On episode 173 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Julian Long and I combine forces to discuss an explicit vault track, “We Can Fuck,” that turned into a vulgar and gross yet less explicit official release for the Graffiti Bridge Soundtrack, “We Can Funk.”
“I’m testing positive for the funk.”
The fuck vs. funk debate rages on – which version of this raunchy early 80s turned early 90s track do you prefer? The original “We Can Fuck” is more sinister, sexy, equally coy, and bold while surprising us with vulnerability during the song’s denouement. This version is challenging for some and rewarding for others—a totally epic masterpiece.
“We Can Funk,” on the other hand, is funkier (naturally), with George Clinton sharing lead vocals with Prince. Prince and George sprinkle in a bizarre peeing in a cup for testing purposes metaphor that’s more gross and absurd than sexy or arousing. Nevertheless, this song is, in essence, simply an update of the original, so it’s tough to like one but not the other. It’s all just a matter of preference on whether you want your Prince nasty and explicit or nasty and cheeky.
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!
