. As a twist on the unfaithful lover theme, in this song Prince says to Lisa, "Tell your man, he'll
understand." So here, Prince is the other man taking away, at least for awhile, someone else’s girl. Prince's laid-back "Uptown
attitude" is evident as he sings, "I don't care, as long as you know that somewhere, some day, we'll be together."
Lisa
Oh yeah, yeah (1 2 3 4)
Lisa, let's go 2 the movie
Lisa, let's go
Lisa, let's go 2 the village
Lisa, let's go
Tell your man, he'll understand
Lisa, let's go
Lisa, we're going 2 the movie
Lisa, let's go
It's alright, I don't care
Long as U know, somewhere
Some day, we'll be 2gether
Lisa, I don't care, oh
Lisa, I don't care
Lisa, let's go get blasted
Lisa, let's go
Lisa, I know U're nasty
Lisa, let's go
It's alright, it's OK
Long as U know, some day
Some way, we'll be 2gether
Lisa, it's OK
Yeah, let's go, yeah
Lisa, oh yeah
Yeah, yeah
It's alright, it's OK
Lisa, let's play
Alright
Are U ready, yeah yeah ?
Yeah, oh yeah
Yeah yeah
Let's go {x2}
It's alright, it's OK
Long as U know, some day
Some way, we'll be 2gether
Lisa, it's OK, oh {x3}
Lisa, it's O.. it's O.. it's OK
Soon after Coleman came into Prince’s life, he wrote a song with her
name. But Coleman doesn’t believe that the unreleased (but much
loved) song ‘Lisa’ is necessarily about her, saying that ‘there are
other girls named Lisa’ and that ‘it was just a girl’s name that he
used in a song’. She remembers the song as being recorded at a
soundcheck.
Sep 80
10-09-1980 : UPTOWN Single Release
Single : Uptown (4:09) / Crazy You (2:15)
Maxi-Single : Uptown (4:09) / Uptown (Long Version) (5:29)
Uptown was the first single from Prince's third album Dirty Mind. It was
released a month before the album, in the USA, Japan, the Netherlands
and New Zealand. The b-side, Crazy You, was taken from Prince's first
album For You. The single failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100,
reaching number 101 in the Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart, but
reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart, reaffirming
Prince’s solid standing in the black marketplace.
09-1980 : Right On
19-09-1980 : BAMBI Single Release
Bambi (4:22) / Still Waiting (Edit) (3:48)
Bambi was the fifth single to be
released from Prince second
album Prince, although it was
issued only in Belgium and the
Netherlands, where it was the
first and only single from the
album. The b-side, Still Waiting,
was also taken from the album.
A music video was planned for
Europe market only, but didn't
materialized. The single failed to
enter the charts, both in Belgium
and the Netherlands.
Oct 80
08-10-1980 : DIRTY MIND Release
(30:18)
Drty Mind (4:15) / When You Were Mine (3:47) / Do It All Night (3:42)
Gotta Broken Heart Again (2:16) / Uptown (5:32) / Head (4:44) / Sister (1:31) / Partyup (4:25)
Dirty Mind shows a gradually evolving songwriter. Most of the music is rooted in
R&B, but Prince manages to combine the energy and attack of rock with the
rhythmic intricacies of funk, and there is more melodic and harmonic variation to
the songs than before. “Dirty Mind is the two sides of Prince : the R&B and the
rock side,” observes Bob Mockler (sound engineer). “It has something so tough
that nobody else has been able to approach it. This was a stomping, steamy,
totally great artist that just had no peer.” “He really found himself with that album,”
Bobby Z reflects. “I think he wrote better songs. And the roughness of it gave it an
edge. It was a little more garage-sounding.” Prince’s rock material on For You and
Prince showed the influence of slick, polished rock acts like Styx, Foreigner,
Journey and REO Speedwagon. In contrast, Dirty Mind has much more in
common with new wave acts such as The Cars, The Police, Elvis Costello and The
Pretenders. “He was a ‘new waver’,” comments Bobby Z. “He really found out that
this is what he was. He was a rebel. He understood that the basic elements of rock
‘n’ roll is that if your mom likes it, then that’s not what you want to be. He wanted to
become something that the Stones were, somebody your mother wouldn’t like.” It
has been suggested that Prince was turned onto punk and new wave at the Sam’s
club (later First Avenue) in Minneapolis, something which Charles Smith refutes :
“Prince already knew about the whole English scene. He didn’t go to Sam’s to get
that vibe. He’d always been into David Bowie and that kind of stuff.” Smith maintains André was already into new wave and punk
and turned Prince into it. As could be expected, the album didn’t sell more than half the amount of Prince. It didn’t sell gold in the
States, 500,000 copies, until after Purple Rain. It reached number 45 on Billboard’s album chart. But if commercial success was
limited, the album received a fervent backing from the press, who treated Prince as an artist of distinct artistic integrity. Praising
Prince for his frank lyrics and exciting blend of rock and funk, the rock press did a lot to help Prince eventually crossing over to a
much wider racially mixed audience of blacks and
whites. Many critics labelled Prince's raunchy music
new wave funk or punk funk. With radio play virtually
nil, the album became an ”underground” hit, selling
mostly via word of mouth and the exceptionally
favourable press. Warner Bros put stickers on the
cover of the album, instructing disc-jockeys to
“please audition before airing.” Some retailers were
put off by the nearly nude picture of Prince on the
cover and refused to stock the record. For the front
cover, Prince was photographed by Allen Beaulieu in
front of bedsprings. A black and white cover was
chosen instead of a colour one because Prince
wanted to make the initial impact more low-key. Only
closer inspection would bring the shock factor home,
and that was right in line with how Prince wanted his
audience to develop. According to Allen, he wanted
the album to be "this underdog thing that people
would tell other people about, not something that
advertising would just kill.” The cover pictures of
Prince signalled a minor revolution. Looking a lot
more menacing than the nice, gentle boy of For You
and Prince, Prince wore a trenchcoat with nothing on
underneath but black bikini underwear and thigh-high
legwarmers. In the lapel of the jacket was a button
that said "Rude Boy.” Working mostly alone in a
cramped makeshift 16-track basement studio in his
Minneapolis home on Lake Minnetonka, Prince
created Dirty Mind in a few months during the
summer of 1980. Many of the songs were cut quickly
- often in one night. ”I had no idea they'd be on an
album together, so that's where l think a lot of the upfront quality comes from,” said Prince. ”I didn’t have
any lyrics written out for some of the tunes - they just came. These are just songs I wanted to have for my personal listening.” ”I
think I matured in a sense. I reached puberty. I got a new guitar which brought life into the sound of the album - most of the songs
were written on guitar. The second album was written mostly on the piano.” Comparing the album to his previous records, Prince
remarked, ”It was a revelation recording Dirty Mind. I realized that I could write just what was on my mind and things that I’d
encountered and I didn’t have to hide anything. The lyrics on the new album are straight from the heart, where as the other albums
were more feelings, more dreams and fantasies and they stuck to the more basic formula that I’d learned through playing Top 40
material in old bands.” Engineering on the album was credited to one Jamie Starr, who later appeared as a producer of The Time’s
first album. Although it has never been officially admitted, Jamie Starr was Prince in disguise. “Maybe he didn't want it to seem like
he did everything,” says Matt Fink. Although it was not released as a single in the USA, Partyup reached position 5 in the Billboard
Disco Top 100, indicating the track was a DJ favorite in US clubs.
