‘Superfunkycalifragisexy’: The worst Prince lyrics ever written?
Throughout his life and career, Prince faced criticism for several things. First, as a Black man dominating the largely white spotlight, his trajectory was far from smooth. Second, his provocative lyrics led many to brand him as corrupt and a poor influence on the youthful generation, with many condemning him for controversial musical content. However, one thing he was rarely described as was a bad lyricist.
That said, given everything Prince endured during his seminal years, being ascribed such a negative label likely wouldn’t have scratched the surface. After all, the musician was well versed in his own oppression and how it attracted different responses to his music, even when he occupied the same stage as his white counterparts. This happened when he supported The Rolling Stones in 1981, which even the rock group failed to understand.
Granted, Prince’s music wasn’t exactly parallel to the Stones’, and some audiences might have gotten away with their disappointment had it remained strictly artistic. However, others saw it as an opportunity to make their disdain known, pelting the musician with food and other objects to get him off stage. This was made worse by the fact that Keith Richards misunderstood the entire mishap as a failure on Prince’s part, blaming his “attitude,” saying, “He’s a prince who thinks he’s a king already. Good luck to him.”
Beyond all of the other instances that made Prince seem like a cultural threat, including the infamous condemnation by Tipper Gore, his artistic vision alone was never up for debate. In fact, Prince might have been widely scrutinised during his peak years, but he has since become a legacy act, rightfully so, in part owing to his commitment to shattering boundaries and redefining what it meant to be an artist in the spotlight.
After all, Prince embraced an androgynous persona and sang about sex, all while pirouetting around on stage and proving himself to be a true musical prodigy in completely raw and unapologetic ways. However, as with most legendary artists, certain songs or sections of his discography fail to capture the height of attention set as a standard by himself, showing that even the most creative and innovative artists sometimes fall below the bar.
One such inconsistency that stands out is the vault song ‘Superfunkycalifragisexy’, initially intended for Prince’s shelved project, The Black Album. During this period, Prince was going through an unusual artistic phase, exploring multiple creative directions, including a potential album from his alter-ego, Camille, before ultimately releasing his masterpiece, Sign O’ The Times. While The Black Album felt like an extension of Camille’s persona and had the potential to redefine how artists approached alternate identities in music, ‘Superfunkycalifragisexy’ fell short of Prince’s usual lyrical standards.
A song seemingly about sexuality and indulgence, ‘Superfunkycalifragisexy’ lacked the kind of layered intensity that usually defines Prince’s hits. As a result, it landed as a poor attempt at exploring relationship power-play with badly executed wit. Some of the lyrics prove this more than others, but even the most avant-garde attempts seem to fall short, including: “Then you make funny faces ’til they get really scared / Then you turn on the neon, then you play with yourself.”
It isn’t just that the words are bad; they’re also weak, made worse by the fact that it’s difficult to explain exactly why. Perhaps it’s that the song lacks its inherent depth or that Prince made it well-known that his usual lyrical and melodic aura executes such surreal and sexually explicit themes with an underlying mastery, while ‘Superfunkycalifragisexy’ feels almost like a parody of a Prince song. Overall, it lacks the kind of intricacy that would have delivered it better, making its disappearance from any official tracklisting feel almost like much-needed a stroke of luck.
