Thread by @deejayumb

“My Man” - ‘MM’ is the track that kick started it all.

MM provided the impetus that began the creative work for the @jilldjones ‘JJ’ album.

So from that POV alone, it’s a very important track.

#PrinceTwitterThread
#jilljones

MM was constructed over a period of 7 months at Sunset Sound.

On 10 May 1985, after finalising the configuration of the Mazarati album, P created the initial version of MM.

On 12 May 1985 P recorded overdubs & it’s also possible that JJ laid down the vocals on this date.

In that same month, P was laying down tracks & configuring several other projects including Parade, The Family, ATWIAD, Dance Electric, Manic Monday & Roadhouse Garden.

He was also working on a no. of unreleased tracks.

And also planning UTCM & scouting for movie locations🤯

On 11 December 1985, JJ’s vocals were definitely added (again) or recorded for the first time.

On 20 December 1985, P made  additional mixes of MM & the track was ready for release.

Take a listen ⬇️👂🏽

MM would stay as it for over 12 months before the album would be finally released.

MM is credited to Joey Coco, P’s pseudonym & features P on all instruments & JJ on vox.

There is a Clare Fischer version of MM in the vault that I would love to hear on a JJ SDE of this album!

MM was composed on Acoustic guitar & written from a woman’s perspective.

P is writing about himself like he's the inescapable center of a woman's attention🤣

"I think it’s a very good song & he made jokes about him singing it, but he gave it to Jill," - Susan Rogers.

JJ:

"What was so great about Prince is that he could stand in your shoes and write something as if it's from your point of view.

That's kinda where my headspace was about everything.”

*Emotionally* - MM could be twinned with She’s Always In My Hair (SAIMH).

I’ve always viewed MM as a riposte piece to SAIMH.

The instigator in SAIMH is P & the subject is JJ.

In MM, the reverse is true - the instigator is JJ & the subject is P.

But P wrote both songs!

The fact that P wrote both songs has echoes of the infamous & controversial line from IIWYG:

“Would you run to me if somebody hurt you even if that somebody was me, yeah”

And so both songs are written by P.

SAIMH has P playing P.

MM has P channeling his anima via JJ.

Thus in MM, P is giving JJ her moment of empowerment over him - leaving him open to introspection, self-criticism & vulnerability.

In SAIMH, P is writing from his own perspective.

JJ won’t leave him alone but he appreciates her, she’s always there for him in his time of need or when things are not going right for him.

JJ is someone P can always trust & rely upon.

JJ never lets P down.

In MM P is writing from JJ’s POV.

P is mean to JJ & is a serial cheater but in spite of this she is always there for him. She will always be his woman.

In MM, there is an acknowledgement by P that he is not appreciative of JJ or of what she has to put up with.

In MM - P is not in denial but open about his disrespect towards JJ. He is aware of it, recognises it & addresses it but from her (JJ’s) POV.

So both songs allude to P’s disrespect towards JJ whilst demonstrating the loyalty, true allegiance & commitment of JJ towards P.

So in true Gemini style P wrote not one but perhaps 2 (maybe more than 2?) songs about JJ - Twin songs!

So is it any wonder that during the promotion for the Graffiti Bridge movie, he once called JJ “the sexiest woman alive”!

*Musically* - MM is a sister song to When U Were Mine & would have been at home on the Dirty Mind album with the same melancholic New Wave Pop vibe.

However, it also has a bit of a Rock ‘n’ Roll/Rockabilly/Country twist to it too.

On MM, JJ was channelling her inner #Elvis:

“I liked "MM" cause it has a bad boy Elvis feel to it, & I love Elvis.

P & I watched 68 Comeback Special together. It was phenomenal just to watch Elvis in his prime. He looked the best.

‘MM’ came off watching that inspiration.”

You can definitely hear a bit of Elvis “attitude” in her vocal delivery & also in the structure & composition & you could imagine her curling her lip like Elvis as she was singing it.

It has echoes of Elvis songs like “All Shook Up”, “Little Sister” & “Baby, Let’s Play House.”

So MM was inspired by the Elvis 68 Comeback Special & from that Special - musically & lyrically, it probably aligns most with the song “Love Me.”

“Treat me like a fool
Treat me mean and cruel
But love me
Wring my faithful heart
Tear it all apart
But love me”

⬇️ 👂🏽

Look at the lyrics in “Love Me” & compare them to the lyrics in MM.

Both songs speak of mistreatment but all the instigator wants is to be loved - even if it means they will be heartbroken 💔

In addition to the Elvis influence, MM gives off mid 80’s pop vibes.

