Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 24

Prince - "Raspberry Beret" & Pop Life"





(Single Releases: May & July 1985)
I feel the first thing I have to do on this post is comment on the videos above. You see, Prince doesn't allow his artistic properties to be presented on YouTube. Frankly, I'm not even sure how this poster got away with it, other than by mentioning fair use. I don't blame Prince. His battles with record companies and intermediaries are well documented. But, it makes it difficult to do a survey like these. In these instances, I merely suggest you take in the music and not worry so much about the visuals, which is somewhat a shame since Prince is known for making great videos. In 1985, I was still riding high on the wave created by Purple Rain, an album that is easily one in my top 5 album of all-time list. Like another of my favorite artists, David Bowie, Prince would continually reinvent himself and his music. Prince had always been versatile, but his follow-up album to his biggest success was a surprise to some. He went from dramatic funk-rock and erotic imagery to the hippie-aesthetic of Around the World in a Day. There was a Sgt. Peppers vibe ever-present throughout the tracks on the album, while still maintaining Prince's masterful ability to craft universally great pop melodies. In other words, Prince keeps changing, but is always constant. Is that contradictory? With Prince, I'd argue that it isn't. "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life" were the two most popular singles from the album, hitting #'s 1 and 7 respectively. Though I love "Beret," I actually prefer the smooth ride of "Pop Life," with great Purple Rain-esque backup vocals from Wendy and Lisa. It also touched on social issues, in somewhat of a rehearsal for Sign o' the Times. While his 1985 album didn't have as much resonant cachet as Purple Rain, or the consistent groove of Parade, it deserves notice and attention for these two songs alone.