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| 3rdEyeGirl photo that appears on the social network accounts and on 3rdeyegirl.com |
I may be a little late, but I still have not shared my thoughts and opinions on the recent developments in the Prince camp. I remember when I first found the snippets of Screwdriver from a couple friends on twitter. The live version sounded amazing, and the studio snippet was okay. Then, new random Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts popped up all named '3rdeyegirl'.I thought the picture was pretty interesting, and the twitter account even more, boosting the slogan "Bootlegz 4 Dayz" and releasing new material from "the vault" that no one had ever heard before.
- "LayDown Xtended" - An extended remix version of the hidden track "Laydown" from the 20Ten album. Amazing effects from the synthesizers and guitars. A very worthy remix.
- "Same Page Different Book" - This is another one of those Prince songs where he speaks of something he feels is wrong with the world. In this case, it's religion - "There's only 1 God, whatever name he took. Only matters when it comes 2 war, what R we fighting 4?" Prince has always demonstrated anti-war messages even in his earlier songs like "Partuyp" and a good majority of the tracks from the Controversy album. The rap by the incredibly talented Shelby J. adds a great deal to the song. I think it's pretty good in general.
- "RNR Remix 7" - Better than any of the Jamie Lewis remixes available on the "Rock & Roll Love Affair" single on purplemusic.ch. This goes to show that nobody can remix a Prince song better than Prince himself.
- "Bambi" Live Video Rehearsal - WHAT!!!!!!!!! My mind was blown when I saw this video for the first time. The fact that Prince is bringing back an old rocker like that one made me very happy. Amazing guitar work as always and that raunchy feel that the original had made this performance alright in my book.
More excitement came when 20pr1nc3.com (later changed to prince2013.com) showed up with the Screwdriver lyric video and a preview of Prince at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. And even more when 3rdeyegirl.com appeared after the official single release of Screwdriver. In addition to Screwdriver and a rockin' remix of the song being available, also a new song: "Breakfast Can Wait" and "RNR Remix 7" were released all for the purchase price of $.088. Of course I didn't hesitate to download all the songs, even though I had RNR Remix 7 from back when it was on YouTube.
In the beginning, I didn't really like 30-second snippet of Screwdriver that was online. But, once the full song was released, it definitely grew on me. The first few lines of the song isn't the most ear-catching thing. But once the drums and that guitar riff kicks in, you are in for a party. And the lyrics are so subtle "I'm Ur driver, U're my screw!" It's that kind of dirty rock that Prince was known for back in the day. I personally think Prince is going back to his old ways, but more about that later.
For now, back to Breakfast Can Wait.
The song itself is amazing. And, in my opinion, it goes back to how Prince used to do music. A nice innuendo flows through the entire song. "I know Ur late, but I need another taste. Breakfast can wait." This came as a shock to me, seeing as most of Prince's recent material has been damn near squeaky clean. Notice I said damn near. You can always catch a sexual reference in a Prince song because, Prince will always be Prince. It doesn't matter that he became a Jehovah's Witness back in 2001. For example, in RNR Affair: "He said, 'My faith keeps me from willing, but U know that I'm able, and if there's some room I'd like 2 sit at Ur table.' She said, 'It's tight, but I think I can fit U in." Mmmhhmm, I see what you did there, Prince. Breakfast Can Wait really took me by surprise mainly because those are some of his most direct lyrics in nearly 10 years. "The only thing that I've been hoping 4 is b4 U go 2 work babe, we get it on... Fresh cup of coffee? No no, I'd rather have U in my glass... Come here, baby. Let me put U on my plate." The list goes on. He even pokes fun at his religion, "U know U might have 2 pray 4 me. We might need 2 congregate."
What's this? The return of the 'Rude Boy'?
Is Prince going back to his old ways with the suggestive lyrics again? Well it certainly seems like it. I was annoyed by a lot of people in his fan community that were saying things like, "I want the old Prince back. Where's all the sex?" SERIOUSLY? The man is 54 years old. There comes a time in every man's life... when he needs to mature. That's simply what Prince did. Even though he still made subtle sexual reference here and there, (what do you expect, he's Prince) he still had to mature at some point. However, this doesn't mean I'm opposed to him sort of returning to that old style. I'm actually quite pleased with it. In any other case, a 50-something year old man turning breakfast into a sexual innuendo wouldn't blow over so well. But, we're talking about Prince here. It's one of the things he's known for. The song could do with out that Donald Duck/chipmunk voice at the end, but it's just a minor mishap I guess.
Final point of reference - the "Screwdriver Live" video released for $1.77 on 3rdeyegirl's website. Not gonna lie, the beginning is sort of like a porno. Especially when the door opens and you can see Prince's figure in a cloud of smoke. And I have to talk about him holding his hand out with a slow "come here" gesture. Did I mention he's going back to his old ways? Yeah. The concept of the dance and "doing the screwdriver" is nice. The video wasn't really the best to me though. Didn't seem like a lot of effort was put into the performance. But, all in all, if Prince sells it, I'll buy it. And I honestly don't care if I like it or not.
I can't wait to see what 2013 brings for Prince. There's been talk of shows at Paisley Park this summer, and it's now confirmed that he WILL play the Montreaux Jazz Festival this year. Prince certainly knows how to keep people on their toes. You never know what he's going to do next, which is one of the perks of being a fan... most of the time at least.
Until next time, Peace & B Wild.