Now to the music.

There’s a combination of Fairlight, Yamaha DX7, bass guitar, acoustic & electric guitar over a blend of snare & a Linn LM-1 drum track that creates the nucleus of MM.

The intro gives off the impression of a false start similar to “America” from ATWIAD.

There are acoustic & electric guitars on different channels of the track.

The beautiful Acoustic guitar on the left channel during the verses sounds like it is surfing.

The Electric guitar riffs & delay effects on the right channel are part Van Halenesque in sound.

There’s an excellent chord change on the chorus & a grand chord progression on the Bridge

MM also contains that classic P LM1 Drum ‘phasing effect’ which is also on SAIMH.

In SAIMH, the phase effect is sampled from another P song which @polishedsolid will cover in her🧵

The drum programming in MM is different to that in SAIMH.

MM includes a theatre thunder sheet effect which becomes more pronounced towards the end.

This theatre thunder effect pinpoints to another inspiration which I’ll come on to later in this 🧵

The little repeated synth riff harks back to that classic 1999 sound & is similar to the riffs in Delirious & especially Automatic.

Then there’s JJ’s deep vocals - JJ inhabits her bad boy Elvis persona that is reminiscent to the rockabilly “Uh huh u” line in “All Shook Up”.

JJ’s screams mirror P’s classic screams in The Beautiful 1’s & The Dance.

But rather than sounding like P,
JJ is channeling her inner Robert Plant with her cries of “Baby, baby, baby, baby, U're my man!”

JJ’s vox also give off hints of J Joplin, T Turner, T Marie & M McKee.

JJ’s vocal harmonies are on🔥

On her vocals JJ said:

“He really kind of let me do what I wanted to, & I could mimic him to the letter with the screams if he wanted that in a song. I had that down....

I think Prince was just torn. Is she going to be rock and roll?”...

....“But then sometimes he would have me exaggerate the vocals so much, whereas David Z might want to calm them down more because P was so exaggerated that it wasn’t really timely for what was happening on the radio.”

On some songs, JJ admits that her vocals do go over the top.

MM in terms of *attitude* is thus rooted in the Bad Boy Elvis days of the 50’s & 60’s altho’ its ‘sound’ is indisputably set in the mid 80’s.

But *Thematically* MM has all of the hallmarks of songs emanating from the 1920’s - 1940’s.

In this era women found their voice & sang about being in love but downtrodden by a worthless/disrespectful man.

The Roaring 20’s was an important time for women:

*women’s liberation grew & they started to vote

*it was the age of the “flapper” - adventurous & unconventional fashion conscious women who wore their skirts & hair short,

*new dance crazes emerged like The Charleston & Shimmy

*Blues music was also new & many early blues artists were women

All this combined to give women a greater voice & confidence to express themselves.

Lyrically, MM continues that 1920’s theme & it is strikingly similar to a song with the same title from that era made most famous by Billie Holiday in 1937.

When I think of JJ’s MM I see lyrical similarities to Billie Holiday’s “My Man” which in 2018 was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

JJ has cited Billie Holiday as one of her main influences in many interviews.

JJ has also said Billie Holiday was one of ‘Nubian Queen’ - Grandma Gertrude’s favourites too.

JJ must’ve heard a lot of Billie’s music as in her formative years, part of her life was spent growing up at her Grandma Gertrude’s house.

Both songs are about a woman  loving her worthless/disrespectful man in spite of their relationship difficulties & his lack of appreciation of them.

Let’s take a look at some of the subject matter & lines from both songs:

Cheating

Both songs mention that the relationship is not monogamous.

JJ’s song:

Just because I kiss U in front of my friends
Baby, don't U play around with my pride

This alludes to the man messin’ around with her friends - “her pride.”

In Billie’s song there’s something similar:

Two or three girls
Has he
That he likes as well as me
But I love him

Take a listen to a snippet of this beautiful song with those lines ⬇️

Possession

Both songs are about possessing the worthless/disrespectful man in spite of his bad behaviour.

In JJ’s case, his bad behaviour is his serial cheating:

Then what's the point in cheatin', baby, I don't understand
U know that I'm your woman, baby, baby, U're my man

In Billie’s case, the man’s bad behaviour is dishonesty & also cheating (as we saw above):

But I love him
I don't know why I should
He isn't true

Abuse

In JJ’s case - the abuse is emotional manipulation & psychological:

Just because U know that I love U like a hurricane
Doesn't mean that U can talk me down

Just because U drive the baddest car in town
Don't say that U can take me 4 a ride

In Billie’s case, it’s much, much darker - physical abuse:

But I love him
I don't know why I should
He isn't true
He beats me, too
What can I do?

