Thread by @RShumays

Hi all! I’m Robin Shumays, co-host (along with @theurbanvanguard) of the webinar series The O+> Paradigm. Today I’m breaking down the post-Valentines Day appropriate Art Official Age track “Breakfast Can Wait” for the #AOAThread.

Thanks to the amazing folks behind the #PrinceTwitterThread and @deejayumb and @EdgarKruize for letting to participate once again this year! And kudos to all the threaders who have gone before me. Now let’s chat about one of my favorite tunes, Breakfast Can Wait.

#BreakfastCanWait is the 6th track on Prince’s 2014 album #ArtOfficialAge. The song was actually first released as a downloadable mp3 with the launch of the “3rdEyeGirl.com" website on February 3rd 2013.

In August of that year, the track was re-released with cover art featuring comedian #DaveChappelle dressed as #Prince serving pancakes, taken from the infamous ‘Chappelle’s Show’ sketch.

This hilarious image repurposing showcased Prince’s sense of humor & created a buzz around the track. On the #TonightShow when asked about the cover art, Dave said “that was a Prince Judo move right there. You make fun of him… and he will just use you for his album cover.”

October was a big month for BCW. The video was released on the 11th, there was a release party at Paisley on the 19th (more on that in a second) and a remix EP produced by #JoshuaWelton entitled ‘The Breakfast Experience’ emerged on the 24th.

The video was directed and choreographed by a then 18 year old #DanielleCuriel (now known as #DaniLeigh, of #DaBaby baby mama drama fame. See also Curly Fryz). Prince gave Danielle full artistic control over the video and it is one of the few where there is no sign of him.

Obviously taking a cue from the cover art, Danielle is seen towards the end of the video dressed as Prince. She coyly peers and sneers into the camera from behind a guitar and a pancake.

In an interview with Pitchfork Magazine, when asked what Prince thought of her impersonation of him, Danielle said “When he saw it for the first time in the editing suite, he went crazy. He laughed so hard. He was like, ‘Oh my god! I quit! You’re the next Prince!’”.

According to Danielle, it was important to Prince that it became “big in the dance world”. I don’t know for sure if it accomplished that, but I do feel it was well choreographed and that Danielle is very talented. However feelings about the video in the fan community were mixed.

Many disapproved of the concept & that Prince didn’t make an appearance at all. General commentary: “Pretty girl, great dance moves BUT this does not capture the true essence of the song IMO. He should have just been in the video.” And “this video is a hot mess… art school 101”.

Reviews of the song itself were mixed. Music critics seem to enjoy it, but some fans were displeased. Some cited the "chipmunk" voice towards the end of the song as "annoying". I considered it to be a modernized take on the "Camille" voice. What do think? Camille or nah?

Prince wasn’t deterred. As mentioned, he opened the doors of Paisley Park on Oct. 19th for an event called ‘The Breakfast Experience Pajama Dance Party’ to celebrate. For only $50 partygoers were treated to pancakes and a two set jam session.

Fun fact: Did you know there is evidence of the pancake as early as the stone age? From Nat Geo: “Analyses of starch grains on 30,000-year-old grinding tools suggest cooks were making flour out of cattail [plants] & ferns, mixing with water & baking on a hot, greased, rock.”

But the song itself isn’t about pancakes. (Well, there are some cakes involved, wink wink, nudge nudge). Prince is singing about the lascivious delights of morning sex as only Prince could. This was a turning point in terms of Prince’s latter music releases. Why?

The best way to explain is to first get into the lyrical content, and then review where Prince was spiritually, just a few years prior...

The basic premise is this; his lover is jetting off to work after a hot night of that good good. (Now why on earth would work be concern after a night with Prince? Like f*** that job! But I digress).

It seems that their encounter the night before was pretty amazing, and that she was “quite” loud. Loud enough in fact, that Prince worried the police might show up at the door.

Prince is trying to convince her that instead of breakfast, she should let him have another “bite” of her instead. He tells her that he doesn’t mean to make her blush, he just thinks she’s “great”.