After the success of the Prince album and "l Wanna Be Your Lover,” Prince surprised and confused his audience and critics alike
with his third album. Instead of building on his growing black soul/disco base, he decided to release a rock-oriented album with
songs that, in some cases, sounded like underdeveloped demos : “Basically, these are demo tapes, and I had no idea they'd be on
an album together, so that‘s where I think a lot of the up-front quality comes from. I didn’t have any lyrics written out for some of
the tunes - they just came. These are just songs I wanted to have for my personal listening. When I took them to Steven (Fargnoli),
he said, "This should be your album."” Though keeping his falsetto vocals, Dirty Mind is in many ways a radical departure from
everything Prince had done before. Prince’s first records attempted to blend elements of white pop and rock with black dance
rhythms, but the emphasis was clearly on smooth and slick dance music. On Dirty Mind, Prince managed to combine the manic
tempo and relentless attack of punk and new wave rock with the rhythmic intricacies of black funk and soul, creating much more
high-powered and exciting music than before. The sparse demo-level instrumentation and unrefined arrangements contrast with
the sophistication of the previous albums. Dirty Mind also showcases a much rougher guitar sound than before. ”He really found
himself with that album,” says Bobby Z. ”I think he wrote better songs. And the roughness of it gave it an edge - it was a little
more garage sounding.” The foremost trademarks of Prince’s new musical language are a "rough" and basic Telecaster guitar sound
and clearly defined and sharp rhythmic synth chords and fills. "Dirty Mind" and "When You Were Mine" are two successful
examples of Prince’s highly original blend of "white" rock and "black" funk and soul, labelled "punk-funk" by many critics. "Head" is
a brilliant funk number, embellished by Matt Fink’s metallic synths. "Partyup," "Do It All Night," and "Uptown" are in the more
conventional soul /R&B vein. From the appealing pop of ”When You Were Mine” and the high energy of ”Dirty Mind” to the funky
”Head,” most of he songs on Dirty Mind simply were more compelling than his previous output. Whereas the lyrics of For You and
Prince were merely suggestive, Dirty Mind was very explicit and the songs are almost entirely obsessed with sex and lust. Prince
uses some of his most graphic images to make a declaration about being open-minded and free of the constraints of the supposed
norms of society. The themes of romance, longing and unrequited love of the previous albums are replaced by songs depicting oneto-one situations, with Prince either lusting after a girl, describing what he wants to do with her, or talking about his conquests and
sexual experiences. “When I did the other records, I think I was in love, and I wasn’t when I did this one,” Prince commented. Only
”Gotta Broken Heart Again” concerns unhappy love. ”When You Were Mine” describes a similar situation, where Prince’s girlfriend
has left him for another, but here Prince's tone is more indifferent.
”Uptown” and ”Partyup” differ somewhat in that they describe the
society in which the action takes place. They reveal that sex in
Prince's world is tied up not only with pleasure but also with
rebellion against the limits of ”normality” as he had known it. Both
songs point towards Controversy’s increased concern for social
issues. The title track opens the album with a fast urgent beat
consisting of a 4/4 bass drumbeat and a pumping bass playing
eight-notes. A metallic synth phrase and sparse guitar fills are
added on top of the low, pulsing beat. Prince sounds almost
aggressive as he lets the listener know what is on his mind, ”I just
wanna lay you down. In my daddy’s car, it’s you I really wanna
drive. I really get a dirty mind whenever you're around. I don’t
wanna hurt you baby, I only wanna lay you down.” Many of his
ideas about sexual freedom and social tolerance are summed up in
“Uptown,” which he described as a song about “being open to things
you don’t understand.” The liberated neighbourhood of Uptown is a
place to “set your mind free.” ”Dirty Mind's” main synth riff was
created by Matt Fink during rehearsals, and the music of he song is
credited to Matt while Prince is responsible for the lyrics. ”He asked
me to come over to his house,” says Fink. ”I left at 2:00 am, after
we cut the basic tracks. By the next morning he’d finished it.” The
song is basically a variation on one chord, but Prince inserts a 10bar bridge section, which builds to a crescendo before everything
returns to the main theme. The track has an intensity and
spontaneous, unpolished quality that is far removed from the
previous albums. The tempo, instrumentation and arrangement are
also much more ”rock” than anything he had attempted before. The
next song, ”When You Were Mine,” is an irresistibly melodic rock
tune recalling the ”power pop” of Blondie and Elvis Costello with its
Farfisa-style organ (synth) sound, while the drum beat is a
throwback to early sixties pop. The song was written in a Florida
hotel room while on tour with Rick James. Prince said he wrote it
while listening to John Lennon. ”It was probably inspired by an old
girlfriend,” says Matt Fink. The song is about nothing more unusual
than a cheating lover. Although Prince is in love with the girl, he
doesn't seem too concerned, ”You were kinda sort a my best friend,
so I was blind and let you fool around. I never cared, I never was
the kind to make a fuss when he was there, sleeping in between the
two of us.” A basic drumbass-guitar framework is augmented to
great effect by a catchy keyboard hook line which ends each verse
and replaces a sung refrain (an idea used again on ”When Doves
Cry” for example). Variation is provided by an eight-bar bridge
section with a reggae like rhythm. Prince’s first truly classic rock
songs, “When You Were Mine,” an irresistibly catchy number
recalling both Blondie and early Elvis Costello with his high-pitched
organ sound while the drum beat and backing vocals are a
throwback to sixties pop. Without a doubt, ”When You Were Mine”
is the most ”poppy” and commercial song Prince had recorded thus
far. Less inspired is ”Do It All Night,” a breezy uptempo pop effort
dominated by sprightly staccato piano and slap bass. The verses contain a ”setup” for the refrain, which is then sung over he main
theme of he song. Once again, Prince's sexual urges forces him to come on to a girl, ”I been waitin’ such a bloody long time just to
get this close to you. Now that you're near me I want you to hear me, tell you what I wanna do. Ah, I wanna do it, do it all night. I
wanna do it, do it to you right.” The next song, ”Gotta Broken Heart Again,” shows Prince at his most vulnerable. His ”only
supposed to be friend” has stolen his girlfriend away from him ”Gotta broken heart again. This time it’s serious, it feels just like the
end. ’Cause once your love has gone away there ain’t nothin’ nothin’ left to say.” Musically, the song is a mildly interesting midtempo pop effort. The song is set in an unusual 12/8 tempo and is the slowest offering on the album ”I guess I just wasn’t in the
mood for ballads,” Prince responded. ”When I did the other records, I think I was in love, and I wasn’t when I did this one.” The
electric piano is once again to the fore, but here Prince uses a more melodic and fluent bass line, making the song more ”pop” than
”funk.” ”Uptown” is a buoyant uptempo dance number in which Prince's philosophies about liberation from society's cramping
restrictions and conventions are brought forward. ”Now where I come from we don’t let society tell us how it’s supposed to be. Our
clothes, our hair, we don’t care, it’s all about bein’ there. Everybody’s goin’ uptown, that's where I wanna be. Uptown, set your
mind free.” Prince commented, ”It’s a song about a state of mind everyone has, but a lot of time people are afraid to show. An
openness - being open to things you don’t understand. The song takes the example of homosexuality and deals with the way l feel
about life, that I’m open and do whatever I want.” A very similar theme of personal freedom was later expressed in ”D.M.S.R.” on
1999. ”Uptown” is built around an accentuated ”disco” bass line and a keyboard/guitar phrase. A sharp and metallic synth follows
the vocal line of the refrain, which is sung over the main theme (as on most other songs on Dirty Mind). A brief ”rock” segment,
where he guitar is brought to the fore, precedes the refrain. According to Dez Dickerson, the bass line of the song was something
Prince's bass player and friend since childhood, André Cymone, had come up with during rehearsals. The dispute over the
ownership of ”Uptown” and The Time project which André felt he had been squeezed out of, signalled he end of heir relationship
after a steady descent into antipathy. André left Prince's band in he summer of 1981 and was replaced by Brown Mark. ”Uptown”
merges with ”Head,” a brilliant funk number which features Matt Fink on synth and Lisa Coleman who delivers the female vocal
lines of the songs. Much like ”Sexy Dancer” on Prince, ”Head” is based on the concept of a rhythm groove. Instead of relying on a
funky bass line, such as ”Uptown” or ”Do It All Night,” Prince here locks a single note bass part into a tight and incredibly rhythmic
groove with a synth lick and drums (and handclaps). The tune is basically a one chord jam, although a rapid three chord
progression provides a lead-in for the refrain. The protagonist of ”Head” is a young
virgin on her way to be wed. Accosted by Prince, she goes down on him and
eventually marries him instead of her fiancé. "You know you're good girl, I think you
like to go down. You wouldn't have stopped, but I came on your wedding gown. You
said, 'I must confess, I wanna get undressed and go to bed’ With that I jammed, you
married me instead. Now mornin', noon and night I give you head.” "'Head' was a
lot longer," Prince remarked. "When I first cut it, it went on and on. I was trying to
take a real-life experience. There are parts of the longer version that are sometimes
shocking to me." Quite a contrast musically, "Sister" is a raucous, but fairly
unremarkable rock tune, propelled by a rubbery bass and guitar. Although the song is
more or less a throwaway, it is Prince's first song structured like a "classic" pop song,
with alternating verses, chorus and a distinct bridge section (in a different, minor
key). However, the song can hardly be described as "poppy”; with its fast tempo and
rough, almost aggressive feel, the song is closer to punk rock than anything else
Prince had released. Mixing in incest, sado-masochism and swear words, the lyrical
content of "Sister" is undoubtedly more startling than the music. Prince attributes his
sister as the "reason for my sexuality," and reveals that "My sister never made love
to anyone else but me.” Forcing the pace, Prince finally blurts out the jabbering
confession, "Incest is everything it's said to be." Some lyrics, including the refrain of
the song, seem inspired by Prince's New York stay with his older sister, "Sister, don't
put me on the street again. Oh sister, I just wanna be your friend.” But the song
shouldn't be taken too literally. It is obvious that Prince is out to provoke. The song
was probably intended as an expression of the pain and confusion an incest victim, or
anyone who has been manipulated by a person in a position of trust, must go through.
