On Episode 64 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Farooq Ansari (@anti_social on Twitter) and I join Prince on a trip “Around the World In a Day,” the first track from the album of the same name. “Open your heart, open your mind” as we attempt to digest how Prince got here and where he plans to take us throughout his 7th album.
“Come here, take my hand, I’ll show U. I think I know a better way.”
Open your heart, open your mind. That’s all Prince wants us to do as listeners of the title track to Around the World in a Day. Seems like a simple idea, right? Not if you’re expecting a Purple Rain II or an album that sounds like all of the other pop albums in 1985. Allow yourself to be open to new ideas, concepts (peace, love, spirituality, the usual suspects), and musical directions. We’re all just looking for the ladder, and Prince wants to lead us there.
The album’s title track is a wonderfully quirky and world-music-inspired slice of mid-’80s pop. Do the lyrics live up to the intrigue that the music conveys? Farooq and I discuss where Prince’s career was going at the end of ’84, the beginning of ’85, and what sort of hippy aesthetic he may (or may not) have intended to convey. Additionally, we attempt to pinpoint several different references to other songs that could be found on the album, right here in this opening track. The little one will escort you…
The goal of each episode of Press Rewind is to:
- Take a track by track look at the lyrical content of Prince’s discography
- Discuss my own interpretation of each song’s lyrics along with any guest I may have
- If submitted, discuss listener’s interpretations of each song’s lyrics
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Prince’s catalog!
