"Kiss" by Prince
You don't have to be beautiful, rich, OR cool to appreciate Prince - you just need a little extra time, a pair of ears, and a pulse.
It's finally time to talk about the Purple One on Strong Songs, specifically his 1986 chart-topper "Kiss." How did a song that was originally written for a standard band become so stripped-down and distinct? Why do those vocal and guitar parts work so well? And who was responsible for some of the sounds and styles Prince was channeling when he recorded it?
All that and more, on this episode.
Artist: Prince
Album: Parade (1986)
Written by: Prince
Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify
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ALSO FEATURED:
"Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag" by James Brown, 1965"I Got the Feelin'" by James Brown, 1968"Say Man" by Bo Diddley, 1959"Manic Monday" by Prince (!) performed by The Bangles on Different Light, 1986“Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer from Riptide, 1985“Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco from Falco 3, 1985“West End Girls” by the Pet Shop Boys from Please, 1984“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry, 1958“St. Louis Blues” by W.C. Handy performed by Bessie Smith, 1929“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monae from Dirty Computer, 2018A 2013 Sound on Sound interview with "Kiss" producer David Z: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/prince-kissUpdate 6/24: A couple listeners pointed out that Prince actually *wrote* The Bangles' "Manic Monday," which is too fun of a fun-fact not to mention on the episode.
OUTRO SOLOIST: Sam Howard
This episode's outro soloist is bassist Sam Howard. Sam lives in Nashville, TN, where he performs and tours with all kinds of artists. Sam played all the way through the Strong Songs outro, so keep an ear out for his playing mixed under the horns on the way out. You can find out what Sam's up to at his website, https://samhowardmusic.com.
TRY YOUR OWN OUTRO SOLO
You can download a solo-free version of the Strong Songs outro music to play around with, if you'd like. It's on Kirk's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kirkhamilton/strong-songs-outro-music-no-solo
There's also a chart, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nklRY_xAGon5ljriyxu45lKQ762W6Yv3/view?usp=sharing
STRONG TWEETS
You can now follow Strong Songs on Twitter at @StrongSongs. So, do that! http://twitter.com/strongsongs
NOW ON SPOTIFY
Strong Songs is now on Spotify! You can find the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5umVTiMQIg2bDpTZaHZqbI?si=mNYpIYq2TqaXSSeUv_JRdQ
'GRAM BY 'GRAM
If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/
NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST
Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe
STRONG MERCH!
Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com
STRONG PLAYLISTS
Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.
SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!
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STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS
AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Viki Dun
STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS
Adam Conway AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Geddes Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Geoff Golden Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson Joe C John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Latifah Makuyi Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robyn Fraser Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little