The final track is "Partyup," written as legend has it by Morris Day but credited to
Prince in return for setting up The Time around Morris. According to Alexander
O'Neal, ”Morris wrote 'Partyup’. Prince changed it some, but it's like when you hear
a song, you say, 'I got to have that song, I got to have it.’ So he said, 'Tell you what
I'll do, you let me have the song, blah, blah, blah.’ So Prince owed Morris a favour."
In compensation for taking over the song, Prince first gave $10,000 to Day to find a recording contract. Day rejected the money
although it was then a car washer to raise his income. Dez Dickerson and others have emphatically confirmed this story to be
correct. "Partyup" is a song about "people who'd rather have a good time than go and shoot up one another,” according to Prince.
The song contains his most direct political statement so far; he climaxes the song with an atmosphere of militant defiance by
spitting out the chant, "You're gonna have to fight your own damn war, cause we don't wanna fight no more." "I was in a lot of
different situations when I was coming up to make that record," explained Prince. "'There were a few anti-draft demonstrations
going on that I was involved in that spurred me to write 'Partyup.’ I saw people getting drafted, and then I realized that young
people had no say in these decisions being made by these politicians who wanted to be listed in some encyclopedia for blowing up
Peru. These guys don’t have anything to lose. They are 65 and older, and they aren’t going on the front line. They're going to send
me or my brother. If young people are able to vote, they should be able to have a decision in he draft. People are getting killed,
and I mean some serious head-getting-chopped-off action.” The angry war protest of “Partyup” is seemingly out of place on the
album, but Prince said that the song was about “people who’d rather have a good time than go an shoot up one another.”
Musically, ”Partyup” is a stripped-down mid-tempo pop / funk number. It is the third song, after ”Uptown” and ”Do It All Night,”
that relies on a funky bass line, but here it is a bit more ”melodic.” Bass and drums are augmented by handclaps and a sparse guitar
on the main part of the song. A second segment features a staccato electric piano, staying on one chord, and a high-pitched organ
(synth).
The album was almost unanimously lauded by the
press. Rolling Stone’s review (four and a half stars
out of a possible five) by Ken Tucker was full of
praise : “A pop record of Rabelaisian achievement :
entirely, ditheringly obsessed with the body, yet full
of sentiments that please and provoke the mind. It
may also be the most generous album about sex
ever made by a man. Prince deserves our
admiration. Though Dirty Mind is an undeniably
apposite title, the LP might just as accurately have
been called Prince Confronts The Moral Majority :
except for "Uptown," "Partyup" and the loping
"Gotta Broken Heart Again," none of Dirty Mind
could make it onto the most liberal radio station
playlists these days.”
The Washington Post’s
Geoffrey Himes felt it was “the most exciting funk of
the year” and concluded that “Prince’s bright
melodies, fresh falsetto and steady groove are
enough to seduce most listeners.” New York Rocker’s
reviewer was also impressed, and he particularly
liked "When You Were Mine“ : “I ‘m sure any
number of blindfolded critics would hail it as the
new wave fave rave of the eighties if the artist’s
identity were concealed. It's a tremendous record.
As could be expected, the outspoken lyrics generated
disparate reactions.” While Billboard’s Nelson
George described Prince's lyrics as "overt examples
of quite disgusting immaturity," Tony Mitchell,
writing for Sounds, on the other hand, felt they were
commendable for their straightforwardness : “What makes Dirty Mind special is that the lyrics and delivery are completely devoid
of the nudge-nudge lavatorial prurience that passes for humour on Judge Dread records. Not only is Prince deadly earnest on a
lyrical level but the music stands up (!) for itself too.” Roy Carr, New Musical Express, also applauded Prince’s refusal to play it safe
: “Whilst rock usually chooses to deal with sexual matters by employing hackneyed euphemisms, innuendos and doubleentendres, Prince is overtly explicit in his revelations of conquest and betrayal. Throughout, both the subject matter and the
explicit language used will greatly restrict airplay, but it's an album which will be sold by word-of-mouth - invariably the best
possible recommendation.” Musician’s critic felt the album suggested a “musical intelligence and reach that shows that the Prince
hype is justified,” but complained about the lyrics : “Sex is no taboo subject in pop music. Mr Nelson doesn’t seem to understand
that wit, understatement and style get one laid much more often than vulgarity.” The Chicago Sun-Times’ Don McLeese concurred
: “I’d be even more impressed if his lyrics went a little less for shock value and a little more for soul.”
For all the qualities of the first two albums, it was with Dirty Mind that Prince truly determined his future, producing a record that
was so much more than the sum of its influences and which made a mainstream impact. Describing the record to Steve Sutherland
of the NME, Prince seemed to hint that it was autobiographical, but that could be as much tease as truth : while Prince was grumpy
in the same interview about being considered homosexual, this was a period where he preferred more to provoke than explain.
Beginning in his ‘daddy’s car’, the album’s title song sets up the persona for this album, a man so fixated by sex that nothing –
social taboos, conventional morality – can get in the way of his pursuit of it. And yet the record is so charming that this seems less
like obsession than the ideal way to live. It helps that Prince is constantly being rejected or humiliated by women as sexually freespirited as him. There are more synths than guitars on the album, but it’s the sparse guitar that gives the most impact and makes
Dirty Mind feel like Prince’s first rock record – particularly on ‘Partyup’, ‘Sister’, and most obviously ‘When You Were Mine’, one of
his greatest and most enduring singles, and which Prince says he wrote ‘in a hotel room in Birmingham after listenin [sic] to John
[Lennon] sing’. (If this is true, it might have been on the Alabama date in April shortly before sessions for Dirty Mind began in
earnest.) Invariably, ‘Head’ would be the highlight of all those early live performances, a song that relies heavily on the Oberheim –
the synth that Prince would use on this album, Controversy and 1999, and which Lisa played during sessions for Purple Rain. It’s an
album that moves between sulky boasts (‘Do It All Night’) and revelling in rejection (‘Gotta Broken Heart Again’), but which is most
notorious for ‘Sister’, a seemingly pro-incest song that is the most provocative track Prince ever recorded. Among the many ecstatic
notices, Robert Christgau, the selfappointed ‘dean of American rock critics’, put it best, in a review that would still be being quoted
when he left the Village Voice twenty-six years later : ‘Mick Jagger should fold up his penis and go home.’
“The songs on Dirty Mind were originally just
some demo tapes that I recorded and took to LA
to play to my new management. Even they
weren't too happy with them. We also had long
talks about what I felt was me getting closer to
my real image, and at first they thought that I’d
gone off the deep end and had lost my mind,”
Prince commented on the release of Dirty Mind.
Without a doubt, Dirty Mind came as a surprise to
many after the success of ”I Wanna Be Your
Lover” and the Prince album. Instead of building
on his growing black soul/disco base, Prince
released an album with sexually explicit lyrics and
rock-oriented songs hat sounded like rough and
unpolished demos. ”When I brought the album to
the record company it shocked a lot of people. But
they didn’t ask me to go back and change
anything, and I’m really grateful. Anyway, I
wasn't being deliberately provocative. I was
being deliberately me.” According to Dez
Dickerson, there were some people at Warner
Bros who wanted to have had Prince effectively
dropped. "There was one point where Warners
offered him his contract back, but he wouldn’t do
it. They didn’t know what to do with him. They
didn’t understand the record and they didn’t
understand him”. Whilst rock and pop usually
choose to deal with sexual matters by employing
euphemisms and innuendos, Dirty Mind was
overtly explicit, with lyrics about incest, sadomasochism and oral sex. It was immediately
obvious that airplay would be minimal because
most of the songs simply were too risqué for radio
programmers. Warner Bros were even forced to
put stickers on the cover, warning the listener for
"unsuitable language.” Prince's father wasn't
impressed, either. "When I first played Dirty
Mind for him,” Prince told a reporter, ”he said,
’You’re swearing on the record. Why do you have
to do that ?’ And I said, ’Because I swear.’” Prince
naturally expected the album to be controversial.
