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Happy New Year to all! I’m Robin Shumays, co-host (along with @theurbanvanguard) of the webinar series The O+> Paradigm. Today I’m doing a thread on the vault track “Blanche” from the recent #SOTTDELUXE release for the #PrinceTwitterThread.
Thanks to @polishedsolid for introducing us into the amazing folks behind the #PrinceTwitterThread and @djumb and @EdgarKruize for inviting us to participate and helping with our Twitter ineptitude! Now, let me get to it!
The song #Blanche is a previously unreleased track un-earthed from Prince’s vault. He recorded the song on July 15, 1986 at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California. This particular session is also the one that produced the track “Sign O’ The Times”. All instruments by Prince.
As far as it’s been documented, Blanche was not planned for inclusion on “Dream Factory” (which Prince was working on at the time), Sign O’ The Times (which most of Dream Factory became), Camille, or any other project from that period.
In a recent interview with GQ, author @Duane_Tudahl said “He was able to just go, ‘You know what, I need a song here,’ and take an afternoon and go, ‘Okay, here it is.’ Who can do that? When he would do stuff like this, this is the conversation he’s wanting to have.”
The track itself feels like a one-off… I would describe it as a groove, that became a jam, that became a song. Despite the fact that Prince played all the instruments himself, it has a very down-home “funkin’ in the garage with the band” vibe.
In the same GQ article, writer Michaelangelo Matos writes: “There’s a lot of what-if glimpses here—it’s easy to imagine ‘Soul Psychedelicide,’…and the swaggering blues-funk “Blanche” as the center of an all-funk album, for example.”
Any track that has Prince playing drums is a definite “Yass Lawd!” for me. I live for Prince’s drumming. I truly wish he had played them in concert more often. I’m not a musician but the best way I can describe his style of playing is; full, kinda quirky, yet funky a.f.
The song begins with Prince wailing “Ahhhh ahhh ahh ahhhhh!!!!” Followed by “This song is about a girl named Blanche and a dude named Stanley’s desire!” The guitar lick that hits you next is literally hotter and funkier than donkey sweat.
Admittedly, the very first time I heard this track my mind went to this Blanche and Stanley until a friend gently reminded me of the Blanche and Stanley from #AStreetCarNamedDesire. It made sense; it’s fairly well-known fact that Prince was a huge movie buff.
That said, I’m going to assume the version of #AStreetCarNamedDesire that was most likely Prince’s frame of reference, was the 1952 film starring #MarlonBrando and #VivianLeigh and probably not the stage plays and subsequent remakes. Prince’s take on the story is…interesting.
The verse 1 lyrics are: “Blanche, could I have this dance? Blanche, such a sexy wench. Blanche, All the men trip at the sight of your slip. The way it drips over your hips. Blanche, you gotta give me a chance.”
The story, written by famed playwright Tennessee Williams first debuted as a Broadway production in 1947 staring Jessica Tandy as Blanche, Kim Hunter and Marlon Brando. Hunter and Brando were also the stars of the 1952 film which was directed by Elia Kazan.
As part of my research for this thread, I decided to watch the film. If you haven’t seen it, it is a cinematic masterpiece, & rates at the top of Brando’s stellar accomplishments as an actor. However, there is much violence against women in the film that is very triggering.
Now, Prince’s version of Blanche is how I had always imagined her to be in the film; A Mrs. Robinson type of older sophisticate who steals her little sister's man with her charms and come-ons. The film Blanche is fragile, insecure and gripped by mental instability.
And while there is a bit of subtle flirtation between them in the beginning, Stanley soon grows to hate Blanche and sets out to expose and humiliate her. He soon discovers her past as a (possible, it’s not entirely clear) sex worker, and her affair with a 17 year old student.
In Verse 3 Prince says, “Blanche, don't you want to try? Baby, I can keep you satisfied, uh. My name is Stanley..Desire. Blanche, you got me on fire!”
In the film, Blanche meets Mitch, a friend of Stanley’s from work. Mitch falls in love with Stella and waits in vain for her love (in the biblical sense). It would seem more plausible that Mitch would be the one burning for Blanche than Stanley, but I digress.
There is the tension of class hierarchy; Blanche and her sister Stella came from a rich family, and Stanley is working class. Blanche reminds him of this divide several times, and this creates resentment, especially as Stanley finds out more about her life.
In the film, (to me at least), there is no discernible sexual tension or interest between them. However, Stanley uses Blanche’s past and fragile mental state as reasoning to commit sexual violence against her.
Prince was never one to really shy away from controversial subject matter in his music. It’s interesting that he took a flirtatious, playful route in his retelling of Blanche and Stanley’s relationship. One has to wonder why he chose to avoid the real narrative.
How compelling it would have been if he had addressed the topics of misogyny, abuse, and mental health that actually occurred in the story; issues still timely in 1986 (and even today). It would have tied in well with the #political and #religious messages on the ‘Sign’ album!
In any case, it’s a damn good jam that became one of my many favorites on the #SOTTDELUXE box set. You have to see my “Ahhhh ahhh ahh ahhhhh!!!!” face, lol. I hope you all enjoyed this thread and that I provided some needed levity in this crazy time.
Last notes: I put the incorrect handle for @deejayumb on the original tweet and I guess Twitter doesn't let you edit (I'm still new here! Lol). I just want to thank him again for his incredible patience with me!
AND... if you want to learn more about myself, my long-time bestie @urban_vanguard and our show The O+> Paradigm visit our site: http://www.purpleparadigm.com/ or watch an episode here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_3ZQsaDkDH1VoFh09zPOQ
Final note: If you haven't checked out the rest of the threads in this fabulous series, please do so and RETWEET! Everyone involved is super passionate and committed to preserving Prince's legacy. Next thread will be on Jan.12 by @TonyaPendleton covering Soul Psychodelicide!
