"Uncovering the Truth": The Meaning Behind Purple Rain

"Purple Rain" is not only one of my favorite Prince song, but also one of my favorite songs of all time. However, I have always wondered what the song's title meant. When I thought about it literally, it would be completely weird to see purple rain. I would think that I was high or on an LSD trip. Figuratively, the title has various meanings. According to Prince.org, Prince was asked about what he meant by "purple rain" and his reply was "the meaning is there if you look for it. We can sit all day and discuss them and argue the point, but all we will find is we all find something different that he tried to express." Mysterious as usual, Prince.

So, I have decided to put a compilation of possible meanings of the title. Rain can represent sadness (and tears), life's troubles, or fears and it can represent a type of cleansing. It could also be a pun for the word "reign." On the other hand, purple is associated with royalty, which connects to Prince's name, his royal purple wardrobe and the pun of "reign." Also, purple rain reminds me of the Jimi Hendrix song, "Purple Haze," which was making a reference to psychedelic drugs like Marijuana and LSD. Prince's music mixes psychedelic funk and rock together and hearkens back to artists like Jimi Hendrix. In that sense, purple can represent being high or spiritual.

If one puts these into different combinations, he or she will get a variety of meanings that all could be the meaning of the phrase at the same time. "Purple Rain" could be a spiritual cleansing, a "showering" of Prince's love, to let Prince be his loved one's protection and guide, to face life's problems or get through the pain through spiritual healing, or to be "showered" in something great (royal). All of these have basis in the movie, which was named after the song.

Those are my theories about "Purple Rain." You can make some guess on your own, but while you are doing that, enjoy the song!

"Uncovering the Truth": Country Music Is the True Soul Music?

While interviewing Darius Rucker, formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish, Oprah and him were discussing his song "It Won't Be Like This for Long." Darius wrote the song about his wife and kids. Oprah made a comment that right now Country music is the true soul music. She added that only country music allows you to write about what you feel and topics like your family. In agreement, Darius said that Country music was the only genre for the singer-songwriter.

I was angered by those statements. First, I know Country music is now top-selling when comes to album sales, and is more down to earth than most mainstream music today, but that does not mean there is no Soul music out there. One might have to seep through the trash of mainstream music to find it, but it is there. Just look at the Neo-soul or Alternative Hip-hop artists out there. All of these artists write about subjects that are personal to them. And when I think about most music is "soul" music because someone is writing about what he or she feels.

Moreover, why is the singer-songwriter type delegated to Country music. It is irritating when people put the ability to be a singer-songwriter in a specific genre of music. Every music style has its batch of singer-songwriters, from Alternative Rock/Pop (Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, The Killers, Kings of Leon, etc.) to Hip-hop (Novel, Spree Wilson, Mos Def, etc.).

So, I suggest that Oprah and Darius think before they say something that would insult the rest of the artists in the industry.

"Uncovering the Truth"- Behind the Lyrics of "Get On Your Boots" by U2

"The future needs a big kiss

Winds blows with a twist

Never seen a moon like thisCan you see it too?
Night is falling everywhere

Rockets at the fun fair

Satan loves a bomb scare

But he won’t scare you


Hey, sexy boots

Get on your boots, yeah


You free me from the dark dream

Candy floss ice cream

All our kids are screaming

But the ghosts aren’t real
Here’s where we gotta be

Love and community

Laughter is eternity

If joy is real


You don’t know how beautiful

You don’t know how beautiful you are

You don’t know, and you don’t get it, do you?

You don’t know how beautiful you are


That’s someone’s stuff they’re blowing up

We’re into growing up

Women of the future

Hold the big revelations
I got a submarine

You got gasoline

I don’t want to talk about wars between nations
Not right now


Hey sexy boots

Get on your boots, yeah

Not right nowBossy boots


You don’t know how beautiful

You don’t know how beautiful you are

You don’t know, and you don’t get it, do you?

You don’t know how beautiful you are


Hey sexy boots

I don’t want to talk about the wars between the nations

Sexy boots, yeah
Let me in the sound

Let me in the sound

Let me in the sound, sound

Let me in the sound, sound

Meet me in the sound
Let me in the sound

Let me in the sound, nowGod,

I’m going down

I don’t wanna drown now

Meet me in the sound
Let me in the sound

Let me in the sound

Let me in the sound, sound

Let me in the sound, sound

Meet me in the sound


Get on your boots

Get on your boots

Get on your boots

Yeah hey hey"



Well, I was watching Vh1 today and found out from Bono himself that it is a love song, which I guess makes sense. Even funnier, is that the title "Get On Your Boots" is East African slang for put a condom on! And he did not even tell his band the meaning of the title until now! Ha, Ha! Oh, Bono, you slay me!



Watch the video again!

"Uncovering the Truth": In Your Face, Etta James

Several days ago, you may have heard Etta James bluntly describing how much she "can't stand Beyonce!" She even mentioned how mad she was that President Obama chose Beyonce to sing "her song," "At Last." Well, she might have made the song "At Last" a huge hit and her version of the song is the most remembered (and I do love her songs), still it is not her song and she had no right to act like "an old, worn-out hag." Etta acts as if no one can do a cover of a song that she did as a cover herself!!!! She needs to go check herself, eat some humble pie and maybe go back to rehab because she might have been a little tipsy that night!

Anyways, the original song "At Last" was written in 1941 by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical Orchestra Wives, which starred George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. For the film, it was recorded by Glenn Miller and his orchestra and sung by Ray Erberle and Pat Friday. It reached number 14 on the charts in 1942 and became a standard. Many other singers, such as Nat King Cole, did covers of the song.

Here is a video of the original song: