{"id":1819,"date":"2018-12-06T15:04:34","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T15:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/?p=1819"},"modified":"2018-12-06T15:04:34","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T15:04:34","slug":"arachnophonia-mus-235-edition-prince-parade-music-from-the-motion-picture-under-the-cherry-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/parsons\/2018\/12\/arachnophonia-mus-235-edition-prince-parade-music-from-the-motion-picture-under-the-cherry-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Arachnophonia – MUS 235 Edition: Prince “Parade: Music from the Motion Picture Under the Cherry Moon”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Arachnophonia<\/a> is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library<\/a>\u2018s collection.<\/p>\n

This special edition of Arachnophonia<\/a> features contributions from students in Dr. Joanna Love<\/a>\u2018s MUS 235 class: \u201cI Want My MTV: Music Video and the Transformation of the Music Industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question <\/a> or to additional relevant<\/a> information from<\/a> around the web<\/a>.
\nToday\u2019s installment of Arachnophonia<\/a> is by MUS 235 student Destiny and features Parade<\/strong>, the 1986 soundtrack album to Prince’s second film<\/a> Under the Cherry Moon<\/a><\/strong>. Thanks, Destiny!<\/em> <\/p>\n

Prince<\/a><\/p>\n

Parade: Music from the Motion Picture Under the Cherry Moon<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Prince

Prince – Parade album cover (1986)<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s 1984. Prince has just dominated the music industry with his iconic album, and equally iconic film of the same name Purple Rain<\/a><\/em>. With a top-selling album and film under his belt, Prince has officially solidified himself within the music industry as a creative genius. After the immense success of the album, fans and critics anticipated and longed for his next album to match up sonically. However, Prince\u2019s next album, Around the World in a Day<\/a><\/em>, flopped in every regard – sales, expectations of fans, and ratings of critics. With the release of his next album, Parade<\/a><\/em>, fans and critics still hoped for an album with the same sound as the iconic Purple Rain<\/a><\/em>. Similarly to Around the World in a Day<\/a><\/em>, the album did not have the same sound. While Parade<\/a><\/em>, the source of my current analysis, did not flop in the same way that Around the World in a Day<\/a><\/em> did, it was released to very mixed reviews. <\/p>\n

Prince<\/a>, born Prince Rogers Nelson in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1958, made his initial rise to fame primarily as a rock, pop, and disco artist. Though Prince was always an unpredictable, wild artist, it came as a complete surprise to fans and critics when he practically changed his whole sound to a much more psychedelic sound on Around the World in a Day<\/em>. Similarly to the previous album, Parade<\/em> maintained facets of the 1960s British boy rock-band inspired neo-psychedelia genre with distorted vocals, instruments and synthesizer sounds on songs such as \u201cI Wonder U<\/a>.\u201d However, this album was also very much Prince\u2019s introduction of the exploration of a genre known as \u201cBaroque pop<\/a>.\u201d An infusion of rock and classical music, Baroque pop is a form of rock with a much more orchestral sound, as opposed to heavy guitar riffs. With this genre, the focus is on layered harmonies, as well as dramatic, intense strings and horns. There are also, for the most part, subtle elements of funk on the entire album. With prominent bass guitar, and noticeable drums and synthesizers, Prince and his backing band The Revolution<\/a> certainly incorporate funk along with the experimentation of Baroque pop. Written as the soundtrack for a black and white romantic drama film, and Prince\u2019s directorial debut, Under the Cherry Moon<\/a><\/em>, Parade<\/a><\/em> has a quite equal mix of slow tempo, somber songs (i.e. \u201cUnder the Cherry Moon<\/a>\u201d and \u201cDo U Lie?<\/a>\u201d), as well as more upbeat, heavily-textured songs (i.e. \u201cNew Position<\/a>\u201d and \u201cGirls & Boys<\/a>\u201d). To this day, fans and critics discuss the album Parade<\/a><\/em> with mixed reviews. However, what practically everyone agrees on is that the standout song, and one of the biggest songs of Prince\u2019s nearly four-decade long career, was the iconic \u201cKiss<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Prince-Kiss\"<\/p>\n