“Writers are liars, my dear, surely you know that by now? And yet, things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.” - Neil Gaiman - Dream Country
Artist: Prince and the Revolution Title: Darling Nikki Lyrics:
I knew a girl named Nikki I guess you could say she was a sex fiend, I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine, She said how'd you like to waste some time and I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind.
Why?: You know the problem with having a song with your name in it? It usually ends up being the last thing you want to hear. Pity all the girls named Nikki or Roxanne. The 80s were hell for them. I have no real memory of this song from the 80s. Truth be told, it would be a punk cover by a band called Apocalypse Hoboken that introduced me to this song. What? You were expecting more? Sometimes one decides to keep their counsel. I could have said ‘a lady never reveals her secrets, but eff that. You all know by now I’m no lady🤣.
I never wanted to be your weekend lover I only wanted to be some kind of friend Baby, I could never steal you from another It's such a shame our friendship had to end
Why?: I think I need to point out why this soundtrack never quite made it into my list this past week. Upon reflection, it could have been a candidate, as some of the songs were actually written for the movie, but I didn't quite realise it last week. Leave it to my vinyl sensei, the lovely Threadpenny, to post something about Prince to get my mind reeling and rethinking the whole list. (By the way, I highly recommend you follow her. She's telling a story of music and of what New Zealand was like while she was growing up. Imagine my surprise to find out it's not all Crowded House, Hobbits and agent Smiths 😅 .) Another reason this soundtrack never made it on my list? I must quietly admit... it was one of many movies that I was told I needed to see, that I never did. You know, like 'Dirty Dancing'? Yup... Never seen it. My husband rectified the problem of me having never seen 'The Outsiders' within weeks of us officially dating. I think I permanently niched myself into Science Fiction, Fantasy and Japanese Anime very early in my life. If it were not for my older brother who was far more well rounded in his taste in all things, I would never have seen three 'American Ninja's, two 'Iron Eagle's and the first 'Slap Shot' movies.
So why bring up this beauty of a song? It actually got removed from my playlist after Prince passed away and just recently placed back in. I didn't admit it to myself at the time, but of course I had an inexplicable crush on him. He sang beautifully and had great fashion sense (for the 80s) and was a phenomenal musician. His passing just made me feel that much older. That golden time of my youth suddenly that much further away. This song captured all those feelings for me. I didn't need to listen to it when he passed. Below is a clip, which is apparently the first live performance of this song from 1983, which has recently surfaced. Have a listen. I've always been one for early performances and demos. I've made my argument for demos before; you're hearing the song nearly at conception. What about early live performances? Well, here's the song presented to an audience and potentially still shiny and new for the artist. Sometimes they're polished, sometimes they're raw and amazing. This performance falls into the latter category.
Finally, here is the his Super Bowl XLI performance from 2007. Amazing in it's own right, it started to rain at the end.
You don't have to be rich To be my girl You don't have to be cool To rule my world Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with I just want your extra time and your
Kiss
Why?: It's undergarment flinging time! I have to say I like Tom Jones' version better than Prince's. It's not because I heard Tom Jones/Art of Noise version first. I already knew of Prince’s version. I like Prince. He’s an amazing artist with an awesome back library. The first song I'd ever heard from Prince was the song When Doves Cry. I remember my older brother used to tease me over liking the song, but I can't remember the particulars for the teasing. I think he may have grown sick of the song from the over exposure it was getting at the time. I purchased (or I made my dad buy it for me... it was so long ago and I don't remember how I came to own it) the soundtrack for Purple Rain on cassette because I really liked it. I’m also a fan of the Art of Noise. These guys burst into my life in the form of the Close to the Edit video. My recollection of that music video was them destroying the piano with sledgehammers and chainsaws, and my mother being utterly horrified. My 10-year-old self was happy because it was a good representation of how much I detested practicing piano at the time and it was my little bit of rebellion to keep the music video playing while my mom made Korean sounds of disgust at the wanton destruction of a perfectly good piano on screen. I wasn’t sure who Tom Jones was. However when of this version of kiss came on the radio I was immediately drawn to it. Art of Noise’s big brassy sound and Tom Jones’ booming voice worked well together. I really do love Tom Jones' voice.
The video for the original version by Prince is below.
