PRINCE - FOR YOU

I'm pretty sure I've detailed my exposure to Prince in another post. How I came to really love and appreciate his work. Even though "For You" is Prince's first record, it's actually about the 5th or 6th for me. In fact, I think it was the last of his back catalog I purchased while catching up with him. When I was younger, I thought the further back you went, the crappier Prince's music got. I was so deeply connected to the sound of "Purple Rain" and "1999". Anything that didn't fit nicely into that sound was crap to me. However, since Prince was the only artist I knew of who was creating this music, I bought the older material and gave it a chance.

I think I have a unique perspective on the record. For me, it essentially followed the bigger hit records. And comparatively speaking, it isn't nearly as incredible as his later work. At the same time, I've had many, many years to listen to this work and invest in it on different levels. When you look at it like that, it shouldn't surprise you to learn I've grown to love this record. As I've discovered Prince through the years, I've developed an ear for his composition and his musicianship. I can listen to music and have a basic idea of when it was written and I can place it in his musical development. It's fascinating to listen to this earlier work and see how he evolves. I'm not sure there's ever been an artist you could so minutely trace their progression as much as Prince.

As much as I love the music here, I'm missing something. And it's the same thing I miss with most popular music. There's a strong heterosexual vibe on this record that I can't relate to. I'll go more in depth about that as I discuss the songs. But that barrier often prevents me from enjoying Prince's music as fully as I'd like.

'For You' is the title track and is basically a multi-layered vocal track with Prince singing the same lines over and over in different keys. The choral quality of the tune is rather pretty. And oddly prophetic. The simple lyrics are:
"All of this and more is for you.
With love, sincerity and deepest care,
My life with you I share."
Who knew at the time how much of my life I would share with Prince. And he with me and millions of fans worldwide. 'In Love' is the next song and I like it, but it always seems a bit murky to me. I've never quite related to the lyrics and when you consider lines like:
"I really wanna play in your river"...
it's not hard to understand why. This is a song so steeply based on heterosexual relationships, a gay kid like me could never fully appreciate the content. Same thing with 'Soft And Wet'. The one thing this track offers that 'In Love' doesn't is a more interesting musical arrangement. It's got a lot of quick starts and stops, but also interesting keyboard motifs happening. This song is one that really showcases Prince's ability to use his voice as an additional instrument to heighten arrangements. As he progressed, this became more normal and anticipated; but here is the first time you really see him blending his voice in innovative ways.

'Crazy You' is one of my favorite tracks on the record. I love the acoustic arrangement, the meandering beat and the desperate narrative delivered in a calm and somewhat sad voice. 'Just As Long As We're Together' is actually a track made from two separate songs. The instrumental bridge is a song Prince wrote called 'Jelly Jam'. It's shortened a bit, but it's an interesting combination. 'Baby' is another song I quite like, but don't really relate to. The song is basically about a guy finding out his girlfriend is pregnant and the song is his response to her news. Not in the sense I don't want to be a father or have kids. More from the standpoint of the relationship between the man and the woman.

'My Love Is Forever' is one of the faster paced songs on the record and is another one I really love. This album is loaded with more mid-tempo and slow material than faster stuff. But it should be noted it's also showcasing Prince as a song writer and musician. I think it would have been a stronger record if he'd focused on music he'd already demonstrated a mastery of rather than moving so broadly all over the board. 'So Blue' is another ballad based heavily on the accompaniment of acoustic guitar and discusses the sadness of losing a love. It's another track I love. The closing number on this record is 'I'm Yours'; which is essentially a rock and roll number with distorted electric guitar.

The majority of this music is performed by Prince in a falsetto voice. He's always said this was his natural singing voice. As a vocalist, I think Prince is great because he can use his voice as an instrument. His speaking voice is rather plain, but his singing voice is highly expressive. He can sound beautiful or ugly depending on the emotional context of the lyric. I have a great appreciation for vocalists of this nature.

As I've come to understand music more and more, I've started to see "For You" in the context of the music of the time and the artists who inspired Prince. It's quality is very similar to the singer/songwriters of that period, like Carole King, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond and Joni Mitchell. Prince obviously admired these people and his approach to this record reflects a need to demonstrate his kinship to them. It is a showcase record more than a true debut. It attempts social commentary on 'Baby' as teenage pregnancy was becoming more common and less of a taboo. Still, underage sex and unwanted pregnancy were huge topics of concern back then. Less so today.

It hasn't stood the test of time as well as other Prince recordings, but I still find the music enjoyable and fun to listen to. Give it a chance if you're so inclined. My final words: SHOWCASE RECORD ON THE CUSP OF GREATNESS.

PRINCE - FOR YOU
01. For You
02. In Love
03. Soft And Wet
04. Crazy You
05. Just As Long As We're Together
06. Baby
07. My Love Is Forever
08. So Blue
09. I'm Yours