Listen to a snippet below ⬇️ & especially the part when she sings:

“He beats me, too” - sheer torture 💔

Love & Respect is not reciprocated:

JJ’s case:

Don't I give U everything that U want?
Don't I give U everything I can?
Then what's the point in cheatin', baby, I don't understand
U know that I'm your woman, baby, baby, baby, U're my man

Billie’s case:

What's the difference if I say
I'll go away
I know I'll come back
On my knees someday
For whatever my man is
I'm his forevermore

Both songs with a recognition that the man they love isn’t deserving of their love, yet they cannot deny that they love him still.

Who is The Man:

Billie’s man:

He's not much on looks
He's no hero out of books
But I love him
Yes, I love him

JJ reveals her man to be a spoilt momma’s boy & insensitive:

Just because U are the finest of your mama's children
Just because U drive the baddest car in town.

In each song the deeper complexities of the relationship remain unexplored.

What is it that keeps them tied to this Man?

Why do they keep on taking his shit?

Why do they keep on tolerating his unreasonable behaviour?

These are questions many women ponder on a daily basis.

Both songs highlight the negative aspects of the man & do not list any good points he might possess.

Apart from one line where Billie says:

When he takes me in his arms
The world is bright
All right

But in JJ’s My Man, she doesn’t tell us any positives about her man at all!

In Billie’s MM she resolves herself to being loyal to her man come what may.

And also in JJ’s MM even tho’ she is still questioning her man’s actions, she also resiles herself to the fact that she is his woman & he is her man!

So *thematically* & lyrically there’s lots tying these 2 songs together.  

They have the same title & a similar subject matter.

But there’s further similarities between the 2 songs as they also have a French Connection & are tied to similar eras.

Billie’s song has its roots in France in the 1920’s.

It was originally called “Mon Homme” & composed by Maurice Yvain.

The French lyrics were penned by Jacques-Charles & Albert Willemetz.

It originated as a Revue song.

Around the time JJ’s My Man was being written P’s ideas about UTCM started forming which as we know is set in the 1930’s & it was shot in France.

Indeed, a few weeks after starting on “My Man” in the studio, in mid-June 1985, P flew to France to scout locations for the movie.

Around this time too, JJ was living in Paris & hanging with the uber cool crew of Mondino & Lagerfield.

It was this period of time in France that completely changed JJ & she became more worldly wise & soaked in the different cultures of the world including Bugs Bunny 🤣

So there’s an Era Connection & a French connection that ties the 2 songs together.

Thus, it’s not a stretch to assume that Billie’s version of the song *might* have been a lyrical, thematic & title inspiration for P & JJ when they wrote MM.

One comes from the 1920’s whilst the other channels the spirit of songs of that era & both of them have a strong French Connection.

The 2 songs sound nothing alike & JJ’s MM is clearly rooted in the 80’s as far as sound goes.

But they both share the same songwriting roots.

But there’s more:

The French MM has its roots in old movies of the 20’s & 30’s.

And UTCM was set in the 1930’s movie era & as we know JJ’s MM was written at a time when UTCM was being conceived.

And so P’s mind was in definitely in this same timeframe.

Indeed, P & JJ watched old movies together:

“We used to watch so many old films. A lot of Italian films—he loved Swept Away—old Cary Grant....He was looking at European directors, trying to pull all of that in. He was really into the old studio system, too, Louis B. Mayer....”

Lisa also said they were watching 1930’s ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’-era films with P while working on All My Dreams around this same timeframe as I previously mentioned in my🧵 on that song during the SOTT series:

https://twitter.com/deejayumb/status/1333826092197703691?s=21

Lest not forget, P’s catalog is littered with movie actor references from the 1920’s & 1930’s such as the following as an example (not an exhaustive list):

Jean Harlow - Come Elektra Tuesday

Greta Garbo - 3 X 2 = 6 (Vanity 6)

Clara Bow - Condition of The Heart

But there’s even more.

The English lyrics of Mon Homme were written by Channing Pollock & you couldn’t make this up but here’s an interesting but spurious link that Pollock has to P.

Pollock is most famous not just for translating lyrics of Mon Homme from French to English.

Pollock is most famous for the fact that “THE” Dorothy Parker wrote a review of one of his plays in which she said:

“‘The House Beautiful' is the play lousy.”

And as we know P wrote a song called “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker around this same timeline, a year later.

But there are even deeper connections that go to the roots of Prince’s fascination with Broadway & Cabaret.

