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Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution · Barber Cuts: Beats and Bars

0:15
Welcome to Barbara Cuts, Beats and bars.
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We're a father to daughter music podcast that slices into some of
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the greatest albums, one cut at a time.
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With no industry ties or formal training, just a shared love of
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music, we explore albums across genres, rating favorites and
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skips while digging into what makes each one iconic.
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I bring the beats. And I bring the bars and
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together we deliver real talk and fresh takes from both sides
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of the sound. Hey everybody, I'm Riley.
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And I'm Don, and welcome to this week's episode of Barbara Cuts,
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where this week we're talking about Purple Rain from Prince
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and the Revolution at the Time 1984 album.
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So I think though, before we get into it, Riley, do you have some
1:00
concert news that you wanted to talk about or are you going to
1:03
talk about that later in the episode?
1:05
We'll get into it later in the episode.
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But just again, a reminder, we don't 100% prepare for these
1:14
other than a outline. So just want everyone.
1:19
It's it's, it's, it's authentic when we when we chat and we try
1:25
to keep it that way so that reactions are as good as they
1:29
can be or as bad as they can be. So in that case, weren't let's
1:36
go to least favorites from Prince and the Revolutions
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Purple Rain Go rally. So OK, so one of my least
1:45
favorites was the beautiful ones.
1:49
It was a lot slower than a lot of the other songs I noticed
1:55
rested on his very high pitched vocals in this song, which just
2:01
wasn't my favorite. He has he has decently high
2:05
register like to begin with, he just has a high boy.
2:08
And when he plays with like his range, I really like it.
2:11
But he kind of stayed in, I would call it a falsetto like
2:15
that, just really high pitched, like breathy.
2:19
It's very head singing and all of that.
2:21
And I'm not a big I'm I'm using all the techno, technical music
2:25
terms. I know it's it's.
2:26
Like it's like he's already got a high voice and then he goes
2:30
into that high falsetto like he. Yeah.
2:34
For Male, he's really getting up there.
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It's a, it's a very heady voice, so it's very breathy.
2:40
I, I tend to like a, a chest voice a lot more.
2:46
I think both of us do, we tend to like stronger vocals.
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Chess voice is also usually where you get like that jazzy
2:54
swap kind of sound. Like it's that very rich voice.
2:57
He he just didn't like play with that range as much with the
3:00
song. And so before you, before you go
3:03
on to your next one, were you about to move on?
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Oh, yes, yeah. OK.
3:07
It seems like you are. I was just going to say I that
3:10
was one of my least favorites as well.
3:12
And my note was it slowed way down from the first two.
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And normally for me, I would have moved on because it it did.
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But because we're listening through the album and given our
3:24
takes on it, I've obviously played it all the way through.
3:27
And I will say though the last minute or so of the song isn't
3:31
bad. Where he does get into that, I
3:33
don't know what to call it. That mix of what you were
3:36
calling chesty falsetto, wailing, sadness.
3:42
And and it's not quite it it's controlled screaming maybe is a
3:47
is a good way to put it so it like doesn't hurt your ears, but
3:52
it just it takes too long to get there in the song.
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And I would have, I would have moved on if I was just listening
3:59
to it, but that was also one of my least favorites and we kind
4:02
of agreed on the reason. And I wanted also talk about
4:06
that last minute though, because it that last minute I think was
4:08
pretty good. Yeah, I I agree.
4:10
There are quite a few songs on this album speaking to that that
4:14
like I thought parts of it were really good and then parts of it
4:19
ruined it and ruined is a very tough word.
4:23
Made it a little more like, I wish I could take this one part
4:26
out and I think it would still be good.
4:29
I mean, they're it's 9 songs in almost 45 minutes.
4:34
Like they're long songs usually like.
4:37
Computer Blue. Computer Blue.
4:40
The first time I listened to it, I wasn't a huge fan of it.
4:42
I didn't like the speaking at the beginning.
4:43
It kind of like took you out of it.
4:46
The speaking with like let's go like the Speaking of other parts
4:49
made sense, but computer blue just got out of place and the IT
4:54
made me a little weird, but I that that ended up not being my
4:59
least favorite. But I'm trying to talk about it
5:00
because my least favorite was darling Nikki, but I
5:04
respectfully refused to talk about that with you.
5:07
So. Perfect.
5:09
I'm going to leave it. Yeah.
5:12
That that is just because we are talking about it like that is
5:16
one of the songs that kick started the whole parental
5:20
advisory stickers that you see on albums and when you go to
5:25
stores now. That was one of the that was one
5:27
of the albums that kick started that.
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If you are above the age of 18, go go.
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Just experience it with no if you're if you're under 18 and
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don't listen to it. Yeah, which is mainly the
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recording artist's argument against putting the stickers on
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it. It's like, hey, you put that
5:50
sticker on it. You're telling every kid under
5:52
18 buy this album, which as any parent knows, and you've been
5:58
around kids babysitting and watching kids enough to know if
6:02
you want. Like, if you don't want a kid to
6:04
do something, don't tell them not to do it.
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Yeah, well, instantly go do it. But anyway.
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There's also, there's also a lot of there's a lot, but darn.
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And Mickey, oh boy, does it. Does it surprise you?
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Yeah, it does. So.
