Today's song is "Fury" from 2006's 3121 album, which is about a woman – or women as it has been speculated – who feels she's been left behind by her man. But that's not the focus of this thread.
Heading into 2006, Prince was firing on all cylinders. He was still basking in the afterglow of the events of 2004: the Grammys opening w/ Beyoncé, his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the top-grossing Musicology tour.
During the Musicology tour announcement at L.A.'s El Rey Theater in February 2004, Prince said that one of the goals of the tour was "to bring back music and live musicianship." This motivation was underscored by his oft-repeated, on-stage declaration, "Real music by real musicians!"
By this time, Prince was mentoring young artists and even his peers on becoming independent and asserting greater control over their work. It seemed that he embraced the role of elder statesman. And the first agenda item in this new role: accept his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Photo note: Anita Baker is seated to Prince's left.)
The RRHOF induction ceremony was held at the Waldorf-Astoria in NYC in March 2004. Here, Prince reminds rock's elite (and the world) of his mastery as lead guitar; the singular role in a band that commands the establishment's respect. Prince needed to do this publicly. And we all remember that Prince shut down the RRHOF ceremony with his solo during "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Okay, so what's all this got to do with "Fury" – a song released two years later? Fast-forward to February 4, 2006.
Previously, @deejayumb outlined 3121's first single "Te Amo Corazón" that previewed the album 3 months prior to its March 2006 release. A second preview happened on when Prince performed "Fury" on SNL. Now, through my eyes, the SNL debut of "Fury" is Prince as Educator. Let's step through a few visual components of this performance to see what I mean. Let's start with the guitar. While there are photos of Prince playing his Honor Madcat, he didn't use it during the televised "Fury." Prince actually uses a powder-blue Fender Stratocaster; a model that he'd not played publicly in years and is closely associated with many legendary guitarists. I think this actually signals his approach to the song.
Side Note A: did anyone think it strange for Prince to have a Strat as the "Fury" cover design for the single release? It is, until you realize that "Fury" is really a vehicle for his guitar playing. The lyrical content is secondary — in fact, there's no chorus, only soloing.
Back to SNL: his Strat is plugged into — instead of his usual wireless connection — Orange amplifiers. Orange is a historic, alternate brand whose sound is described as "fat & warm" that produced more musical and richer harmonics, and improved guitar sustain. And the amps also matched the suit he wore on the show.
Another new visual: his stage plot. On SNL, Prince is stage right as opposed to his usual center stage. In my book, this a nod to Jimi Hendrix's preferred staging for the Experience and Band of Gypsys. Prince at stage right also serves the purpose of highlighting the choreography of his then-protegé Tamar and Maya and Nandy McClean (the Twinz).
Side Note B: The other performance of "Fury" occurred 10 days later at the Brit Awards. Reuniting P with Wendy & Lisa and Sheila E. Here, we're back to Prince's traditional staging and Tamar & the Twinz are repositioned.
Another note about the guitar. Prince gave an interview to Guitar Player magazine's July 2004 issue and talked about how he doesn't like discussing his own equipment, because it discourages budding guitarists from learning their own sound. And the first person he recommends to study: Ike Turner.
Honestly, I never saw that coming, but let's connect Ike Turner to this, because they're actually two keys that I want to point out. First, Ike is often credited as creating the first rock & roll record, "Rocket 88" – it's foundation being Memphis Blues. Ike Turner also played a Fender Stratocaster. So much so that Fender produced a Tribute Series model in 2004. And the color? And there's also Tamar and the Twinz. Here they are two days after SNL as part of Tamar's Spring 2006 tour.
I've always believed that Prince, while at times very nuanced, was always deliberate in his presentations. He never gave us easy answers, but it was always an open-book test. (Check the amplifier head in the Ike photo.)
