I’m happy to be a part of another #PrinceTwitterThread to discuss “Dark” — the 7th track from Prince’s 1994 Come album. And for readers who aren’t aware: I’m one of those who is hard on P’s 1990’s output.
Further, I’ve gone so far as to say that I can’t have a Prince conversation with someone who has not heard the Dirty Mind album. Admittedly, this is an extreme position, but as we go, you’ll see why I prefer that prerequisite.
But to be clear: whether I loved the output or not, I have supported Prince since 1981 by purchasing damn near everything — you name it, I bought it. I know him as a complete artist; the whole tree from roots to leaves. So let’s get to it.
By 1994 I was in a tough spot. I’d been slowly losing my place in both Prince’s music and the worlds he’d created. I was hanging on by my fingertips in the midst of more urgent musical options like Digable Planets’ Blowout Comb and Dionne Farris’ Wild Seed-Wild Flower.
As a result, there are periods that are completely lost on me. Like how Prince’s Glam Slam Ulysses dance project used “Dark” in the Penelope dance. The song’s use is ironic in that Penelope keeps her fidelity to her husband, Ulysses, in his absence, but “Dark” deals with abandonment and betrayal.
Back to me stressing the 1990’s: In June 1994, my and Prince’s interests suddenly aligned when he released the “Interactive” CD-ROM just as I’d gotten heavy into Apple Macintosh computers. (Deserving of its own thread, Anil Dash gives a comprehensive demo of the game that’s worth checking out.)
Weeks later, Come is released and two things about its cover grab me instantly. First, it’s just “Prince” without “and the [band name goes here].” Second, the “1958 – 1993” which I knew to mean his intention to move forward with his O(+> name change and declare his previous self as dead.
So, I approached this album as I would a requiem that addressed aspects of Prince’s life. And Come has it all: the sex, the party, the religion, the reflection, the struggle, the love, and the pain. I found a way back in to his music and was able to connect with this concept. Okay, “Dark” time.
If pressed, I’d say “Dark” is my favorite on Come. It’s an isolated song on an already isolated album. A man who has suddenly been left by his woman, he feels used and betrayed. He’s seemingly singing to his spiteful departed, but it’s really for himself as he works this out.
He doesn’t understand why she left, and resolves that it was an intentional move to strike pain: “You absolutely drove a man to tears/All I really know is that you sincerely wanna hurt me.” Later he strikes back: “I want to curse you, baby/For leaving me alone.”
Heartbreak and retribution are recurring themes in Prince’s lyrics (see “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad,” “Something in the Water,” “If You Break My Heart One More Time,” and about 20 others) that he advances further in “Eye Hate U” from 1995’s The Gold Experience.
Prince uses falsetto here – his power vocal – that matches a steady groove that extends throughout, but there’s also a beautiful pre-bridge that leads into “Just as sure as Noah built the Ark/That’s how sure I am you broke my heart.” The eye of a storm filled with raging pain.
Recall when I began, I referenced the need for Dirty Mind familiarity. It’s fine if you don’t have it. Just know that DM is the foundation that upholds the rest of what makes Prince … PRINCE. Now, take a few moments and listen to “Gotta Broken Heart Again.”
Do you hear the similar themes of betrayal heartbreak? Apart from the suicide, “Dark” and “Gotta Broken Heart Again” could’ve been sung by the same person in two different stages of his life. It’s those types of cues that helped me navigate where Prince was at during this period.
Prince revisited “Dark” live on occasion later in his career. He even included it in his final performance in Atlanta (around the 25:00 mark).