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So I already mentioned one of my least favorites with the
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beautiful, beautiful ones. The other one of mine was
6:27
Computer Blue and again, not sure there's any real reason
6:33
other than for both of these. Like it just didn't do enough
6:36
for me to like or you know, in the ratings of these songs like
6:41
any other way. The only thing that I will be
6:44
taking out of Computer Blue is find a way for to go grab an MP3
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of the computer voice that says yes Lisa and that will be my
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ringtone for Mama Barber and her tone.
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Yes, Lisa. Her name is Lisa, in case anyone
7:05
was wondering. That's that's.
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Funny, I I would hope they would make that connection.
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I don't know, we just talked about kids under people under
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18. Maybe a one year old is
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listening to this and can understand everything else but
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critical thinking that's so. Yeah.
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So maybe. That's why it makes me feel a
7:23
little uncomfortable, because it's my mom's name.
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Yeah, like. The the the computer and and
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even the computer blue one like in, in stuff that I saw like
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there, there's a computer blue version.
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It's like 14 minutes long that. Yeah.
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You know, a lot of these were edited down and you know, we'll
7:43
talk about this later, but this was a, a movie soundtrack, so
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there was some editing to get some of the stuff to, to fit
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with the soundtrack of the movie too, so.
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I will also say computer blue does so it ended up it was close
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to one of my least favorites, but it does deserve credit for
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the like the no, no, no, no, no, no, like that like weird little
8:08
beat that it has. I, I, I don't know.
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I love that little. It like it feels like a it feels
8:15
like a movie. It feels like a A.
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Video game. Yeah, yeah.
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And. I I just thoroughly enjoy that
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part. And, and and to your point of
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there's there's bits and pieces in each of these songs.
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So it's like, oh, I like that. Oh, I don't like that.
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Oh, I like that. I don't like that.
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But all right, so least favorites out of the way, Riley,
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What about the favorite songs? So my favorites where actually
8:43
the first and the last song, which it means that it was a
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pretty good album in my opinion. If you've listened to any of the
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other ones, I you gotta have a strong opener and you gotta have
8:54
a strong end or this album does that.
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So I'll talk about the first one, which is let's go crazy.
9:03
It's just such, it's a, it's a fun song, but if you read the
9:07
lyrics, it's a little like not fun at times.
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It talks and it kind of opens it up.
9:14
It it's just a very good intro song to kind of explain parts of
9:19
the album. It was very 80s, very 80s.
9:24
It almost had a little bit of like a old time gospel feel and
9:28
the sense of like yelling at the crowd and like wanting that
9:32
response. And he he even talks about like
9:35
he's coming. I don't think this is the one
9:37
where he can all do something. Messiah.
9:39
I don't think so, but he does say like, he's coming, like take
9:45
me away. It's all like this very almost
9:48
apocalyptic song, but a lyric that I thought was funny was,
9:54
well, not funny, but funny given the context of how upbeat this
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song is. It was, we're all excited, but
10:01
we don't know why. Maybe it's 'cause we're all
10:03
gonna die. And like, that caught me so off
10:05
guard 'cause I'm, I'm like this kind of happy song.
10:10
And it's like, well, poppy song. It's just upbeat.
10:13
It feels fun to listen to. And then I was like reading
10:16
through some of the lyrics and that one called me so off guard.
10:19
But it follows it up with you better live now before the Grim
10:22
Reaper comes knocking on your door.
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And so it goes back to that kind of what the song feels like of
10:27
like live to the fullest. You know, that kind of seems to
10:30
be the message of like, yeah, live now, live to the fullest.
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And talks a lot about like the elevator and I think that's
10:41
really funny. My other favorite was Purple
10:46
Rain. So going with most popular, I I
10:50
think this is his most popular song.
10:54
It's the one I knew of and had heard the chorus of, but I had
11:00
never listened to the whole song before.
11:04
It's long. And again, nor nor would you
11:07
most of the time because you would hear it on the radio
11:10
potentially and it's drastically cut down on the radio.
11:14
Yeah, so it's long, it's like 9 minutes, and there's a lot of
11:19
instrumental I so I looked up the meaning of Purple Rain
11:26
playing by Prince. It was kind of like this
11:29
apocalyptic end world. It was like the blood mixed with
11:34
the sky creates purple and I don't even know if I know what
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that means based on his description but I ended up with
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apocalyptic type end world situation.
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Is this full ring? That's what I got too.
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Or the afterlife apocalyptic. It's kind of a mixture of that.
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And so seeing the lyrics from that perspective of wanting to
12:00
see someone in that purple rain thriving almost, seeing them
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thrive in this end world times, it's very different than just
12:10
singing Purple Rain. I still very much enjoyed it and
12:14
I think that adds something to it.
12:16
I can 100% see why Purple Rain became like this anthem song
12:22
because I mean, the the parts where he sings Purple Rain, I
12:26
mean, it gets caught in your head.
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It's like it sounds nice. Anyone can sing it.
12:32
It's not super high, it's not super low.
12:35
Anything that had The Color Purple.
12:37
Like I can 100% see why this song became what it is, but I do
12:43
think there's a little bit of disservice to that because I
12:47
don't think many people know what they're singing or know the
12:50
message. And I think it's a neat message.
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And I think that's a little bit of a disservice to any song that
12:56
becomes super big. But really in in this one.
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Also, like you said, with the radio cutting it short, the way
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the instruments instruments play a role in this song.
13:08
I know I'm not the beats person, but the way the instruments play
13:12
a role is very interesting. There's almost, we talked about
13:17
it a little bit, but parts of it reminded me of the Pixies.
