Re: My Computer Why Should I Love You

[Robb McCaffree <nsrjm@nursepo.medctr.ucla.edu>]

Ratnadeep Bhadra wrote:
> 
> What do you all think of the new song on Prince's new set My Computer
> which is done with Kate Bush?
> 
> What were your impressions of their last collaboration  on her Reds Shoes
> cd, "why should I love you"?
> 


	I don't quite "get" Kate's fascination with Prince...and 
now that I think about it, I don't "get" his fascination with 
her either. Their styles seem so mutually exclusive.

	While WSILY was written by Kate, and while she 'weeded 
out' much of Prince's contribution to it, it still basically 
sounds like a Prince song. Which is okay...but wouldn't it have 
been more interesting for her to have used him on a "Kate" 
signature tune than on one she wrote to emulate him? What would 
"Rocket's Tail," "Waking The Witch" or some as-yet-unwritten 
Kate masterpiece have sounded like when meshed with Prince's 
style?

	Meanwhile, over at camp Purple, Prince seemed to be 
inspired by the *concept* of "Deeper Understanding," but 
musically, this song doesn't sound Kate-inspired at all. It  
sounds like a typically pop-sensible Prince song, albeit with a 
more endearing background vocal than could've been provided by 
Sheena Easton or Sheila E. What's the point of collaborating 
with one of the world's quirkiest, most unusual and adept 
songwriter/producers and asking her to merely sing some barely 
distinguishable background vocals?

	There are, however, things I love about both tracks. The 
opening of WSILY with the Trio Bulgarka is quite beautiful. And 
the idea of two artists who have both experienced loss 
collaborating (however one-sidedly) to create MC, a track about 
reaching out, is also very moving. I just wish that there'd been 
more of Kate's own musical complexity in both.

	Good topic, BTW.

	Robb