Seductive Mixtape Series #13: The Purple One

If you have ever…ever…made a seductive mixtape, I guarantee that you had a Prince song on at least one of them.  You had too.  Honestly, I know that I literally have a few slow jam mixtapes in a box somewhere with Prince songs on them.  A Prince song on one of your mixtapes was just as essential as having a song by Marvin Gaye, The O’Jays, or Teddy P.  The tracks are timeless, the messages are clear, the instrumentals were crazy, and the mood was always right.

You know I had to dedicate a post in memory of Prince.  You know I had to pay my respects to a great man, a great musician, and a beautiful soul that touched many lives with his music, his passion, his creativity, his kind acts, and his mystery.  I can recall some of my best and worst times around the Prince song that I was listening to at the moment.  I think I even signed an online petition asking Prince to allow some of his songs to be on a special edition of the video game Rock Band or Guitar Hero.  (He never did.)

There are too many tracks that could have made the cut, but I chose three that still drum up memories for me of times more innocent, carefree, and naive.

This is to Prince, The Great One.  R.I.P.

Song #1: Scandalous

I can remember doing homework in college, and the dog that my roommate had would bark and run to the front door every time the bells played at the beginning of this song from the Batman soundtrack.  It was the first song on side B of a mixtape that I played when I was just chilling alone or studying for a test that I waited too late to study for.

More importantly, I would play have that side of the tape ready and in the tape player on pause when a particular woman came over.  This “panty dropper” would start off many wonderful nights where moonlight was the only illumination needed and a locked door was the universal “Do Not Disturb” sign.  With lyrics like, “Touch it and explode” and “Anything you’ve ever dreamed of/I’m willing to be”…..bruh….I think you get the point.

Song #2: Adore

If you ever attended one of the infamous “1302” parties that my college roommates and I threw back in the day, you are very familiar with this song.  After a long night of dancing in a small living room, Adore would end all of our parties.  The first time was used to denote the end of the party and slow down the groove.  At that time, one of us would grab the microphone and tell the fellas to grab the one you want and dance with her.

The second time it was played served as a warning for all of the fellas to put in their final bids.  I can recall grabbing the microphone and saying once, “You better look her in the eyes and get her phone number.  This is it!” (LOL. Good times…good times.)  Anyway, ears were being whispered in and deals were being closed.  This Prince song was perfect for ending the night or starting another phase of it (if you know what I mean).

The third time was always my favorite.  Lights were turned on, and the cleanup was going down.  We gave the attendees two iterations of Adore to get their last slow dance on or convince the one they were eyeing to keep the party going….somewhere else.  If someone was sneaking around, they had to be done when this song came on the third time.  Hell, we (Men of 1302) sometimes had “after parties” that we had to do too (if you know what I mean).

Song #3: Purple Rain

Purple Rain was one of those songs that meant different things to so many people.  Some say that is it is a love song while others say that it is a sad song to play after a breakup.  Some cry to it while others make love while it is playing.  Debates will still ensue over the meaning of the lyrics, but no one can deny that this song is absolutely genius!!

I know that the first Prince song that I played upon hearing of his death was the Super Bowl performance of Purple Rain.  I played it a few times before being able to focus back on work.  Many people sang this song over the years, but no one came close to the perfection that sang and in the riffs that he played.  No one!!

Honorable Mention: YOU Choose!!!

Other than the aforementioned, the list could go on about which songs were the best or seductive mixtape material.  There are so many others like Kiss, Insatiable, and Do Me, Baby.   Fans are truly saddened by the death of Prince, and many of us attended events or parties last weekend that celebrated the life of a musical master while others listened to their favorites through headphones alone.  Which ones were your favorites?