13:21
And then never mind where it does like this loud, soft, loud,
13:25
like the instruments kind of change in between each vocals
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between like building versus dropping versus building again.
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And it does it throughout the song and it kind of takes you on
13:35
a journey in the song. Even though the lyrics are very
13:41
repetitive, they don't get too deep.
13:44
It allows you to kind of feel along with the song.
13:48
Yeah, and a nine minute song doesn't get too boring.
13:52
Your parts where it gets a little bit, but yeah, I mean
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it's a 9 minute song. So, yeah, and, and you know,
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I'll go ahead and say Purple Rain is one of my favorites as
14:02
well. So I'll, I'll add on some things
14:04
here as to what you're saying the the on the on the beat music
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side of it. Again, it's this album's full of
14:14
it. So you mentioned let's go crazy.
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Purple Rain is 1. There are some very iconic
14:20
openings to songs that come from this album.
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This is one of them. You you hear the that guitar
14:27
strum and you instantly know that's Purple rain.
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But it's got that slow and melodic opening.
14:35
But the song builds throughout, not throughout the entire song,
14:43
at least on on the album, the the 8-9 minute version, but it
14:48
does start to build and the chorus when it finally does come
14:53
in and the performance got a nice harmony to it.
14:57
But yet, even though as the song is building and still follow,
15:01
still does some of the loud, soft, loud that you're talking
15:03
about even, which is neat because it's building, but yet
15:08
it's still taking things out and adding things in, which is very
15:14
nice. And then he's also got a a
15:18
called it here, a guttural wailing at one point, you know,
15:22
and that that we've talked about.
15:23
Like you can hear the distress in his voice and with him
15:26
talking about it being some apocalyptic Purple Rain event,
15:30
the distress makes sense. Like something bad is happening.
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And I want this to to be all OK. We are, you know, whatever the
15:39
the lyrics are there. So that distress makes sense
15:41
that it wouldn't happen. And then, you know, the ending
15:46
of it like you talked about. Yeah.
15:48
It's Spotify where we're listening to them and so it's 8
15:53
minutes, 41 seconds to be exact. So it does go on longer than
15:56
your radio edit. And are there parts that could
16:00
be removed? OK, yeah, I'll give you that.
16:03
You know, it's probably almost cut in half for the radio edit
16:06
maybe. But I think musically the and I
16:11
put in quotes in my notes the dying of the song because it
16:15
reaches that climax and then the instrumental instrumental part
16:19
at the end starts to take things away.
16:23
And so it's almost like it has hit that apocalyptic event in
16:29
the middle ish toward the end of the song.
16:32
And then it it start the song itself starts to die.
16:36
I'm hearing quotes and it really better portrays what the rest of
16:40
the song is about lyrically. Musically it follows the same
16:45
thing which which I think you miss in the radio edit.
16:49
But if you give this 9 minutes a listen you may hear that and
16:54
it's really neat to see what what what Prince did there.
16:57
So thought I'd add just stuff that I was thinking of and feel
17:02
free to the. The distress comes from, so it's
17:08
all about wanting to see someone and be with someone during the
17:11
same time. So it almost comes across as
17:13
like till death do us part. Like I want to be there with
17:16
you, but something happened and I messed it up and now I'm not
17:20
gonna be there and it's my fault and you need to like it.
17:24
It kind of talks about it's all time we reach out for something
17:27
new that means you too. So it's like it's kind of
17:30
talking about how these paths are growing apart and he's
17:33
trying to get people to the Purple Rain and he wants to see
17:38
that person there, and that's just not gonna happen.
17:41
And that's where like this distress comes from.
17:43
And so full Full disclosure, I have not seen the movie that I
17:49
remember either. And, and I'd love like I added
17:54
it to my watch list of fun time to go and watch at some point
17:57
now that I've re listened to the album and and for some like I'd
18:01
love to see where and how Purple Rain fits into the the story of
18:09
it. You know, at A at a high level,
18:12
I I know it, it's about two quote rival musicians going
18:17
after the the same girl. And again, that's super high
18:21
level from from what I can see on the Internet.
18:24
But so I'd love to see how some of these songs that are such
18:29
iconic songs, how they fit into in into the movie itself.
18:33
But this is another one of those that it's really hard not to
18:36
like the song, you know, But any anything else on that one for a
18:43
move on to my other favorite one.
18:45
No, no, I got it. So my other favorite and and it
18:49
was a toss up between Let's Go crazy and for me when I ended up
18:54
with was when Doves cry again mentioned iconic openings.
18:59
This is another one everybody's going to know, or I say
19:03
everybody, lots of people are going to know the opening of the
19:06
song. And one of the things, again,
19:10
never really picked up on it until I was doing the research
19:14
for this episode and realized that it doesn't have a baseline.
19:18
So there's no bass to it. There was one, but he took it
19:24
out because Prince thought it made the song sound too normal.
19:28
So, you know, you can go back and listen to When Doves Cry and
19:33
realized sure enough, yeah, of course, like he's not lying.
19:38
But yeah, there's no no bass line there.
19:41
And then the right around like the again, fairly long song 5,
19:47
you know, 5 minutes, 54 seconds. So right around the five minute
19:50
mark, there's a synthesizer solo that is really good.
19:56
And then at the very end of the song, there's this little run up
20:00
and the keyboard. Does this start at a low?