”He knew he was entertaining some hot soup,”
says Bobby Z. "Any time you do anything where
you're pushing the envelope, you know ?” Prince
defended the lyrics, "My lyrics are everyday talk that goes on around me all the time. The radio stations that don’t play it are only
denying the public of their lives. Anything other than that - the labels they put on it and things like that - it’s pretty useless and
unnecessary, I think.” In interviews, Prince maintained that all songs on Dirty Mind were written from experience and described
authentic situations. However, early Prince collaborator Chris Moon felt the lyrics showed a certain calculation. Moon asked Prince
if songs like ”Head” wasn't taking the "sex angle” a bit too far. ”It’s working,” Prince reportedly answered. "Why change it ?” It was
obvious to Moon that Prince had hit on something more than a good gimmick. ”Here was his very quiet kid, but nce he’d
discovered the notion of sex as a vehicle for his writing, it was as if a door had been unlocked for him” "That really was him at the
time,” says Matt Fink. ”He was rejoicing in his own sexuality. He was saying, ’Sex is reality, don’t be afraid of it’.” A few songs
from the Dirty Mind period were let off the record, including ”Lisa,” a sparse, monotone, but catchy uptempo pop effort, “Wouldn't
You Love To Love Me ?”, which Prince later re-recorded for Taja Sevelle. Other songs written and recorded at this time were ”Dirty
Window Pain”, ”She’s Just A Baby,” and ”I Don’t Wanna Stop,” a fairly unremarkable dance number reminiscent of both ”Soft And
Wet” and ”I Wanna Be Your Lover,” which he gave to Ren Woods. She recorded it for her 1982 album Azz Izz, but it was
subsequently pulled from the album at Prince's request. Not much is known about ”Dirty Window Pain” (often mistakenly called
”Dirty Window Pane”), but ”She’s Just A Baby” is a nice blues-tinged soul ballad; Prince sings about his love of a young girl,
”Although she’s young she’s the only one who can bring out the man in me.” Despite extensive advertising and a brief promo tour,
the singles had no impact on the charts. But even though the singles and album had little impact on the charts, people were taking
notice of Prince as a performer and songwriter rather than as a name attached to this week’s big hit song. The album made many
curious : who was this guy who was making this weird new music and why did he wear such bizarre outfits ? Because radio was not
playing Dirty Mind, Prince decided that he should talk to the press to help get his message across. He did more interviews at this
time than at any other point in his career; he still didn’t enjoy the experience.
Diversions, November 12, 1993
Chris Varias
Dirty isn't a strong enough adjective for Prince's bean. In his 1980 fu(c/n)k-a-thon, Victor craves the nasty stronger than Madonna,
Wade Boggs and Bob Packwood combined. The little man, who was barely of drinking age at the time, narrates a sexual underbelly
with such conviction that it's impossible for the listener to separate truth from tall tales. He makes sleeping with his girlfriend's
boyfriend seem as routine as trying to get it on in his daddy's car with the girl next door. It's all the same when you got the dirtiest
mind of them all. The dirtiest of the album's eight tunes is "Sister," not a radio-friendly Julie Hatfield sing-along: "I was only 16 but
I guess that's no excuse/My sister was 32, lovely and loose." Look out ! "She showed me where it's supposed 2 go/A blow job
doesn't mean 'no'/Incest is everything it's said 2 B." "Sister" puts the "fun" in dysfunctional. "Head" is about giving it to someone
else's virgin bride on her way to be wed. The bride, portrayed by Lisa, returns the favor, only to be interrupted when His Purpleness
lets loose on the wedding gown. Although he can feed his relentless, exotic sexual appetite at will, this kid dynamo ain't jaded. He's
got too much love to hide, and his heart is breakable. "When You Were Mine," one of the best pop songs released during the Carter
administration, gushes a tenderness that is not often found in a fiend of Prince's stature. He gives, gets burned and grieves. "Just
like a train/U let all my friends come over and eat/And U were so strange/U didn't have the decency to change the sheets." (Cyndi
Lauper's version is also recommended.) Dirty Mind is a musical, as well as sexual, coming of age. It's d.i.y. in the truest sense ;
Prince writes all the songs (co-writing the title track with Dr. Fink), plays all the instruments (sans Fink's synthesizer on two tracks)
and produced it all. He even engineered under the pseudonym Jamie Starr. Keyboards and a kickdrum lead the way for a golden
falsetto and polished yet inspired guitar playing. Danceable, melodic, rockin' - Prince's centerpiece until Sign Of The Times hit the
shelves. Telltale lyric : "Where I come from we don't let society tell us how it's supposed to be."
24-10-1980 : Los Angeles - Uptown / Dirty Mind promo video shooting
Uptown is the third Prince video to have been released for broadcast to promote the release of a single. Shooting took place in Los
Angeles on 24 October, 1980 in the afternoon in front of a local audience. Similar to the Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad ? visual
promo, this video shows Prince and his band lip-syncing to a live performance. The band plays on stripped down version of the
Dirty Mind Tour concert stage, that was used for both this video and Dirty Mind, shot the same day. Wardrobe wise, a significant
change is made from the I Wanna Be Your Lover (band version) and Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad ? videos as Prince wears
the same outfit seen on Dirty Mind album cover. This marks an additional Prince trademark for videos : the distinctive look he
adopts for albums and single covers and/or while on tour will be systematically used for videos. Of note the video features the first
appearance of Lisa Coleman in a Prince video. The Hohner Telecaster, Prince's trademark guitar, appears for the first time in a
video. The shoot was done with a studio audience that was made aware of the 2 PM shoot via the means of flyers distributed in the
neighborhood. Matt Fink wears a surgeon outfit for the first time in a Prince video. Dirty Mind is the fourth Prince video to have been
released for broadcast to promote the release of a single. Similar to the Uptown visual promo, this video shows Prince and his band
lip-syncing to a live performance. Of note the video features the last appearance of Andre Cymone in a Prince video.
n Uptown
(0:04)
n Dirty Mind (0:04)
Nov 80
01-11-1980 : Billboard
08-11-1980 : Billboard
Prince – Dirty Mind
From the album cover and graphics, it is obvious Prince has only one thing on his mind.
This leads to some tracks (Head, Sister and When You Were Mine) being totally
unplayable on radio despite their appealingly funky dance rhythms. The best of the set
deals basically with partying and having a good time though some may object to the
general tone of the LP. Musically, this set is more rock oriented with Sister, When You
Were Mine and Gotta Broken Heart Again having overt rock influences. Again, this set
features Prince on all instruments and the sound is good. The only questionable aspects
id his narrow-mindedness concerning one topic and his choice of album art. Best cuts :
Uptown, Gotta Broken Heart Again, Partyup.
23-11-1980 : Washington Post
By Geoffrey Himes
If Earth, Wind & Fire are the proverbial superstars spoiled by Hollywood success, then
Prince - a 20-year-old prodigy from Minneapolis - is the proverbial challenger from the
hinterlands. He's already made three records single-handedly. The first two featured
intoxicating Stevie Wonder-like music and throwaway lyrics. His latest, "Dirty Mind"
(Warner Bros. BSK 3478), is the first with a complete personal vision, and is the most
exciting funk of the year. He sings frankly about all kinds of consenting sex on songs such
as "Head" and "Sister." Whether or not you agree with Prince's kinky eroticism, his vision
of love is far more specific and compelling than White's. Even if Prince's lyrics weren't so
explicit, his music itself would be sexually provocative. Prince has captured the Parliament/Funkadelic throb without all the clutter
of that big band. Prince's bright melodies, fresh falseto and steady groove are enough to seduce most listeners. Under these comeons, though, is an exotic jungle of squirming lead guitars and squiggling synthesizers. Every piece of the puzzle satisfies and every
piece counts. The first single, "Uptown," is the best come-on of all. When the seductive verses burst into the exuberant chorus,
Prince cries : "Everybody's going uptown ?" It's impossible to resist tagging along.
