Prince’s Afterworld

  • Type: Heaven
  • Origin: Let’s Go Crazy
  • Admission: unclear, but possibly everyone

The Afterworld, if we are to take the purple one at his word – and who is to say he has not visited this realm in the course of his shamanic journeys? – is a magical place. We know very little about it, other than that it is a place of never ending happiness, and, given that the sun shines day and night, possibly on the inside of a Dyson Sphere.

By implication from the rest of the song, it is reached via an elevator of some description, and modern psychiatry holds no clues as to where this elevator may be found. Also, a purple banana is involved somehow. Possibly this is the ambrosia of the Afterworld.

As afterlives go, you could do worse – the Afterworld is the veritable land of good trips, a psychedelic playground. However, its prophet is a capricious man who seems to be over-compensating for insecurities regarding his height, and this choice as prophet does not speak highly of the judgement of its gods.


Share

“Let’s Go Crazy” – Prince

“Tell me, are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down
Oh, no let’s go!

Let’s go crazy
Let’s get nuts
Look 4 the purple banana
‘Til they put us in the truck, let’s go!”

Even for a pop lyricist, the purple one has a style that can best be described as idiosyncratic. The degree to which his metaphors are inscrutably personal is rivalled only by Andrew Eldritch and William Burroughs. And the manner in which he writes his lyrics shows either a terrifying disregard for correct spelling, or an eerie presience of text messaging (or TXT MSG, if you prefer).

That said, it’s hard not to have certain suspicions as to the identity of the purple banana…


Share

1996 – Jonathan Melvoin dies of a drug overdose

Jonathan Melvoin was the brother of Susannah and Wendy Melvoin, who were members of Prince’s New Power Generation. He had worked with Prince, and also as a member of the Dickies. At the time of his death, he was touring with the Smashing Pumpkins – Melvoin was a skilled keyboardist.

His death was caused by a heroin overdose, not his first. Melvoin was survived by a wife and child. The Smashing Pumpkins, who had already fired Melvoin for his drug use at the time of his death, were not invited to his funeral.

Referenced in:

Jonathon – Wendy & Lisa
Angel – Sarah McLachlan
The Love We Make – Prince

Share