20:03
And it and it's and it's not like and you know, I took piano
20:07
lessons for years and anybody listens to this that knows that
20:12
would be so upset with me. But you know, when you take your
20:16
hands and, you know, run up the keyboard, it's not that it's a
20:20
particular and goes to the end, which I thought that was kind of
20:26
neat too. So Purple Rain and When Doves
20:30
cry are my two favorite and yes, I'm part of the pop crowd
20:36
because those are is to most stream.
20:40
But as I listen to the album, it's like, OK, Yep, just just
20:43
keep going back to these two over and over again is the ones
20:46
that I like. So, you know, baseline is
20:48
interesting, but it makes sense to me.
20:51
The the reason Cause so to me, again, no musical knowledge
20:56
whatsoever, but to me, a, a drum is kind of a guiding beat.
21:02
Usually there's always gonna be like the don't, don't, don't,
21:06
don't in the background that if you listen really closely, you
21:08
can find. But a bass is usually a unifying
21:13
beat. So it makes sense that taking it
21:16
out makes it sound weird. Cause usually a bass is also
21:19
pretty repetitive, pretty low usually and it kind of brings
21:23
the sounds all together. I I mean it makes sense that he
21:28
would take it out to make it sound a little off, but.
21:33
It's, it's, it's all, it's often times the, the drums
21:37
specifically that, that kick drum, you know, that, that big
21:42
bass drum that's in the middle that they drummers play with
21:45
their feet that and, and you know, of course the rest of the
21:50
drums, but often times they do the fills.
21:54
But that and that and that baseline, they usually provide a
21:57
foundation that all your other instruments can build on and do
22:02
whatever they want to and change rhythms.
22:05
And sometimes those two just kind of keep that same clock
22:10
ticking for for them to hear, for the musicians to hear that
22:14
to where they can come back to it whenever they need to.
22:18
And so yeah, to to go without one when you.
22:21
And when I went back and listened to it after I saw that,
22:23
I was like, Oh yeah, that is that is neat.
22:26
And and I can see I wouldn't. So I wonder cause 'cause in
22:30
music production it's very different and you worded that
22:34
way better than I did, so thank you for that.
22:36
But I wonder if this song is like miserable to play live
22:41
because there is not that bass line like you said like most of
22:45
the time there is like that track that you can go back to.
22:48
Yeah. And find and that's usually in
22:50
the bass liner drums. So I want, I wonder if this song
22:53
is like, oh, I don't want to play it live because I have to
22:57
get it right. Yeah, this is the one where the
22:59
bass guy goes off and takes a break while everybody else keeps
23:02
playing. They don't them are the poor
23:05
drummers. Golly watch.
23:06
Watch them during concerts. I love watching the drums.
23:11
Bless them. They don't get that.
23:12
They never. Get a break and they're just
23:14
hands wailing their entire time. Especially if they if they're
23:19
getting into it, yeah. And if you look at a if you look
23:21
at a bassist, watch a bassist face when they're doing things
23:25
guitar do it too, but mostly bass.
23:27
Like they look in pain when they're like really getting into
23:31
it, like they get really stiff and they're like faces you can't
23:35
see. Nobody can see me, but they get
23:37
really she's. Mimicking what she's talking
23:39
about. Look so in pain and like I just
23:43
am in in awe like they're I love watching faces 'cause their
23:47
bodies start moving like they're not controlling it and it just
23:51
it's so much fun to watch. Yeah.
23:53
And and the other, the other one that I want to mention just
23:56
before we go on, you know this is this is from the 80s.
24:01
So it's it's mainly a pop album. Like there's, there's some other
24:04
undertones there of R&B and funk and soul and things like that.
24:10
But it's it's probably by far pop album and it's definitely
24:15
80s. And so got a shout out to Mama
24:20
Barber and I Would Die for you. Like that song makes her think
24:25
of roller skating, which probably everybody that my age
24:29
is like, Oh yeah, I know they're rolling the roller rink.
24:33
Easy for me to say. The roller rink where I'm going.
24:36
And Prince is jamming, blasting through the speakers and I'm.
24:41
That is the one where he says that he's he's your Messiah.
24:44
So. That's what I was thinking of.
24:47
But that one, that one was my third favorite.
24:49
I really liked that song. It's fun.
24:51
Yeah, those, those last four as I'm looking at them.
24:55
When doves cry, I would die for you, baby, I'm a Star and Purple
24:59
Rain. Those four really good, like
25:01
Baby, Maybe I'm a Star is is one of the lesser streamed ones.
25:06
But the more I listen to it, the more I was like, man, that's a
25:09
that's a underrated song and it's really good.
25:12
So yeah. But yeah, I also wanted to make
25:19
it make it known this is definitely a old school roller
25:23
skating album full of roller skating songs.
25:26
So that being said, besides when you strap on the roller skates,
25:32
why would you want to listen to the song?
25:35
Break your tail. Dislocate your tailbone.
25:38
Yeah, now why would anybody roller skating do that, Riley?
25:42
Oh, that's because she did. On the tennis.
25:45
Court and. I proceeded to roof on it for a
25:49
whole summer. Girl power.
25:51
Oh, I mean, you kind of talked about it like talk about iconic
25:56
intros, iconic songs. I would say.
25:59
So Prince for me, I, I knew of Prince, obviously, I don't think
26:05
most people, I think most people do know.
26:08
And to me he is akin in some ways to Michael Jackson and that
26:15
he became just as famous as his music.
