After a heavenly start to the day with him, here’s why I’m probably going to hell, thanks to Prince Rogers Nelson.
The first time I heard “P. Control” was at Manning’s Skating Rink in 1980-shut-yo-mouth, and while that had to have been a mistake or just terrible naïveté on their part, I couldn’t be happier that I did. It’s tough focusing on lyrics when you’re on rollerskates dodging people and worn-out wooden track, so I was just in for Prince screaming about… “cats.”
(Prince ain’t landing me in Facebook jail, y’all. )
But with a closer listen, I realized one of my favorite Prince tracks actually had a real message. And he didn’t just sing about empowering women, Prince saw to it. Even now, women in music are mostly on the microphone. But throughout his multitude of bands, at some point, a woman played nearly every instrument on stage. A notable few even launched whole solo careers based on their time with Prince.
Recorded at the 1995 VH1 Fashion and Music Awards, this live version of “P. Control” features Prince, his then-wife Mayte Garcia, and his longtime keyboardist Lisa Coleman in starring roles, along with a host of stage extras, all with impeccable choreography and a variety of (then) fashionable fits. It’s enough to turn this already over-the-top song into an all-out shiny circus, and shut down your Sunday with a smile, you juvenile delinquent.
𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗢 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘:
“But please don’t be a victim of the 30 second byte
Listen 2 the words carefully
They are meant 2 uplift and enlighten
All the members of the female persuasion
So that no woman ever becomes a slave”