Prince always had a way with words, but this simple expression is beyond sweet. I mean??? If your lover doesn’t say that to you the morning after then what are you even doing with them? LOL

But to be serious for a moment, for me, BCW represents my gateway back to Prince. My extreme fandom began in 1984 and started to wane in 2003. I knew I had changed when I turned down an opportunity to hang with Prince via an invite from a friend linked to his inner circle.

In the 1990’s I would have stepped on an old ladies toes for a chance to hang out with Prince. I literally spent that decade chasing him around NY. Between 2003 - 2013, my priorities had changed. My Prince obsession took a backseat to a new marriage, new baby & new home.

As @dmsrblog touched on yesterday and described so well “he was like an old friend I fell out of touch with”. We caught up a few times in 2006/07; for 3121, SNL, and the Super Bowl, but then I just went back into my neutral corner.

But it wasn’t just my priorities. To keep it 100, I have to admit I was disillusioned by was his religious shift. No more cussin’? Swear jar? No more dirty stuff? WHAT?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I respect Prince’s religious beliefs and the path he took with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was growing, I get it. BUT I like dirty, raunchy, cursing, sexual Prince. Full stop. I love his spiritual music, but I need some dirty songs too! #sorrynotsorry.

So BCW caught my attention right away. Prince made a whole song about morning sex? I was intrigued! At long last, a new era of grown and sexy Prince was afoot. At the very least he wanted us to know he was still doing it!

My favorite line, which is probably one of my favorite lines from any Prince song, happens to be “you can’t leave a black man in this state!” I remember discussing this with my long-time Prince friend Erin, & she said, “when I first heard that, I nearly spat out my coffee!” Same.

For me, this was Prince flashing more of his famous sense of humor while simultaneously noting and praising the virility of the black man, even one in his 50s such as himself. You go Prince!

Even the somewhat hidden lines in #ThisCouldBeUs “nothing mystical let me lick the kitty clean” & “you can put me on my back and look for candy in my purple psychedelic pimp sack” confirmed horny Prince was still in existence & I was ready to find my way back home.

There’s been some speculation that he left the JW’s around this time. I’ve definitely considered the possibility. With songs like BCW and naming his new band 3rdEyeGirl, it appeared to me that he was distancing himself conservative nature of his religion.

From wikipedia: "The third eye is a mystical and esoteric concept of a speculative invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.”

Beliefs and practices associated with the concept of the 3rd Eye are connected to eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism & Taoism. My understanding from friends who have family in the JW faith, engagement with those kinds of eastern practices are discouraged.

Of course there is no way to know for sure, and I am not claiming this as fact, because I certainly don’t know, but it seems that Prince was perhaps moving in a direction that embraced aspects of various eastern philosophies and gravitating toward a more open mindset overall.

Beyond the lyrics, the track itself is magic. The opening bass drum and funky guitar lines are such a fresh take on his signature sound. The groove is smooth and sexy; mature but not dated. It will always remain a favorite of mine. I admit to playing it several times a week.

The song reached 1st place on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip Hop charts and spent 4 weeks on the chart. Since radio rarely plays Prince, my hypothesis is that this was most likely spurred by all the chatter around the album cover, and then folks discovered it’s really a damn good song.

So before I wrap up, how about I inform you of the funnest facts of all?

Morning Sex Fun Facts: According to the experts, morning sex has numerous health benefits. For starters, You’ll burn about 5 calories a minute so it’s just as good as most morning exercises. But wait, there's more!

Did you know estrogen & testosterone levels are at their peak in the morning? You also release oxytocin which helps you feel more connected to your partner. Sex lowers stress hormones, putting you in a great mood for the rest of the day. Clearly Prince was on to something!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my thread today. Getting to share thoughts and info around this song means a lot to me; as I’ve said, it began my journey back to Prince fandom, and I’m glad to have gotten to experience this song and AOA fully present in my adoration for him.

Oh btw, @MMLunlimited enlightened me to this existence of this album a few days ago. Do we think Prince was inspired in some way? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Offic… Discuss amongst ya selves!

Have a great day everyone!