26:19
He he became like this pop icon that to me was different than
26:27
what we had seen before. I mean, we had seen The Beatles
26:30
craze, we had seen Elvis Presley fit craze and all of that.
26:34
But I mean, Prince just became this almost different entity,
26:40
almost he he just went beyond generations and ages and like he
26:48
randomly appeared a New Girl at that's a random thing started
26:52
back this album in particular. And I'm going more on a Prince
26:56
tangent than anything, but he he just became a defining character
27:02
in music and a defining character outside of music, just
27:06
as a person. And he's one of the bigger
27:11
examples that we've seen of that.
27:12
One of the first kind of examples where we've seen of
27:14
that where he becomes so much bigger than just his music, just
27:17
his music. Whereas like The Beatles and
27:20
Elvis, most of it was on the scandal of it.
27:24
Elvis was scandalous in his movements and it was a lot of
27:27
young girls that was his population and they liked him
27:30
because they felt rebelling. The Beatles music was a little
27:34
bit more rebellious because it was like this hippie anti anti
27:38
establishment almost and it's a little way.
27:43
Whereas Prince just made fun music most of the time he just
27:46
kind of made this pop music. He became like this.
27:48
I would I would say just lovable figure all things considered,
27:54
and he's just one of the first examples of that.
27:57
But this album kind of solidifies that image with the
28:01
songs being this high energy, fun music.
28:06
Followed up with Purple Rain. It has a little bit, not gonna
28:11
harp on this, but darling Nikki kind of emphasizes like his kind
28:15
of heartthrob status that he he did have on people and it just
28:21
kind of reaches all the different points of what made
28:25
him so big. Yeah.
28:28
And, you know, to me, as I was, you know, looking at it, I was
28:32
like, OK, Prince, which is, like you said, a name that so many
28:38
people recognize. But yet again, most of ours are
28:44
on, you know, we're, we're Spotify people.
28:48
And so Purple Rain is his most streamed and it's 575,000,000.
28:53
He doesn't have 1 / a billion streams, which I found, I found
28:58
strange, you know, given when I hear the name Prince, I'm like,
29:03
Oh yeah, this song and this song and this song, this song and you
29:06
can name these songs. So I did find that odd.
29:09
But, you know, talking specifically about Purple Rain,
29:14
this is the Prince album. Yeah, he's got obviously other
29:21
albums and some other ones that have got some great songs on
29:24
them. The the closest one, you know,
29:26
Purple Rain song is his most streamed kisses right behind it
29:32
at 519. But you know, when Doves cries
29:37
over 300 million, let's go crazy.
29:39
He's right at 150 million. So those are some big songs.
29:46
And so this album itself, so June of 1984, and we mentioned
29:54
it's a soundtrack movie, the same name, starring Prince.
29:59
It was his first album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200.
30:04
It's been 24 consecutive weeks at #1.
30:09
So half a year at #1 and then it was present on the chart.
30:17
I saw a couple different numbers.
30:18
One said I think 122 weeks, another one said 167 weeks.
30:23
So for almost three years, it was ranked on the Billboard Top
30:30
200, which is crazy When Doves Cry and Let's Go Crazy both
30:35
reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Purple Rain, reach #2 and I
30:41
would Die for you reach #8. It won the album 1-2 Grammys,
30:46
also won an Academy Award for best original song score.
30:51
And at the time, Prince joined two other pretty big names.
30:55
You've already mentioned Elvis and The Beatles as being the
30:59
only artist to have a number one album, a number one single and a
31:06
number one film at the box office in the US all at the same
31:10
time. So all in like the same weekend,
31:14
which is crazy. I think there's been a couple
31:16
other since then, but that was hard to nail down.
31:20
And also just to throw in all of that, it was it also was
31:26
actually fighting with another album at the time that was
31:29
massively popular and that was in in a completely different
31:33
genre. So Born in the USA by Bruce
31:36
Springsteen was in 1984. So those two albums were
31:41
essentially fighting back and forth, you know, and for this
31:44
one to have all these accolades is, is quite impressive.
31:49
And, and we do have a Springsteen album on our list,
31:52
but it's not that one. So 2010, the album was inducted
31:57
in the Grammy Hall of Fame. 2012, it was added to the
32:00
Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.
32:04
The film was added to the National Film Registry in 2019.
32:08
It's #8 on the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums and the 2024 Apple
32:14
Music 100 Best Albums poll ranked it as #1 So you want to
32:22
know why to go listen to it? Because everybody else in the
32:26
world probably has. So if you haven't listened to
32:30
it, you are definitely in the minority.
32:33
I would. Think yeah, that was that was
32:35
so. That was that was me so.
32:39
You're not anymore. Not anymore.
32:41
Not anymore. Welcome to.
32:43
The Revolution, Yes, that was a bad joke.
32:48
Most of you all Mama Pod and Papa Pod really enjoyed Prince
32:56
and I really knew that Mama Pod really loves Prince because my I
33:03
remember this, this week, the only experience I had with
33:07
Prince other than the chorus of Purple Rain, which I would say
33:10
the course of Purple Rain is not the majority of Prince.
33:14
I would say the only experience I had of him was driving in the
33:22
car back from midtown. I'm I'm explaining this, you'll
33:26
know what I'm saying on getting on that Interstate, being in the
33:29
back roads and everything. And Raspberry Beret comes on and
33:34
Mama pod is like, I used to love this song turns it on, starts
33:39
singing every word of it. And I'm sitting in the front
33:41
seat thinking my mom has gone insane because what is this?