The English version of Mon Homme (My Man) was popularized in the English speaking world in 1921 by Fanny Brice.

Brice’s rendition of My Man is one of the most famous after Billie’s. It is the Brice version that Billie modified for her own version.

Fanny Brice sang My Man in a 1920’s movie of the same name.

Trivia - “Funny Girl”, the Streisand movie is a semi-autobiography on Brice.

Brice was also a member of the Ziegfeld Follies - a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in NYC 1907-1931.

It was famous for the Ziegfeld Girls - beautiful chorus girls who paraded up & down flights of stairs as anything from birds to battleships.

The American Ziegfeld Follies has *French origins* - it was based on The Folies Bergère - Revues which featured extravagant costumes sets & effects, & often nude women.

These shows played the "exoticness" card & started the Parisian fascination w/ the ‘négritude’ of the 1920’s.

One famous member was the African-American Josephine Baker who caused controversy dancing in a skirt made of artificial bananas & little else.

Baker featured in a presentation by Dr Karen Turman - “Vous Etes Tres Belle” - during @DrKFairclough’s recent conference @88Prince78.

Dr Turman drew many fascinating social, political & philosophical parallels between UTCM & France in the 1920’s & 1930’s.

One mind blowing cosmetic example she made was one between P & Josephine Baker:

The Kiss Curl ⬇️ 🤯

JJ also mentioned Baker - on the making of the Mia Bocca video:

“They (Europeans) always liked Josephine Baker. That thing always worked”

I pondered these connections & then found more of my own.

Look at these still shots of Baker & who does she remind you of:

YES! Cat!

Then I found these other connections of my own.

There’s also similarities between The Folies Bergere, Ziegfeld Follies & Prince:

Mary Sharon

(to the uninitiated plays P’s uber rich girl love interest in UTCM)

vs

Folies Bergere

Prince Twins

vs

Ziegfeld Follies Twins

Further twin action:

Prince Twins

vs

Ziegfeld Follies/Folies Bergere Twins

Mayte

vs

Ziegfeld Follies/Folies Bergere

The beautiful JJ

vs

Ziegfeld Follies:

JJ

vs

Ziegfeld Follies:

A further link - the guy who directed the Broadway Revue “Follies” in the 70’s which was based on The Ziegfeld Follies was another Prince - Hal Prince!

Hal Prince’s “The Follies” were lavish revues - a cross between Broadway & high class vaudeville & variety show.

All of this very much ties in with the whole concept of P’s own girl groups in the early 80’s who resembled Revues/Showgirls.

Vanity 6 & Apollonia 6 in many ways could be seen as mimicking the Ziegfeld Follies & Folies Bergère.

Vanity 6

vs

Ziegfeld Follies/Folies Bergere

Apollonia 6

vs

Ziegfeld Follies/Folies Bergere

So perhaps during the UTCM era P was researching into the history of the musical theatre of the 1920’s - 1940’s era.

And he also observed the origins to France - which not only inspired UTCM but also the thematic background & the lyrical content of JJ’s MM & a whole lot more.

Lest not forget JJ’s ‘theatrical’ vocal delivery & screams in the song.

Then there’s the theatre thunder sound effect which permeates JJ’s MM which might be a further solidifying reference to that theatre influence from that era.

open.spotify.com/track/6NPhJJlg…

Albeit JJ’s MM doesn’t sound like a theatre or musical number straight from the off, you could probably imagine it in an updated 80’s version of West Side Story with a contemporary edge.

So, in essence, altho’ it doesn’t jump out as one, it could be viewed as a Revue song too.

P seemed to have a lifetime obsession with musical theatre & Broadway Plays.

On many occasions he attempted to write music for a theatre performance/ Broadway Play.

That’s how some projects started out:

The Dawn
Dreams/Purple Rain
Dream Factory
Roadhouse Garden

Happy Birthday Mr Christian
SOTT which resembles a play/theatre performance
Graffiti Bridge
GlamSlam Ulysses

LIVE too - many of P’s tours were like Plays or Revues:

*1999 - aka by fans as the Triple Threat Tour was like a Revue with The Time & Vanity 6

*SOTT - stage sets were borrowed from a Guys & Dolls play for the album cover & was replicated on stage

*Lovesexy - A 2 Part Play about darkness & light

*He even named his Tours after Plays Act I & Act II.

Talking of Revues this also ties in to the movie Showgirls in the 90’s.

P contributed 2 tracks 319 (Gold Experience) & Ripopgodazippa (Crystal Ball) which feature in this cult movie (but not on the soundtrack).