26-11-1980 : DIRTY MIND Single Release
Single : Dirty Mind (3:54) / When We’re Dancing Close And Slow (5:18)
Maxi-Single : Dirty Mind (4:10) / Dirty Mind (Edit) (3:54)
A second single was released in late November, "Dirty Mind” / "When We're Dancing Close And
Slow”. The single did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart, but reached number 5 in the Billboard Disco
Top 100 and number 65 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart.
29-11-1980 : NME (UK)
Despite the contrived visual sensationalism of
the sleeve - which has him pouting in flasher
ace, black stockings and bikini briefs - Prince is
still a blessing in (bizarre) disguise. In the same
assertive way as Sly Stone and George Clinton
before him, Prince is keen to clear the decks and
establish a new wave within the cliched
environs of black dance music. Everything here
is stripped right back to the knuckle - a taut
rhythm team of skipping bass and metallic
pepper-shot drums act as a spring board for
Prince's fragile (yet passionate) falsetto and a
bank of provocative synthesisers. And the lyrics
reflect the pursuit of hedonism as the ultimate
escapism. Whilst rock usually chooses to deal
with sexual matters by employing hackneyed
euphemisms, innuendos and double-entendres,
Prince is overtly explicit in his revelations of
conquest and betrayal: be it the double-dealing
triolism of 'When You Were Mine' incestuous
sex education as portrayed in 'Sister', or 'Do it
All Night' when he's overwhelmed with
paranoia and insecurity as to the outcome of a
relationship. 'Head' is self-explanatory. Careers
have been instantly ruined for much less than a
song like 'Head'. It's not just that it deals with
oral sex but that the lady in question makes no secret that she's both willing and white - a neat reversal of the Stones controversial
'Some Girls' schtick. The fact that the actual track is arguably the most sensual length of raw rhythm since James Brown's 'Sex
Machine' means this precocious 20-years-old may pose the biggest potential threat
to 'Born again' Wasp Amerika since Jimi Hendrix's guitar-humpin' had him
dumped from the Monkees' tour in 1967. Throughout, both the subject matter and
the explicit language used will greatly restrict airplay, but it's an album which will
be sold by word-of-mouth-invariably the best possible recommendation. If Prince
indicates that he has the ability to re-evaluate the actual sound of black American
music, it's evident that he's also extremely keen to embrace the widest possible
audience. And for once, a black artist is seen to borrow effectively from recent
white innovations, so Prince displays more empathy with F-Beat than P-Funk. For
instance, 'Sister' is 93 seconds of pure soul punk, exposing everyone from The
Knack to The Dead Kennedys for the derivative and revivalist opportunists that
they are. Prince refuses to play safe. If he did, he wouldn't have made this album.
At this stage, he may employ shock tactics to get himself noticed but Prince would
short change himself if, like Alice Cooper, he allowed the media to embrace him
and adopting him as the token, friendly neighbourhood pervert. -- Roy Carr
Late 1980 : The Time project
The story of The Time began in late
1980, when Prince decided to put
together a R&B / funk band. His
reasons for doing so still remain a
mystery to this day, despite various
sources maintaining that the group
was put together as a favour to Morris
Day. Supposedly Morris had originally
written ”Partyup,” which Prince wanted
so much that he offered to get Morris a
group together and get them a record
contract.
Using the remnants of a local group called Flyte Tyme, Prince created a new six-piece
band with Morris as the singer. Flyte Tyme, named after a song by jazz artist Donald
Byrd, had existed in different incarnations since 1974. The nucleus of The Time were Flyte Tyme members Terry Lewis (bass),
Monte Moir and Jimmy Jam Harris (keyboards), and Jellybean Johnson (drums), all from Minneapolis. Cynthia Johnson was one of
Flyte Tyme’s early lead singers until she left to sing with Lipps Inc., who had a huge 1980 hit with ”Funkytown.” Sue Ann Carwell
did a stint as lead singer before getting a solo contract, and then Alexander O’Neal took over. He was Prince's first choice as singer
in the re-formed group, but he declined Prince's offer. Originally to be the drummer in the group, Morris Day instead became The
Time's singer. At the time of the formation, he played in a group called Enterprise, and one of the guitarists auditioning for that
group was Jesse Johnson : “Morris Day totally flipped out when he saw me play ! He called up Prince, who was putting a band
together for him, and said, "You gotta see this cat ! He’s got Marshall stacks, a light show, smoke machines, cool guitars, and he
plays outta this world." Prince flew back from the Dirty Mind tour, looked at me, and gave me the job. He kept calling me from the
tour and saying "Don’t leave town, this thing’s gonna happen." So I stayed in Minneapolis.” Born in Illinois, Jesse Johnson came to
the Twin Cities in early 1981. A few weeks after he auditioned for Enterprise, Morris introduced Jesse to Prince, and he was drafted
to play guitar in the Time.
The Time‘s stance was all about being cool and macho, as Morris describes :
“The concept was "cool" and the basic theory was to visually and musically
create an atmosphere of cool while simultaneously generating a hard-driving
funk and roll sound. "Cool" is coming across well in dress and attitude, and
"cool" is self-respect.” Prince got the Time a contract with Warner Brothers
and he proceeded to lay down most of the backing tracks to their debut
album on his own. Andre Cymone was going to write some songs, but he
claims Prince more or less muscled him out of the project : “I put the whole
thing together. I got him involved. I was going to write some of the songs. All
of a sudden, Prince decided he wanted everything his way. All the songs
would go to his publishing company, and he wanted this and that. I was just
sick of doing everything that way. He didn’t want my name to be mentioned,
he wanted me to use a fictious name.” Lisa Coleman has also said that
Prince pulled stunts like turning home studio jams by Prince, Morris and Lisa
into material for The Time (and Vanity 6).
Instead of The Rebels, then, Prince’s most significant early side project was the first, eponymous album by The Time, which
included one song, ‘Oh, Baby’, that was recorded and put aside during Prince’s sessions for his own second album. The six-track
record features Prince in deep disguise, eschewing a song-writing credit and co-producing under the pseudonym Jamie Starr.
Although The Time would evolve into a band with a very clear identity, the project initially grew, Lisa Coleman told me, out of jokes
and silliness. She was living with Prince at the time, and her contribution to the album was seemingly greater than has previously
been acknowledged. ‘My room was upstairs,’ she explains, ‘so he would call me down. “Lisa, would you help me do this string part
? What about these lyrics ? Can you finish this verse ?” He involved me. I punched him in while he was playing the drums,
whatever it was.’ Coleman wasn’t there on the night they decided to make Morris Day the front man, but she remembers him as a
cute freckle-faced boy with a big ’fro who would run and get them hamburgers, a left-handed drummer who loved to jam. One
version of the story of The Time’s genesis is that Day was offered the band as compensation for giving Prince the song ‘Partyup’,
although Coleman says she wasn’t there the night this decision was made, and Dickerson can neither confirm nor deny the rumour.
Coleman says Prince never doubted that Day would rise to the challenge, although she felt ‘The guy had had a huge responsibility
thrust upon him and what seemed like fun and games at first became a big deal.’ But he soon got into it, especially once he’d
established his uniform : Stacy Adams shoes and a leopard-print jacket. Prince also made use of his live band at the time, and Matt
Fink remembers playing the synthesizer solo on ‘The Stick’. As well as being an artistic success, this is one of Prince’s most
commercially successful side projects, initially outselling his own Dirty Mind. The latter is arguably the better of the two records,
but The Time feels more sophisticated, the lengthy nine- and ten-minute songs reminiscent of the 1999 songs ‘D.M.S.R.’,
‘Automatic’ and ‘Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)’. The pleasure of this album is the looseness of the jams. While a
tighter song like ‘Girl’ pales when compared to ‘Free’ or ‘Scandalous’, long, lyrically simple tracks like ‘Get It Up’ (which would gain
particular power when played live, Day’s slinky vocals sounding wonderfully sleazy-smooth) or ‘Cool’ work well, encouraging the
listener to settle into a groove before shocking them to attention with a weird synth squiggle.
Home Studio
Plastic Love Affair
Plastic Love Affair is an unreleased track recorded in 1980 at Prince's Lake Minnetonka Home Studio, Minnetonka, MN, USA. It is
not known if the track was intended for any particular project, and nothing else is known about the track, which remains unreleased.
Unknown studio
Rough (2) – Prev. Home Studio 05-08
When The Shit Comes Down (Rehearsal)
When The Shit Comes Down (possibly titled When The Shit Goes Down) is an unreleased track recorded by Prince with his full
band during a rehearsal in 1980, at an unknown location. Prince's home studio at the time was not big enough for band recordings.