33:45
I really did not like craft favorite.
33:48
I was still not a huge fan, but I was this would have been mid
33:52
teens, so it wouldn't weigh out there for me.
33:58
And I just remember being like, this is what?
34:01
Like it. It was probably the first time
34:03
it hit me like the 80s really were a different time listening
34:07
to Raspberry Beret and hearing like, oh, this is what was
34:11
popular. Yeah.
34:13
So that's what I was going into this album with.
34:16
And I was like, oh, brother, this, this might be bad.
34:21
And I I listened to it and I really enjoyed it.
34:26
I mean, it's very 80s. It's still very much a different
34:30
time for music. But it like you said with with
34:34
all the accolades that it has, it made history.
34:37
Yeah. You have to listen to it right?
34:40
Like this isn't a debatable album.
34:42
Yeah, And I would say this, this album is, for me, a good
34:46
personal opinion. This is quintessential 80s
34:49
music. Like, yeah, this.
34:51
Of course. Were there other genres in the
34:53
80s? Absolutely.
34:55
But when? When most people say, oh, 80s
34:59
music, did you like 80s music or did you not?
35:02
This is one of those ones that is like, Yep, this is what
35:06
people are talking about. Madonna is another one that's in
35:09
there that had some like quintessential 80s type of
35:12
stuff. And you know, just for those
35:15
that listen to this entire episode from the cliffhanger of
35:19
how many 80s albums have we reviewed from last time?
35:23
It's a trick question because we have recorded only one and it
35:27
was the cure from 1989, but we've talked about another 1
35:32
from 1980 that we hadn't recorded yet.
35:35
But so I won't mention what it is.
35:38
But so we haven't done too many in the in the 80s.
35:42
So and none really with this quintessential what I'm calling
35:46
80s eighties sounds. So it, it, it's, it's definitely
35:51
there. So next, what'd you rate it?
35:55
Given all of that, what did you rate it?
35:58
Rally. Given all that, objectively, I'm
36:01
really gonna have to give it a 10.
36:04
I like, I mean, it's, it's a brilliant album.
36:11
I mean, we've, we talked about parts being too long and taking
36:15
them out, but like that, I don't feel like I could take them out.
36:18
Even if it's like personal preference.
36:20
I feel like they have to be in there in this, this way.
36:23
And with it being this, this music soundtrack, I can I can
36:27
picture how parts work out and where they fit and where the
36:31
instrumentals even fit and all of that very vividly.
36:35
So if we go back to our original definition of like, objectively
36:38
good, did they get what they wanted to get done?
36:41
I mean, yeah. I, I would imagine it would be
36:43
even better in a a movie setting than just listening through the
36:46
album because you really get to see those instrumentals shine.
36:52
And going along with it being a quintessential 80s album, it's
36:57
it may not be my taste, but it's hard to dock something that kind
37:01
of like defines an era. Yeah, true.
37:03
Of music, but for personal taste I rated it A7.
37:08
I really liked it a lot more than I thought I did or thought
37:12
I would. 80s music is still not my thing, but I would say I
37:17
definitely got like 3 or 4 songs that I will pull and listen to
37:21
like of my own volition again and really enjoy.
37:25
And that's, that's big for it being an 80s album for my taste
37:30
in music, that's that's a big thing.
37:32
Yeah, funnily enough, I am the exact same personal 7 objective
37:39
10. Really just what you're talking
37:42
about it it's that's what we've talked about.
37:45
It's it's it's hard and it's hard not to give it a 10
37:50
personally. Yeah, it's not my Super Cup of
37:53
tea. And maybe with most or with a
37:57
lot of 80s music and, and we talked about this before I'm I
38:03
may not ever actively go and search out one of these songs to
38:07
listen to. Usually for most of the Prince
38:11
songs when they come in like, Oh yeah, I like the song.
38:14
And I would sing along, you know, and, and remembered most
38:20
of the lyrics, especially of the popular ones, as soon as they
38:24
came on, you know, and, and so it was, it was nice to, you
38:31
know, relive through that a little bit.
38:33
So. So that was neat.
38:35
Not to get not to get cheesy or sappy, but oh boy would I listen
38:41
to these songs 10 times over to see Mama pods excitement when
38:46
any when any a Prince song comes on, it's like a she's like a she
38:50
goes on autopilot. She's like, I know this song.
38:53
She starts singing every word. She does a little dance.
38:56
She gets so excited. It's like the child, like joy
38:58
just comes back and it's it's so.
39:00
Much child in her kicks in, and she's just.
39:02
Like so fun to see. You know, yeah, she.
39:05
Just gets so excited. Big hairdo pops out all of a
39:08
sudden. Oh yeah.
39:09
Straps those roller skates on. So Riley, what is now?
39:16
We got done with ratings? What's the best bar, best lyric
39:20
from this album? So mine was from Let's Go Crazy.
39:23
And it was the part where he sings Doctor, everything will be
39:29
all right. We'll make everything go wrong.
39:31
Hills and thrills and daffodils will kill.
39:33
Hey, tough children, He's coming.
39:35
He's coming. Take me Away.
39:38
I mean, again, that's an upbeat sounding song.
39:42
What the heck? Where did that come from?