He was set to do more but didn’t end up doing so.

In addition to showgirls, we know P was inspired by Cabaret.

His song Pheromone was inspired by Cabaret as outlined by @Casey in his thread on the same song during our #PrinceTwitterThread series on the “Come” album ⬇️

https://twitter.com/caseyrain/status/1273741542788907008?s=21

So there’s a whole history there of P’s fascination with Broadway, theatre & Cabaret.

Let’s tie all these loose threads together:

*Emotionally* - MM is twinned with SAIMH.

*Musically* - it has an undeniably 80’s sound twinned with When U Were Mine.

In terms of *Attitude* - it gives off 50’s & 60’s Bad Boy Elvis vibes

*Thematically* & lyrically it has the hallmark of songs rooted in the 1920’s/30’s.

It has a strong *French connection* that links it to Billie’s MM, Revues, Broadway & Cabaret too.

(I LOVE ❤️ this photo ⬇️)

Of course I am not suggesting that P sat down, researched & actively emulated the follies/Bergere.

The connections could be legit or just pure coincidence.

And P & JJ creating MM may have been a much simpler process without much thought at all to any of the above influences.

Some of the negative commentary on this track is that:

*it sounds dated
*it’s one of the weaker tracks
*it’s the most skippable track

I don’t think so.

For me, it has a killer melody & is a bright, acoustic-guitar-driven pop classic.

It should’ve been a Pop HIT!

MM is often placed amongst the Apollonia 6 & Vanity 6 Purple School but with JJ on vox, I feel it’s a cut above most of the tracks that featured on their albums.

It’s a great track, one of my personal favourites & one of the most overlooked & underrated songs from this album.

1 of the things that grabs me about music is the “feels” - not chord progressions, scales, time signatures or other academic stuff.

It’s simpler than that:

Does it move me in some way!

MM moves me in different ways & no matter what anyone says it ain’t gonna change my feels!

Most of the tracks on this album are mood pieces.

You have to be in a certain mood to listen to them.

For example:

Mia Bocca is for when you want to dress up or have some fun

G Spot is for when you are feeling sexy.

Violet Blue, With You & Baby You’re a Trip are for when you are feeling lovelorn or mad crushing on someone.

All Day, All night & For Love are for when you want to go out & party.

They’re all songs that you have to be in certain mood for.

To me, MM, is a song that suits all of these different moods.

Whenever it comes on, no matter what I am doing, I can listen to it & not turn it off.

I always remember playing the album & when it finally landed on MM, I can still picture myself just jumping up in joy, not literally, but in my mind about what a surprise this track was upon first listen.

It’s such a catchy & emotive tune & it just floored me right away.

It’s a song for all seasons & that’s why for me although it’s not one of the more musically adventurous songs on the album, it is the one that connects with me the most.

The fact that it is so short means that you end up looping it & playing it several times in succession.

It’s a playful song & JJ must’ve had fun.

MM inspired the start of the album & both JJ & P knew they were onto something.

I knew we were onto something with JJ when I heard this & it should’ve been a staple 80’s classic!

JJ could’ve /should’ve been a major 80’s pop star!

This song is like a sugar treat, once you take a bite, it leaves you wanting more.

That to me is the essence of a great song!

I’m really surprised that P never performed MM live as an acoustic number at least once.

Some final words from me about this album.

It’s the one that is most emotionally tied to me
from the Paisley Park catalog.

It has a greater strength, depth & quality than other releases.

It is sincere & has an authenticity of emotion that shines thru.

It’s Timeless 💀🖤

I’ll say it again this JJ album needs to be remastered & released as a Super Deluxe Edition on translucent Pink vinyl.

A triple album with all the 12” mixes of the singles & the unreleased vault tracks from the debut & also those that were meant for the follow up album.

I would like 2 thank @jilldjones for being the ‘realest’!

I gravitate towards genuine people & JJ is one of them.

Thank U JJ 4 participating & being so accessible, humble & down to Earth.

Many others could learn life lessons from this gracious, talented & beautiful woman 💜

Thanks to all the Purple Avengers participating in this #PrinceTwitterThread cycle!
@RhondaNicole_, @RichardCole_NOW, @Art0fficialAge, @MMLunlimited, @IAmMissTLC, @AishaStaggers, @TrickyKid2, @arrthurr and my co-host extraordinaire @EdgarKruize for everything & the thumbnails ❤️

Next up on Friday is the irrepressible @polishedsolid with a 🧵on Sampling Jill Jones!

@threadreaderapp please

@threadreaderapp please unroll ..