“That’s the other guy”: The scathing lyric Prince wrote as a subtle dig at rival musician Michael Jackson
There are countless comparisons in history sensitive enough to ignite a flame, and not a good one. While some bask in the delight of being likened to their heroes, some, like Prince, could never so much as swallow the bitter taste of being uttered in the same sentence as a certain Michael Jackson. The issue here was such comparisons were expected, especially with both being such pivotal figures in pop.
However, while this was the case, there were also several inherent differences that also made such comparisons starkly off the mark. Prince, for one, was always known for challenging convention, even when he appeared in the same circles as those who did the same, like The Rolling Stones. However, his problem was not that his art was too inaccessible—it wasn’t. It was mostly that he wasn’t a white man.
That’s not to say that Jackson didn’t experience the same level of prejudice, but that their different experiences of such setbacks shaped their expression in fundamentally opposite ways. Though not always explicitly tackling that subject, Prince was knowingly a disrupter whose fight to normalise taboo subjects ended up generating more controversy than even he likely expected.
On the other end was Jackson’s journey to appease—in every sense of the word. From the beginning, he leaned into the more commercially viable tropes, like formulaic songs that might have been revolutionary but were still a part of the mould every musician longed to taste. Jackson wasn’t a storm in the way Prince was, especially not when it came to his music, even when his words sometimes bit harder at the industry than expected.
Despite these artistic differences, Prince’s hatred for the King of Pop seemed to run bone-deep. Granted, the Purple One wasn’t exactly reserved when it came to airing his grievances about other musicians, but something about Jackson—particularly their comparisons—set a fire inside him that was difficult to hold in, like the enemy that keeps coming up at every turn despite the incessant effort to disengage.
Although he took many opportunities to express this, one of his most scathing attacks was on the one thing that always offended his rival—his appearance. In fact, it seemed 2004 wasn’t exactly the best year for the ‘Bad’ hitmaker, as not only did he experience a particularly damaging roast with the music video for Eminem’s ‘Just Lose It’, but his nemesis Prince also made use of his turn with the equally biting ‘Life O’ The Party’.
Similar to Eminem’s bash, Prince took aim at Jackson’s facial physicalities, including the one lyric guaranteed to hit the singer where it hurt: “He don’t play the hits no more. Plus I thought he was gay,” he sings, continuing, “But it ain’t nothing if it ain’t fun / My voice is getting higher / And I ain’t never had my nose done / That’s the other guy.”
While it wasn’t confirmed that this was ever about Jackson, nor did the singer ever comment on being dismissed in such a manner, it’s clear Prince never really got over being discussed in the same breath. However, this wasn’t exactly a unique occurrence, as Prince commonly used his platform to highlight his issues, not just with other musicians but on topics he felt strongly about, too.