39:45
Yeah, but the the message of I think it's a beautiful message
39:49
when he, when anyone talks about the people who say everything
39:53
will be all right, like that's respectfully bull.
39:57
It's like, I mean, that's just not comforting.
40:01
It's one of those cardinal sins of comforting someone who's
40:03
like, oh, everything will work out.
40:05
And it's like, no, that's not how it like you can't promise
40:09
that to me. And usually the people saying
40:12
everything will work out are the people who who like are adding
40:15
to the chaos of it. And and I think that's just a
40:20
great message. And I think the line where pills
40:24
and thrills and I found it interesting that he included in
40:27
daffodils will kill. I don't know.
40:30
I'm sure there's a reason. I don't know the reason.
40:32
I don't know if that's 'cause it's a weed.
40:35
That was the connection I'll kill.
40:39
But then he just kind of goes into this Hank Tuffled string.
40:43
He's coming, takes me. And it's like this beautiful
40:47
ending to like this opening song.
40:49
Like Hank Tuff, you got it. I'm gone so.
40:54
My my best beat for me, actually, if you were listening
41:00
to Let's Go Crazy, would come maybe 20 seconds after your
41:05
lyrics end. And it was so around 3:40.
41:11
You know, the song has been building.
41:12
It sounds like it sounds like it's about to end.
41:16
And then at exactly 352, it gives the, you know, Big Bang
41:23
ending, but yet you hear the guitar note in that end keep
41:29
going. And then it kicks in immediately
41:32
into a guitar solo that is only guitar.
41:35
There's no other music going. And that's really neat because
41:40
that guitar work stands out, only lasts about 20 seconds, and
41:45
then rebuilds back into the actual ending.
41:47
And so I just thought that was a neat use of the music and, you
41:55
know, growing to what seems like an end, a false end.
41:59
And then I have a guitar solo where it's so focused on the
42:02
guitar, no other music, no other voices, anything going.
42:08
So that was neat to me. Alright, Riley, what was your
42:13
song of the week? I'll talk This goes into the
42:16
concert. My Son of the Week was just
42:20
about any song by Edge Hill, but if I have to pick a song if
42:25
there's out of all of them I'll say lol.
42:29
It just released this past Friday so I'm about to go on an
42:33
Edge Hill rant. So Edge Hill is a small band in
42:38
Nashville. And so not too many podcasts
42:43
ago, you did give an Edge Hill song, right?
42:46
Yes. So I can't remember if it was I
42:50
can be your dog or shooting glances.
42:53
I think you're shooting glances. That was my top one or my song
42:57
of the week. And some of y'all knew who that
43:01
was. That was great.
43:02
But I love edge hill. They're pretty small.
43:07
They're under 200 K monthly listeners, but they're they're
43:09
growing. They have a few really big songs
43:14
and they I mean, I so they don't have that many songs out.
43:19
I listen to all of them. There's songs that they've
43:22
released today actually. And when I tell you there's not
43:26
one that I didn't add to my liked.
43:29
Like I, I genuinely do not have a song of theirs that I don't
43:32
like yet. They're an incredible band and I
43:36
got to see them in concert this week or this past weekend with
43:40
my good friend Kate. She's also been mentioned friend
43:43
of the show, friend of the show they were opening for.
43:47
Technically, she's more than friend of the show.
43:49
She's roommate of the show. She's.
43:52
Roommate of the show. She's roommate of half of the
43:55
show. Yes, but she, we were Edge Hill
43:59
was opening for the Hail, which she knew.
44:03
And so it was like this perfect little concert that both of us
44:06
could go to. And afterwards the hails did
44:08
amazing. But she was like, Oh my gosh,
44:10
Edge Hill went crazy. And so she's been listening to
44:14
them on repeat, too. We're already talking about when
44:17
we can go to Nashville to see them next.
44:20
They are just so good and they performed so well.
44:26
I have a personal, personal choice that when I go to
44:30
concerts, I only film at most 30 seconds of my favorite song so
44:36
that I can really be in the moment.
44:37
So I only have a short clip of Edge Hill performing,
44:41
unfortunately, but it it just kind of gives an idea.
44:46
I'll post some of them and the Hales because they did great
44:48
too. But I had the privilege of
44:50
talking to the singer for Edge Hill and he's just the nicest
44:54
guy. I told him that we shouted, I
44:57
shouted them out and he like pulled up the podcast.
45:00
It was like, I'm going to listen to it and all of that.
45:03
Just super nice guy. I can't say enough good things
45:06
about them. Also on the radar, Rainbow
45:11
Kitten Surprise album finally releases this week.
45:14
I talked about that in previous episode 2.
45:16
Yeah, and so let's go. You had shared your experience
45:23
with us. And and so brother Barbara was
45:25
was at home this weekend. And so I was telling him and he
45:28
and he even said like, that's really neat.
45:32
You know, I and I I get it. It's at some point as a band,
45:37
celebrity in general, you, you can't interact with everybody
45:40
that comes your way. I get it, because there you get
45:44
to a tipping point where there's just too many people you know.
45:48
But but for the the smaller ones and artists like for him to do
45:54
that with you, like OK, that is really cool.
45:57
And for fans goes a super long way to just like, OK, I love you
46:04
and your music even more now because you're genuinely a kind
46:09
person like you. You could have turned your back
46:12
and walked off and he may have like unfollowed, like ain't
46:15
listen to that, like very well could have.
46:17
And that's all in his prerogative.
