Cosmically Contemplative
It's Gonna Be Lonely - Prince (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
I’m fortunate to have access to a whole cabinet full of CDs at my house, courtesy of my parents having terrific collecting skills throughout the years. I’ve stumbled across many an interesting disc in there, but I will say that one of the best covers I’ve seen is the one that belongs to Prince’s sophomore album, aptly titled Prince. Despite this, I can’t say I’ve spent nearly enough time listening to it — and so when the mood struck me a little while ago, I decided it was time. Man oh man was that a great decision! Every track is perfect, but despite my instincts saying it’s too hard to choose a favorite, my top Spotify listens don’t lie… and it’s more than clear that “It’s Gonna Be Lonely” is the one I can’t get enough of.
From the start, it’s clear this is not an ordinary song. The intro guitar has a push-pull feel to it that adds tension right away. Usually I can pull the driving emotion from a tune in the first few seconds, but this one proved to be more complicated. There’s a bit of a smirk to the way the guitar strings bend that clashes with the tenderness of the starry keyboard sound. A similar thing happens with the easy beat the drums have compared to the quiet, desperate vocal quality. It gives the song a mysterious feel, like something is hiding right beyond what you can discern from the surface. It makes me feel like a detective, like I have to listen over and over again to find more clues to reveal the intention. (Or maybe that’s just an excuse to have it on repeat….) The song itself is like a space-age ballad — electronic and acoustic instruments balanced to create this almost futuristic sound. The “lonely” that ends each chorus proves this, with a cool fade-out that sounds like he’s cosmically contemplative. Apart from the keyboard candy throughout, I’d also like to point out the constant chords that fade in and out, supporting this spacey feel in a really unique way.
As someone who used to only know Prince through “Raspberry Beret”, “Little Red Corvette” and the like, I’m really glad I took the time to listen to his self-titled album. It gave me a song that will live as a favorite forever, and that’s a truly magical thing. I encourage everyone to take a chance on Prince… and if you’re on the fence, just look into those big beautiful eyes on the cover & I’m certain you’ll eventually come around!
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