Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1980
Uptown (Prince song)
Buy Uptown (Prince song) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Uptown
| cover = PrinceUptown.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Prince
| album = Dirty Mind
| B-side = Crazy You
| released = September 10, 1980
| recorded = Minneapolis, MayJune, 1980
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 4:09 (7" Edit)
5:30 (Album Version)
| label = Warner Bros.
| writer = Prince
| producer = Prince
| prev_title = Bambi
| prev_year = 1980
| next_title = Dirty Mind
| next_year = 1980
| misc =
}}
"'Uptown'" was the lead single in the U.S. to Prince's third album, 'Dirty Mind'. Beginning with a lone drum intro, the track explodes into the keyboards of the chorus. The verses feature a more prominent funk guitar. The song breaks down to a more instrumental section toward the end that mainly consists of guitar, bass and drums with an occasional keyboard riff. The minimalist style of the song is representative of most of the 'Dirty Mind' album. The song addresses the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis that was the city's hang-out spot for artists.
Background
The song addresses prejudices and racism, referring to "Uptown" as a metaphor for an ideal place that is free of such things. Prince sings in the first person, and the song opens describing a chance meeting with an attractive woman who then asks in an offensive way if he is gay. The lyrics then rail against prejudice and racism as narrow minded, and exalt in an attitude and spirit that is free of such negativity. It is one of Prince's earliest efforts to blend political statements into his art.
Uptown is described as an area where one can be free to express oneself, and Prince was very fond of the concept. The song opened the Controversy Tour and made a few live appearances after that, notably in Prince's 2001 Hit + Run Tour. The single was backed with "Crazy You," from his debut album, 'For You'.
Charts
References
Category:Prince (musician) songs
Category:Songs written by Prince (musician)
Category:1980 singles
Category:Warner Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Prince (musician)
Category:1980 songs
Category:Songs against racism and xenophobia
Category:Crystal Waters songs
Buy Uptown (Prince song) now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1980