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Welcome back to another amazing #PrinceTwitterThread experiment! I’m Prince’s Friend and today, we’ll be discussing Incense and Candles, from Prince’s 2006 album, 3121. #3121Album
Do take a moment to check out the threads already completed and those to come for the rest of the week! All the @’s in the graphic, but special shoutout to @darlingnisi, @deejayumb, @EdgarKruize and @PressRewind75.
And if you haven’t listened to Incense and Candles recently, do yourself a favor a and give yourself over to this sexy song.
Prince is well-known for his ability to meld sexy and cool, and Incense and Candles is now exception. It’s the kind of song to give you the vapors.
It even made my list on the Top 10 Sexy songs from Prince because… well, of course it did. Check that out here!
To give a bit of info on the song itself, it is track #5 from 3121, but played a bit of musical chairs with an unreleased song called Streets of Panama. I’ve never heard it… I’m already salivating for a 3121 Super Deluxe one day!
Most of the songs on 3121 were done with other musicians, whether it was the NPG Trio, Claire Fischer, or Joshua Dunham on bass. Incense and Candles, however, is one of the few tracks that Prince did it all.
The only notable exception to this rule is the inclusion of Tamar Davis on backing vocals. While Beautiful, Loved and Blessed was a full-blown single of Tamar to the world, Incense and Candles the first song to feature her voice on 3121.
Since Incense and Candles are both things to tittelate the sense of the smell, let’s talk about aromas a bit. First off, Prince always wore Lavender, as revealed in an interview with Corey Tollefson ( https://www.gq.com/story/prince-stories).
Shortly after 3121’s release, Prince announced a 3121 Perfume for women that “... brings a fresh wave of bergamot, jasmine and gardenia at the top notes.” Funny enough, all three of those are also commonly paired with Lavender. Prince was creating the scent of his perfect lover.
All of this centers around the idea of Aromatherapy being able to alter one’s mood… including the ability to arouse another with one whiff.
Starting the song off, we get Prince in AUTOTUNE singing a sexy “Baby, Ooooo!” I remember when I first heard this and I was like:
First off, not everyone can pull off autotune, and here Prince is demonstrating just how a master can take a cliched technique and bring it to life. Show off!
Secondly, this opening tells us everything we need to know, going from “Baby, Ooooo” to a keyboard groove, letting us into Prince’s sexy world.
At its core, Incense and Candles might sound like it’s about the dirty deed itself, but like Sexy MF before it, this track is about seduction and compatibility before any clothes have been shed. It’s all about the hunt, the seduction, luring his woman to him.
Then it’ll be time to put Prince’s long, cylindrical tool in its proper place… if you know what I mean.
The bulk of this song takes place on the dancefloor, actually. Incense and Candles is Prince seducing his dance partner into coming back to his room.
“I've been waiting for you baby all night long
So I could get somebody to play this song”
“I've been waiting for you baby all night long
So I could get somebody to play this song”
“Come into my room of incense and candles
I got something you won't know how to handle”
From @maytegarcia’s book, The Beautiful Ones, we learned that it was essentially it was someone’s job to transform suites into places suitable for Prince, Foo Foo Room.
I got something you won't know how to handle”
From @maytegarcia’s book, The Beautiful Ones, we learned that it was essentially it was someone’s job to transform suites into places suitable for Prince, Foo Foo Room.
If you want to check out my review of Mayte’s Book, do go here:
“You can tell me uh-uh but you know how this man do
I'ma want it all night long”
I love this chorus. It’s super catchy and you can’t help but sing it, but there are some who see these lines as suggesting nefarious intentions.
I'ma want it all night long”
I love this chorus. It’s super catchy and you can’t help but sing it, but there are some who see these lines as suggesting nefarious intentions.
In my mind, nothing can be further from the truth, though. Prince doesn’t need to force anyone into anything. Once she sees his room and smells his incense, she’ll be all about it. It’s all about setting the mood.
Prince follows this up with a refreshing take on who he’s looking for. It’s not looking for “Hot Thing” who is barely 21 and looking for big fun anymore.
Now Prince is looking for someone compatible, mature, and grown, who moves in concert with him and is equally trying to seduce him right back.
Then the song breaks down and Prince enters a speedy rap, where he tells her all the things he’s going to do to her, all the feelings she’ll feel, and the whole time… the sweet smells they’ll make.
The blending of Tamar and Prince’s voices together gives me such good vibes. I was sure Tamar was going to be a huge star. In many ways, she has… but more people need to go follow her like NOW. Link to her website: https://www.tamardavis.com
Prince even produced an album for Tamar called Milk & Honey. I have it. It is stellar! If you get the chance to listen to it, you won’t be sorry.
Back to Incense and Candles, the song has become a staple in almost any sexy, laid back playlist I make for Prince songs. While his earlier work contained juvenile ideas about sex, 3121 depicts a mature Prince now much wiser about love and sex.
I’d put Incense and Candles up against any other sexy Prince song and it’d win… most of the time (there are a few exceptions). It definitely topples the other sexy song on 3121, Satisfied, in my opinion.
So sit back, relax with your lover, and turn on Incense and Candles. Let it wash over you and get you in the mood. Prince would like that.
This was shorter than other thread I’ve done, mostly because I didn’t want to go line by line… there are a lot of lyrics in Incense and Candles.
But this was a lot of fun, and similar to what I do on my main Youtube channel, Prince’s Friend! There are lots of reviews, discussions, and breakdowns, so join me there for more!
http://youtube.com/PrincesFriend
May U Live 2 See the Dawn #studentofprince
http://youtube.com/PrincesFriend
May U Live 2 See the Dawn #studentofprince
