3. Prince And The Revolution - When Doves Cry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQp-yh1e-nY Prince was the Jimi Hendrix of the 80s. They both had three very important things in common; both were mesmerising guitar players, both had amazing soul voices, and without a doubt they were both obsessed with sex. But When Doves Cry wasnt one of Princes naughtier songs, it was a meditation on sadness, the inherited defects acquired from parents - think This be the verse by Phillip Larkin and give it a funk soundtrack, that showed what a wonderful songwriter Prince was. It was his first number one and unveiled the Purple Rain period, in which he merged the expansiveness of Funkadelic, James Brown and The Beatles; this was psychedelic pop, folk and soul in the space of one song. And for good measure he laid down some mean dance moves that turned himself into a sexual object; his bath scene at the start was an ironic fingers up to the way women were portrayed treated as objects in the decade - skinny boys could do it too and here was the man to do it. But without a doubt this was a song of loneliness and confusion, How can you just leave me standing? Alone in a world that's so cold? Maybe I'm just too demanding, maybe I'm just like my father, too bold, maybe you're just like my mother? And only Prince could have gotten away with calling his band The Revolution, mainly because in musical terms, he was Che Guevara.
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
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