46:19
But the fact that he took the time to find it while you're
46:22
sitting there chatting with him with I'm sure a line and like
46:25
fault like that's that's just so cool.
46:27
So. Yeah, they were also.
46:29
Not out to edge Hill. Yeah, they were also just like
46:32
chilling in the couches, like where everyone could see them
46:36
and go talk to them. Like they were just very
46:38
approachable. I was like, y'all did great.
46:40
And one of them kind of looked at me like surprised that I was
46:43
like saying like he just got caught off guard.
46:47
And he, like I told Kate, he looked at me like he was about
46:50
to cry. Like it genuinely meant a lot
46:52
that I said that they did great. He was like, thank you.
46:56
But yeah, that's one of my favorite things about Knoxville
46:58
concerts is we have a lot of smaller artists, a lot of the
47:02
shows that I really enjoy going to have, like they range, but 50
47:07
people, which was like this one, like it's a very close knit
47:11
little family to like 300. But even then, almost every
47:16
artist that I've gone to see has backed their merch table and
47:20
like stayed hours after the concert to stay and talk to
47:24
their fans. And it's just really neat to
47:26
see. But they they were one of the
47:29
nicest that I've interacted with ever.
47:31
They just and I everyone seemed to have the same.
47:35
Yeah, yeah, as the. That was neat to hear that
47:38
story, so. Shout out edge Hill.
47:41
Shout out. Lol yeah go get them and listen.
47:45
Listen. News, all of them.
47:47
Yeah, and, and we also got to see footage.
47:51
Brother Barbara went to see Benson Boone in Nashville not
47:54
too long ago and saw some videos that he had and, and again, from
47:59
the clips that I saw, fantastic show.
48:01
So whether or not you're a Benson Boone fan or not, like
48:05
the show itself, the showmanship is.
48:08
He's a great performer. And it was the the parts that I
48:11
saw were really incredible. So if if you are close to a
48:16
Benson Boone show and on the fence, go go watch it.
48:21
So my song of the week, also a random one that I stumbled
48:27
across on Instagram, Carly. Oh, so I guess I may butcher the
48:33
name. And so sorry.
48:34
He's from New Zealand and it's boombastic.
48:39
It's the name of the song. It's a cover of Shaggy.
48:43
And so the Shaggy version is reggae.
48:47
This version is not that at all. So Carly is a folk musician, so
48:54
he in Instagram videos and it sounds like what he does.
48:59
I think he's got some new musicians along with him, but he
49:03
is an acoustic guitar and a kick drum.
49:06
And so he does both of them. But he pushes his acoustic
49:12
guitar through a pedal, so a Blues pedal.
49:17
So it gives it a nice sound, gives it a reverb, distorts it
49:21
quite a bit. So he's got several.
49:23
So it's not a clean acoustic guitar like you're used to.
49:26
It does have some, if you go back to listen to Pearl Jam,
49:30
Nirvana, some of those ones where we talk about The Dirty
49:33
and clean music. This has got a way more dirty
49:35
sound to it, at least on on this song.
49:39
And so it's a bluesy rock rendition of Boombastic.
49:45
So like, go back if you like White Stripes, go listen to this
49:48
song because you could hear Jack White doing it.
49:54
And but yet listening to some of his other music, it's it's not
49:58
quite that heavy. And so I do see why he calls
50:01
himself a folk musician. So I really like the song
50:06
Boombastic. Randomly found it on Instagram
50:10
and I'm like, OK, let me go find him on Spotify and listen to the
50:13
whole song. It's like, that's really good.
50:16
So Carly also in past nice, my song of the wing, random artists
50:24
that you run across on Instagram.
50:27
Speaking of Instagram. Oh, what a transition.
50:32
You're really getting good at this whole.
50:33
Man, yeah, I'm trying, I'm trying.
50:37
So we are on Instagram X facebook.barbercutspodandyoucanalsosendusanemailbarbercutspod@gmail.com
50:53
on all of those to chat if you would like tell us.
50:57
We're crazy. It's nice to see.
51:01
You know, we started this, this is 16 episodes in.
51:05
And so, you know, when we started, we were 100% of our
51:09
listeners were from the US. We're down now to almost 90% of
51:14
our listeners. So 10% of our listeners are
51:17
coming from outside the US Sweden is, is still at the top
51:21
of the list. So go, go Sweden.
51:25
And so it's really neat. So we'd love if y'all got song
51:28
recommendations or want to chat about any of it, feel free, feel
51:33
free to reach out. So that being said, I guess
51:37
we're on to the next album. What is our next album?
51:41
Our next album is The Doors by the Doors.
51:47
Yeah, so this gets back more to my fun stuff.
51:51
Yeah, I'm looking for to. I have never heard of the Doors.
51:55
Oh God, somewhere along the line I failed her.
51:59
You got Pearl Jam and you got Chris Cornell and got those
52:02
great for me. But the Doors?
52:04
The doors, the doors, the doors. Maybe one of those that you're
52:07
like, oh, that's the doors and you know, and that they're
52:14
they're that's quietly, I think how the doors are.
52:17
They've got a couple that are really big that you were like,
52:21
oh, did not know that was the doors.
52:25
So. Well, looking forward to it.
52:29
Come back next week to hear what we have to say.
52:33
Yeah. So in the meantime, I'm Todd.
52:38
And I'm Riley, and this has been another episode of Barbara Cuts.