PRINCE - Computer Blue '83 Reaction!
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
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#computerblue #princeandtherevolution83 #princecomputerblue
The extended version of this song is easily one of the most jaw-dropping songs he ever did. I’m so happy that it’s easily accessible for everybody to hear on streaming these days. Just find the “Hallway Speech” version and listen to it on repeat. This was an era defining concert in pretty much every respect; it launched the Purple Rain era, basically. God I love this song.
Find the extended version and listen to it. The layers of instrumentation, the hallway speech, the tempo changes, the details, all of it is absolutely incredible. That was coming from a 25 year old guy. The extended version is the song I play people when I want to prove he is the GOAT.
Yes, Mike...totally agree. I only discovered the hallway speech about 8 or so years ago, and was blown away. God I love this song too! The guitar literally gives me shivers down my neck. Purple music really does get you high!
One of the things I love discovering nowadaze is all the many versions (especially live) of different songs -I mean, even Purple Rain.
@@shiny_dreamer Nah Nah Nahnah Naaah Everybody work out OOOOW!! Lives in my head rent free forever 😂
@@Grumpywolf3121 😂
The actual best!! 💜
That version is probably my favorite Prince track of all time.
This shred guitar part is iconic and the coolest i ever heard ,glad i'm from this era.
That song is a Purple Opus!! This so is so alive, and the one I have every version, live and studio!!
Computer Blue, Joy in Repetition and The Question of U are 3 of Prince’s best!
They sure are! I really loved this performance
'JiR', 'Something i.t.Water' and 'Q of U' imo 💜
When it comes to many of Prince's song meanings...I honestly believe it is intuitive to the listener, and the era of which it is being listened to. i agree with Mike -search the Hallway Speech version.
Prince's music is a trip.
The “computer” is the cold lonely persona of someone who hasn’t found love. In the Live In 1985 concert, there is a female robotic voice after the song that says “Poor lonely computer…it’s time someone programmed you”. So basically the “computer” is sad or “blue”.
Also not forgetting Prince’s genius of wordplay, the medical term “code blue” is a hospital code used to describe the patient’s status is critical and near death. In this case it could also refer to loneliness.
Thanks for the great video and I highly suggest you watch the Live in 1985 concert that was just re-released to see Computer Blue segue into what happens after he finds someone. The coldest love song ever “Darling Nikki”…..it’ll all make sense lol
Hellofa comment & very true
I was going to say the same. The fuller first paragraph of the speech is:
Poor lonely computer
It's time someone programmed you
It's time you learned love and lust
They both have four letters
But they're entirely different words
Poor lonely computer
Poor, poor lonely computer
Do you really know what love is?
A little story about the day he died. To this day it's one of the most surreal moments of my life. Not just cuz he died. But because of how mnpls mourned. Downtown was flooded with thousands of people while 1st Avenue played prince music all night long. And if you were Downtown, when you looked up, almost every single building and sign said thank you prince. Every billboard downtown also said thank you prince on it. And the dept of transportation turned all their lights to purple. So even for us who lived in the suburbs would be driving on miles of purple roads with billboards all saying thank you prince along the way. It was unreal. Like I said, the most surreal day I can remember.
I remember everything turning PURPLE that night in all different places all over the WORLD. #Prince Unified many people together thru MUSIC. He is his own Genre and his greatness is sadly missed years later.
“If I spun around like that I’d take out the drum kit” 🤣🤣🤣 Brian!!
:D lmao
Unbeknownst to his then young audience Prince was cryptically Apocalyptic. In 1999 he said " you can't run from the revelation y'all, cus it's ready to roll". Little Red Corvette was probably addressing a sexually adventurous groupie who intimidated him due to the "jockies that were there before me". Computer Blue was probably about reconciling the life he was living with the yearning for a Proverbs 13 (Righteous One") woman. Ironically ( some say hipocrotically) Prince sang about strong, sexually assured women and married a virgin. His true love Vanity was the first to suffer his Madonna/Whore complex because she'd dated around celebrity circles. Knowing who he became it's clear he wasn't going to marry many of the women he loved. The terminology many who knew him said he used was "lost her angels" to substitute for "Not a Virgin". I think Computer Blue is a rebuke against the modern (first wave) woman. He was conflicted between women he spends his time with who'd been with too many men to properly pair bond and who his 7th Day Adventist programming told him he should be with. You should hear the long PR Deluxe version, the computer talks back to him exposing his faulty programming that confused Love and Lust. In other words men who'd been with too many women also have faulty wiring and viewed women through a mostly pornographic (limited) lense. A lot of his catalog delves into that love/lust paradigm and maybe we love him because we too struggle with identifying between what feels good and what is good.
@Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! you really need to her the 11min version and the full 14min version
Computer Blue is sort of a fuller expression of Something In the Water(Does Not Compute) from the 1999 album.
It's interconnected with the movie Purple Rain, and is some background to his relationship with Vanity/Apollonia character. Also the melody comes from a piano piece called Father's Song. There is a full version released on the Purple Rain deluxe.