Drummer Bobby Z. has stated that the track "was really good". It is not known if the track was intended for any particular project,
Dec 80
04-12-1980 : Dirty Mind Tour (Opening Act : Teena Marie)
Dez Dickerson / Andre Cymone / Matt Fink / Lisa / Bobby Z
THE DIRTY MIND SHOW
The personnel... Matt "Dr." Fink (keyboards), Lisa Coleman (keyboards), Dez Dickerson (guitar),
Andre Cymone (bass), and Bobby Z (drums). In the frontline, Prince (who dressed as on the
cover of Dirty Mind) was flanked by Dez, who had orange hair and lacquer slick red pants, and
Andre in black pants and a zebra-striped bass guitar. Bobby Z and the keyboard players were on
a riser. Lisa usually wore a violet blue silk ensemble and a fedora hat. After vacillating during the
Prince tour between surgeon's green and a jailbird suit, Matt settled into the role of a twisted
doctor, jerking and snapping at his keyboards, wearing sunglasses and a sterile mask, when not
singing, and whipping a stethoscope in circles. Bobby, wearing a tie, was up on the highest riser.
The set... Besides playing all eight tracks from Dirty Mind, the show usually featured a few
numbers from the previous records, including "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad ?", "l Wanna Be
Your Lover," "Sexy Dancer," and "Still Waiting." "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" was introduced
during the club tour in the early spring of 1981.
The show...The Dirty Mind show opened with Prince and his band members appearing back-lit in
a cloud of dry ice fog, almost giving the illusion that they materialized out of nowhere. The show kicked off with "Do lt All Night,"
which merged with "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad ?", during which André and Dez joined Prince to play in unison as a trio.
The three would often do choreographed steps and kicks. Throughout the show, Prince proved to be a captivating performer with a
big bag of tricks, including a slow striptease and a simulated masturbation on the guitar. He also did splits, pirouettes, and leaps
from the riser, with guitar in hand, and all kinds of sexually suggestive moves. Gone were the unsure ness and pokerfaces that
limited the impact of his earliest concerts. Prince was indisputably enjoying himself.
Although the Dirty Mind show wasn't as sophisticated and elaborate as later
extravaganzas, Prince surprised many by being an astoundingly slick show-man. The
light, sound and well-rehearsed movements were all integral parts of the tight show,
which many felt was better suited to arenas than the small clubs and theatres that
Prince mostly played.
The controversial nature of Dirty Mind had turned Prince into hot copy as he began his
first headlining tour on December 4th 1980 with a concert in Buffalo. With Teena Marie
(with Jill Jones as one of the backing singers) as the opening act, Prince first played
eight concerts on the East Coast, before continuing to the Mid-west as well as other
parts of the States. Playing rock clubs and mostly smaller theatres, the Dirty Mind tour
continued until March/April of 1981. In late May/early June, they also played three
concerts in Europe, in Amsterdam, London and Paris. Prince's confidence on stage
had improved dramatically and his show had been sharpened to perfection. His
dancing was compared to both Michael Jackson and James Brown and his guitar
gymnastics to Jimi Hendrix. There was a strong new wave influence in the band's
performance. Guitarist Dez Dickerson began colouring his hair orange and wearing
safety pins, while keyboardist Matt "Dr." Fink’s jerky movements were clearly inspired
by Devo. Prince dressed as on the cover of Dirty Mind, in a trench coat with only legwarmers and bikini briefs underneath
The Dirty Mind tour began with a month’s worth of dates in December, before a three-month break and a downsizing of venues.
During that break Prince performed Partyup on Saturday Night Live. The band had grown in confidence, with Prince, Dez and
André cocky punks in trench coats and Dr Fink in his scrubs. Prince ended the performance by knocking over his microphone and
running from the stage, quickly followed by the rest of the band, looking more like a street gang than they ever had before.
04-12-1980 : Buffalo Shea’s
* Attendance : 3.200 / Duration : 1:05 / Tick. Price : $9.00 / $8:00
Prince's concerts with Teena Marie as opening act were a bit
shorter than the club dates and the concerts which didn’t feature
Teena Marie. The Buffalo show lasted only one hour and included
only 11 songs - the entire Dirty Mind album and "Sexy Dancer,” ”I
Wanna Be Your Lover,” and "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad
?" The Buffalo concert received a highly favourable notice in the
important trade publication Billboard, whose Hanford Searl
described Prince's tour debut as ”auspicious” and his band as
"impressive."
After a rehearsal at the Shea theatre in Buffalo, New York, Prince
met with Howard Bloom, who had taken over his publicity
campaign and ran the most significant PR company of the late
1970s and ’80s, the Howard Bloom Company. Recently, Bloom
has become a prominent author dealing largely with
metaphysics, and indeed, having come from a scientific
background, considered working with musicians and helping
them win over mass audiences as a form of field experiment in
mass culture. ‘Prince is normally afraid of men,’ he told me. ‘You
can understand why. Imagine how he must have been treated in
school – it must have been brutal. He’s most comfortable around
women. He let me into his life for three years and then he became afraid even of me, and for me that was a punishing loss.’
Prince’s manager Bob Cavallo had come to Bloom because, Bloom says, at that time ‘no one knew who Prince was. I had spent
seven years fighting to bring down racial barriers within record companies. They were intense.’ Cavallo assumed Bloom hadn’t
heard about Prince, but Bloom remembers that ‘before Bob and I spoke about Prince I’d watched his album on the R&B charts. His
record went platinum – something stunning was going on here. He was a goddamn fucking phenomenon.’ Alan Leeds, Prince’s
later road manager, shares with Bloom the belief that it was hard for a black artist to win a mainstream audience. ‘Throughout the
’80s one of his biggest challenges was to sidestep the categorisation that the media at that time would put on you as being a black
artist. If you happened to be African-American, you were immediately cast into that African-American ghetto in the industry and
somehow challenged to work your way out of it. Earth, Wind and Fire had managed to do so, but George Clinton, for example,
had not. Prince was steadfastly determined from the beginning not to be typecast because of how restrictive the radio formats
were. It wasn’t the audience that was restrictive, it was the media.’ Howard Bloom had a tactic for getting an artist to a mass
audience. He believed that in order to promote an artist he needed to see them in their own environment for between one and three
days, interview them extremely intensely and discern their passion points. This is what he did with Prince after that rehearsal in
Buffalo. ‘At 2 a.m. in the morning we went backstage to a dressing room by ourselves and I interviewed Prince from two until
nine in the morning and I found his imprinting points.’ The first was seeing his father onstage, which Bloom says was a more
personal version of what he encountered with most of the rock stars he interviewed, who were usually inspired by having watched
Elvis Presley or The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. The second was his time with André Cymone in Bernadette Anderson’s
basement. Bloom worked with Prince to come up with material he could use in interviews, and Prince began doing press again for
the next two years, before beginning a long period of not speaking to the media. Bloom believes that he and Bob Cavallo were an
essential part of Prince’s success. ‘Prince had two fucking geniuses working for him. He didn’t just have ordinary human beings. I
was a scientist in disguise. I was as much a child prodigy as he was.’ Cavallo, in turn, believes Bloom deserves more credit for
having established Prince’s profile. ‘He would tell people, “Prince sees sex as salvation,” and then you’d see that in the Washington
Post, the New York Times … He comes up with that phrase and then ten writers use that phrase.’
Meets Jill Jones
Jill Jones was born in a little town in Ohio between Cincinnati and Dayton to a
black mother and an Italian father, who was a jazz drummer. Her mother was a
fashion model and worked all over the world. “When I wanted to spend time with
my mother, I had to travel with her to London, New York, L.A., and Madrid. It was
impossible to spend any length of time together because she was always
travelling.” Jill was raised primarily by her grandparents until her mother’s
second marriage took the family to Los Angeles where they settled down. At the
age of 17, she left home to pursue her dream of becoming a professional
songwriter and singer. One of her first jobs was as a backing singer for Teena
Marie, who was managed by her mother. Marie was the opening act for Prince
on the 1980 Dirty Mind tour. “It was a real interesting time to meet Prince,
because he was wearing those little bikini pants and boots,” Jill remembers. “I
just went, ‘Oh, my goodness’.” She found him “a little arrogant ‘cause he was
shy.” Whereas “all the other girls pretty much wanted him,” she kept her
distance. “That’s probably why he found me interesting. It’s scary when you meet
someone who’s a lot like you, who’s very naive and a bit of a spoiled brat, to be
perfectly honest.”
