Goodness will guide us
if love is inside us
31 yrs ago yesterday (3/31/86), #Prince released the orchestral funk-pop delight: #Parade. #Princerversaries
Still to this day, Prince-lovers lament the fact that Parade did not get the credit it deserved. The common consensus is that, being linked to the movie Under The Cherry Moon, hurt the album. However, I love the movie & think that the music is perfectly placed within its light-hearted campy comedy vignettes.
Parade also marked a new wave of band restructuring for Prince. Prince has had one of the most diverse careers as far as genre-jumping and theme-based-style morphs go. As everyone knows, Prince made an about-face after the explosive success of Purple Rain, and released a colorful psychedelic journey through world music-influences with Around The World In A Day. Because it wasn't Purple Rain, ATWIAD was also considered a slight failure (although it did sell 2M copies and reached #1 on the charts).
In order to continue his chameleon-esque run within the pop music game, Prince thumbed his nose at critics (as he was OFTEN wont to do), and dropped a gem that sits on the complete opposite side of the color spectrum next. Quite literally, Prince released a rainbow explosion of artistic cartoon renderings of his group and followed it up with a stark black-and-white ultra-dramatic (and uber sexy) solo portrait.
While ATWIAD allowed Prince to explore his hippie side, Parade converted him into a slick Parisian gigolo. Not only confined to the Christopher Tracy role he played in the film; Prince began performing in tailored suits, silk pajama-like ensembles, and spandex crop tops/skinny pants combos, with slicked back hair and minimal accessories.
Why do I keep mentioning ATWIAD in connection to Parade? Well it's simple really. Not only did one closely follow the other on the release schedule, but also, Prince began working on Parade before ATWIAD was even released. This is a mind-blowing fact about Prince that most don't appreciate enough. While most artists go through lengthy conversion periods before dipping their toe into uncharted terrority (i.e., crossing genres or changing bands or even altering personal style); Prince could pull a complete 180 within days and record a rock classic one day, a funk anthem the next, a pop ballad the next, and a classical composition the day after that. In order to successfully switch gears not only in the studio, but also in the inspirational space within a musician's mind THAT quickly and fluidly? Quite impressive.
So what about the music? Well, it is ALWAYS about the music. And thankfully, Parade delivered by escorting Prince straight into a world filled with sax & strings, layered upon classical compositions and jazzy melodies, while skillfully accented with blistering funk & touches of mainstream pop.
Parade highlighted the beautiful collaborative relationship between Prince and Clare Fischer. Clare arranged some wonderful strings for Parade and actually submitted a lot more that weren't used. Nonetheless, the special touches of violins and cellos along with the rest of the orchestra gives Parade a relaxing spa-like sound.
Parade is a cotton candy cloud of happiness inviting you to live life, love love and keep dancing through every moment of your journey. It is a true treasure that I hope you enjoy revisiting time & time again. - Miss TLC
Princerversaries: Parade31