Jill Jones' mother was a model and a singer. At a very young age she was exposed
to a lot of music, mostly blues and Jazz, amongst others Nancy Wilson. She also
had exposure to music from the likes of Charles Brown, Muddy Waters & B.B.
King. Barely into her teens, Jill moved to California where she dived a bit more
into the music business. She often witnessed studio sessions and became familiar
with the way a record session is organized, and how producers and engineers
worked.
Soon after Jill Jones' mother started managing Teena Marie, one of Jones' cousins, Teena moved into their house. She and Jill
would sometimes write songs together, and thus Teena Marie influenced Jill's own willingness to pursue in the musical direction.
Jill practiced on the piano, and writing her own material, up to the point when Teena Marie asked her to sing backing vocals for her.
Shortly after, at age 15, she decided to leave school and start a professional career as backing singer. She met Prince in 1980 at age
18, when Teena Marie was the opening act during his Dirty Mind tour. Prince encouraged Jones to sing, and stayed in touch with
her.
05-12-1980 : Washington Warner Theater
* Advert. Start : 8:00PM / Attendance : 2.000
Very impressed, Harry Sumvall, Washington Post, saw Prince as a performer with
an "awesome potential“ : “It was easily one of the most impressive shows this year.
From the elaborate stage to the lights, choreography, and musical bombast, the
results were spectacular. Prince exuded a kind of exotic lewdness that was a
polished, modernized version of the early, earthy antics of Jimi Hendrix.”
07-12-1980 : Raleigh Civic Center
09-12-1980 : NY Ritz
* Advert. Start : 12:00AM / Tick. Price : $10.00
Prince plays the Ritz in New York (the day after John Lennon was
murdered). The audience, which included Nona Hendryx, Andy
Warhol, members of Kiss, Tony Thompson and Nile Rodgers of
Chic, was described in Village Voice as being ”heavily street and
black.” About 10 minutes before midnight, the packed club began
to chant for Prince, and at the stroke of 12, a giant roar from the
crowd shook the place. At the pluck of the first note of ”Do It All
Night,” Prince had the audience in his hands. Nearly every tune
during the 90-minute performance was met with foot-stomping and
cheers. The most requested tune was ”Head,” which was turned
into a sing-along. After closing the concert with "Partyup,” Prince
and band came back on and performed ”Uptown,” which had the
audience singing along.
Very impressed, Bill Adler wrote in the Rolling Stone, ” Sneaking
out from the wings toward center stage, prancing like a pony
with his hands on his hips and then flinging a chorine kick with a
coquettish toss of his head. Prince is androgyny personified.
Slender and doe-eyed, with a faint pubescent moustache, he is
bare-chested beneath a grey, hip-length Edwardian jacket. The
effect is at once truly sexy and more than a little disorientating.
His breathy falsetto only adds to the ambiguity – for sheer girlish
vulnerability there’s no one around to touch him. Prince may be
the unlikeliest rock star, black or white, in recent memory - but a
star he definitely is.” Pablo Guzman, Village Voice, commented on Prince’s performance ”It was
a party ! Prince live is better than ever. Rock in the eighties has a new Prince. Will rock radio
be part of the coronation ? Stay tuned.”
11-12-1980 : Charleston Memorial Auditorium
Phone Interview for the LA Times
! Midnight Special
------ O(+>
Need more info about this entry
Appearance on The Midnight Special, US TV. Prince played "Partyup."
12-12-1980 : Chattanooga Memorial Auditorium
* Attendance : 3.700
13-12-1980 : Nashville Tennessee Theater
* Advert. Start : 7:30PM / Tick. Price : $9.00 / $8:00 / $7.00
14-12-1980 : Atlanta Fox Theater
* Advert. Start : 7:30PM / Tick. Price : $10.50 / $9:50
??-12-1980 : Winston-Salem
18-12-1980 : Memphis Ellis Auditorium
19-12-1980 : Baton Rouge Centroplex
20-12-1980 : Detroit Cobo Arena
* Attendance : 11.000 / 12.000
(Opening Acts : Teena Marie / Change)
Prince and Teena Marie almost sold out the 12,000-seat Cobo Arena in
Detroit, which was fast becoming one of the US cities with the strongest
Prince following.
Rita Griffin commented on the show in the Michigan Chronicle, ”Prince
must be classified as adult entertainment. As such, he’s as thoroughly
entertaining as Richard Pryor, Millie Jackson or Sexy Rexy, that is if
you like your entertainment raunchy. He doesn't turn his performance
into a freak show. There’s very little, if any, talking on his part No lulls
occur in this tight, polished production. Talk about beguiling.”
Billboard
Prince / Teena Marie
Shea’s Buffalo, NY. Admission : $9, $8
By Hanford Searl
Prince unleashed an auspicious here Dec. 4 in a first ever headlining
performance marking the start of his current eight-city East Coast tour.
Touting an upbeat execution of diverse, creative material in an 11-song
set, the Warner Bros artist was in total control during the hour plus
program. Flashes of Little Richard, Sylvester and Michael Jackson
emerged throughout the set which was sprinkled with disco, r&b, funk,
rock and new wave sounds. Highlights of Prince’s repertoire included
such disco-oriented sounds as Sexy Dancer and I Wanna Be Your Lover.
A soulful ballad, Gotta Broken Heart Again featured rich harmonies with
the first of many outstanding keyboard efforts by Matt Fink on
synthesizer and mellotrons. Aside from the strength of Prince’s material, his talented five-piece band was impressive leaded by lead
guitarist Dez Dickerson and bassist Andre Cymone. Prince himself executed topnotch guitar stylizations supported by Lisa Coleman
also on the keys as well as drummer Bobby Z, who knocked out intricate percussive elements.
21-12-1980 : LA Times
Dennis Hunt’s phone conversation with Prince was first published in Los Angeles Times, December 21st 1980. The Dirty Mind
album had been released and music journalists were intrigued by the high-powered blend of funk and rock and Prince’s forthright
lyrics. The Los Angeles Times interview was syndicated and appeared in several US newspapers in early 1981.
MORE THAN JUST A “DIRTY MIND”
When he was a precocious nine-year-old in Minneapolis, Prince used to sneak into his mother's bedroom and read her spicy
novels. They were underneath the Better Homes and Gardens and places like that Once I got tired of reading those stories, I wrote
my own. For a while I thought that’s what I wanted to do in life. But l realized as I got a little older I wasn't going to make any
money writing those novels. I think I would have been a failure at writing them I think reading those novels has a lot to do with
my sexuality and my openness about it. I think it affects you when you have a very early awareness about sexual issues.
Prince was interviewed by phone in Charleston, South Carolina. Unlike
just about every other artist, he prefers phone interviews.
I would wonder what it would be like if you were sitting here with me
? I don’t seem shy now but I would if you were here. I’m really shy
when I meet someone for the first time. I like to listen. I think other
people are more interesting than I am. An interview means I have to
do all the talking.
Until the last few months, Prince had done very few interviews. As a
result a Prince mystique sprang up.
When people couldn't talk to me or find out much about me, they
started making things up. I’m supposed to be a mysterious person but
I’m not mysterious.
But he's talking to the media mainly to help people understand Dirty
Mind.
I never thought the album would get a lot of airplay. Maybe I can help
those who buy it to understand it better. Anyway, it’s time I stepped
forward and started making myself heard. I've been spilling my guts
more to the media than I ever have to my friends. They'll find out
things from these interviews they didn’t know about.
One reason Prince is so dedicated to music is that as a child in
Minneapolis, singing and playing piano was his refuge against an
unhappy, scattered home life.
I have four brothers and sisters by different fathers and mothers. We
were never an immediate family. When I was 12 I ran away for the
first time because of problems with my stepfather. I went to live with
my real father but that didn’t last too long because he’s as stubborn as
I am. I lived with my aunt for a
while. I was constantly running from family to family. It was nice on one hand because I
always had a new family, but I didn’t like being shuffled around. I was bitter for a while but I
adjusted. My dad is black and Italian. My mom is a mixture of a bunch of things. I don’t
consider myself part of any race. I’m just a human being, I suppose.
He speculated that he was named Prince for an odd reason.
I think my father was kind of lashing out at my mother when he named me Prince.
His mother didn’t like his interest in music, he recalled.
I was into it a little too much for her. My father left home when I was seven. That's when I got
into music. She didn’t like that because music is what broke up her marriage. My father was
too serious about music. I was considered strange. I recall having a lot of strange dreams. I
spent a lot of time alone. I turned to music. In some ways it was more important than people.
A self-taught musician, he plays every instrument on his albums.
I learned how to play so many things out of boredom. I got bored with one and then I’d go on
and learn something else.
Prince is one of those Jekyll-and-Hyde types. Offstage he's shy; onstage he's a torrid performer.
I don’t say that much on stage. I’m still shy on stage. But it’s easy because it’s music. I’m just
interpreting music, which is still the one thing in life I feel good about.
26-12-1980 : Chicago Uptown Theater
* Advert. Start : 8:00PM / Tick. Price : $10.50
The highlight of the show came when Prince performed "Partyup." The strong anti-war
message was shared by the audience as they chanted in unison, "Partyup... got to partyup."
The band threw tambourines into the crowd and the concert was instantly transformed into a massive party of dancing, happy fans
when the band returned for ”Uptown," which was played as the finale.
Darrell Hill, Chicago Defender-Accent, summed up his views, "While his falsetto vocal
delivery leaves much to be desired at this point, Prince's originality, gifted musical prowess,
professional showmanship and appealing sexuality suggests a tremendous amount of
potential for endless success.”
??-??-1980 : Chicago Defender-Accent
By Darrel Hill
Prince, one of the contemporary music’s most explosive new talents,
recently brought his controversial stage show to Chicago’s Uptown Theatre.
It had been almost a year since the talented 20-year-old performer played
here and the enthusiastic crowd rose to their feet to welcome him back with
thunderous sounds of screaming approval. The high energy level
exemplified was reminiscent of the excitement a group called the Jackson 5
evoked when they toured the nation every year in the early ‘70s. The Prince
“concept” however, is a far cry from the bubble gum melodies of his
legendary predecessors. Prince and his five men, one woman band (an
interracial conglomerate of Minneapolis musicians, all under 22) defy
almost any attempt at categorization. Their “revolutionary rock’n’roll”
sound can best be described as rock music fusioned with a driving rhythm
and blues edge that creates an irresistible urge to bounce your head and pat
your feel. It’s not hard to figure out why the pulsating Prince beat has
been a favourite for some time throughout the nation’s various disco
circles. What’s really different about Prince, however, is his bold and
daring choice of X-rated lyrics. Witnessing quite a different kind of
show that will undoubtedly be the topic of many conversations until
Prince returns, the Uptown audience seemed to love every minute.
Prince was dressed in an outrageous costume consisting of a halfopened trench coat (offering a sneak preview of the bikini briefs,
underneath), long black leg warmer hose that stretched high above his
shapely thighs and black ankle boots. He proceeded to delight the
packed house with some exceptional guitar playing. Prince received
strong musical assistance from his equally outrageous band; shirtless Andre Cymone (20) on bass; clad in skin tight silk pants, redheaded guitarist Dez Dickerson (21); drummer Bobby Z (22); keyboards player s Lisa Coleman (18) and Dr Fink (22) dressed in an
entire surgical outfit complete with rubber gloves, stethoscope, surgical mask and even sunglasses. Playing 26 different instruments
when he was only 18-year-old, Prince became the youngest musician in the history of Warner Bros. Records to produce, arrange,
compose and perform his own material. The versatile performer dazzled the Uptown audience with all ten selections from his
current Dirty Mind album. The crossover hit I Wanna Be Your Lover, and a sizzling extended version of
Sexy Dancer (both from his 1979 Prince LP) added additional highlights to the show. Even though some of
his provocative lyrics deal with socially taboo topics like incest and oral sex, the Prince show is so
theatrically well presented with outstanding choreography, lights, special effects and dynamite music, that
it’s obvious he’s destined for superstardom. There has been much publicity about Prince’s shyness when it
comes to communicating verbally. It was interesting that he never spoke throughout the show with the
exception of an occasional “thank you.” However, he put so much energy into his performance that the
crowd didn’t seem to mind the absence of verbal rapport. The highlight of the evening came when the Prince
band performed the song Partyup, a hit from his current album. A strong political message was expressed
through anti-war lyrics, like “I don’t wanna die, I just wanna have a dirty good time...” Members of the
band threw tambourines into the audience and the concert was instantly transformed into a massive party
of dancing happy fans. Everybody chanted in unison, “Partyup... got to Partyup...” Soon the music died
down and as the band left the stage, the crowd begged for more. Cries for Prince’s top ten hit, Uptown
echoed off the Uptown Theatre walls. Suddenly smoke began to cover the stage as the opening bars of the
song were pumped from Dr Fink’s synthesizer. When the smoke cleared, the frantic fans were shocked to
discover Prince had shed his overcoat revealing his shapely torso covered solely by his extremely small pair
of black bikini briefs ! While his falsetto vocal delivery leaves much to be desired at this point, Prince’s
originality, gifted prowess, professional showmanship and appealing sexuality suggest a tremendous
amount of potential for endless success. Move over Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger and David
Bowie, the Eighties are here and Prince has arrived.
Night Beat
In this highly personal question & answer quiz you’ll see into the heart and
soul of an honest-to-goodness Prince !
Q. How was it growing up in Minneapolis as an ambitious young boy ?
A. It was a lot of fun for me because I had the kind of parents who
understood my need for music. And they encouraged to be aggressive. My
dad was a jazz band leader and my mom worked as a singer in the band.
So everything about our lifestyle was music.
Q. When did you know that music was going to be the most important thing
in your life ?
A. Way before I was 12, even though that was the age when I headed up
my own band which I called Champagne.
Q. Was it difficult to find work ? After all, you were just kids.
A. Yes, that’s true – we were just kids, but we were very, very talented
ones. As a matter of fact, work was plentiful. We worked hotels and all the
high school dances. And we performed much of our own material which
was fantastic. It was important to express my own thing. You know,
interpret the music that was busting to come out of my own soul.
Q. How long did you keep the group together ?
A. Five years. We all know it was time to move on to bigger and, hopefully,
better things. I figured if I was going to be serious about a music career. I
had better start getting busy.
Q. Where did you go next ?
A. New York. But before I left, I did a demo. And within two months, I had
two concrete promises from major labels. But I didn’t go for either one.
They wouldn’t let me produce myself. They had a lot of odd ideas which
included tubas, cellos and such. I knew I’d have to do it myself if it was
going to come out right. So I went back into the studio and cut three songs
and took them to Warner Bros. I liked the way they talked and we came up
with a good deal. And my first album for that company, For You, was a hit.
Q. You became an instant sex god because of that album; in what way did this affect you ?
A. Well, I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t have an affect because when thousands of girls are trying to pull your clothes off, that’s
quite an impact. Because of this image, I do have to be very careful where I go because things can get out of hand. So it
automatically puts limits on my social life. But as far as my music goes, I have that in perfect control. I am first a musician. That’s
my only reality because it’s real. If my body was the only thing to turn people on, then I’d quit the business. The physical thing is
shallow and fleeting. My music represents how I think, how I feel, the truths I’m searching for.
Q. How do you handle all these girls who want to pound on your door just to
look at you or touch you ?
A. I don’t. Well, suppose I did try to please all of these girls who seem to reach
out for me, where would I have the energy to play and write my music. Hey –
I love the idea that so many people dig what I’m doing. I’m a very lucky guy,
but I’m a professional, and to stay professional, I’ve got to keep the controls
well balanced.
Q. What kind of girl do you prefer to spend an evening with ?
A. One who is a natural lady. Someone I can respect. I don’t like being around
girls who misinterpret sex for love, I don’t like the idea of hurting anyone. I
love dating. I love and thoroughly enjoy being with nice people. But I know
that my image has made me an open challenge to many women around he
country.
Q. Would you live with a girl right now if you decided she was the perfect
companion ?
A. That’s hard to answer because it would require a lot of thinking. For me to
go to extent, I would have to be that involved emotionally. And right now, my
total concentration has to be on my career – my music. It would be unfair to
subject someone o my kind of tormenting schedule. It’s rough on me; you can
imagine how it would be on a girl who would expect you to save some time for her. Maybe one day things might be different, but
until it happens, I’m not going out looking for more problems for myself. I’m out to achieve certain things, and I still have a long
way to go. There is no need to rush into any kind of steady romance, I guess you can say that I’m having a romance with my
public, such as it is.
Q. What do you see in the future for Prince ?
A. Better music. To be seen as a messenger of love and hope. That’s all I’ve ever really wanted.