This song was not so much 'optimistic' as darker, looking for light. You need to hear the 14min version (w/the Hallaway Speech)
Also, in the song My Computer he says I scanned my computer looking for a sight, somebody to talk to, funny & bright. That song is from Emancipation (1996). We had computers but no social media sights (lol), he was ahead of his time
AOL at the time had chatrooms though and they were very popular. I really believe I ran into Prince in one of them once...but unfortunately, I was playing the character of a green dragon at the time.
The guitar solo is actually a totally different song. It's called Father's Song. If you go back and watch the scene in Purple Rain ☔ where his father is playing the piano in the basement, that's Father's Song. On Computer Blue the guitar solo is a spead up version of Father's Song. He's the man 😊
I’ve been playing Father’s Song for my kids at bedtime and it immediately soothes the little gremlins. Beautiful song 💜
O wow didnt know that thanks for the info
So gorgeous. Stole my soul and haven't given it back yet😁😁😁
@@mztweety1374 , thank you. Very sweet of you to say about m......... Oh you're talking about Prince 🤣
@@khines2994 😀 Yeah, his music saved my life. The teenage years were kind of a disaster 😀
It's amazing that the recordings from this performance became Purple Rain!
The world's luckiest crowd, but at the time they didn't know it.
I totally agree!
@10:51 I went to my 1st PRINCE concert at 13yrs Old "81 CONTROVERSY" tour.
That was from 1984. It's on the Purple Rain sound track. That is Prince & The Revolution
Awesome!💜
The audio and video of this show was probably the first bootleg I ever got of his in 1985 ( think I got it with a 1981 concert on tape also), still have them. Back then you traded to get first gen copies!!! Years before digital!!! Such a brilliant time trading across the world - via snail mail...lol
Tonight in Minneapolis they're unveiling a 7 story painting of prince. It's right next to the target center. Great musicians from some of his bands still be performing. Mainly the group DR MAMBOS COMBO. I plan on going. Prince is absolutely loved in mnpls. We couldn't be more proud of someone.
Also, I believe paisley Park is starting their week long celebration. Mnpls will be draped in purple for about a week straight. I love this time of year.
Given the place computers had in society at that time, it's more likely that a computer would not necessarily be the useful home type and more the emotionless, robotic mainframe style... Not quite sinister, but certainly less than human. A simple state of emotion and not the complexity of humanity.
So 'Computer Blue' is the character Prince is playing.
There is a longer version where the lyrics are not truncated and we hear Lisa and Wendy telling "poor lonely computer" that he needs to learn that "love and lust both have four letters but they mean entirely different things"...
And then we hear 'Computer blue' (the lonely depressed robot man) discussing emotions as he follows the rooms along a hallway, where each room teaches him a new emotion.
It's not a million miles away from The Wizard of Oz and the tinman in that sense!
Agreed. This isn’t a reference to anything we’d immediately connect to modern PC culture/internet culture. Prince was ahead of his time but even HE didn’t see that coming. This song was written in ‘83, so I think it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s more to evoke a cold roboticism in the emotional state of the character as opposed to anything having to do with actual computers 😉
👏
Prince was grooving and just feeling the music almost honing his skills as a band leader And the blueprint of what was to come.You had to have raw talent to be somebody back then u didn't have to take ur clothes off or shout and call it singing,U didn't have to be good looking Just be talented and have the ability to write a good song.Change and evolution happens But music seems technology driven No Feel No soul just a generic pattern that everyone seems to follow.Prince did embrace all in order to create But ended up becoming his own challenge and competition.A truly great musician that is missed to this day.
Keep up the wonderful work my brother
Peace and b wild
I think you raise a great point about the song, what did it mean to Prince and what was the message? What did the audience think? I also believe your right about getting a true feeling or potential understanding of said song. You had to live it, otherwise it’s speculation or hypothesise. I remember having a ZX spectrum computer at the time and like you I remember thinking the new technology was significant, giving us something we hadn’t had before.
rubber key madness!
Hi I was born & raised here in Mpls, been to Dozens of his performances at 1st ave and countless concerts growing up here the atmosphere was and still is unique, prince was very much in tune with the future and where society was headed, people being mechanical and desensitized, computer blue ' people in relationships getting to a point of just going through the motions one being seen as a machine to be objectified used, a sad computer
You should check out the recording of Purple Rain from this concert. It's very interesting. Peace and be wild
That would be the FIRST time playing it LIVE and they use THAT cut for the movie, cutting out one verse and Never using it again.
Nice raw version of computer blue. This was wendy s debut. W her being in her knees during the dual guitars, if u watched computer blue from syracuse new york show 1985 (on you tube) she s on her knees w the guitar directly in her face. It seems on that perfomance they re playing more in unison in that part. U got the gist of the song. If u listen to "computer blue hallway speech" which was released, it explains the song even further. Basically saying he s breaking down like a computer because his love is gone. On the hallway speech version he has lines like, "im on the verge of a breakdown, what is life w/o love? Its gone, computer blue" and the girls say "poor linely computer, its time soneone programmed u, its time u learned the difference between love and lust, they both have for letters, but theyre entirely 2 different worlds." If u get a chance, check out "computer blue" 1985 syracuse new york, and then go into "darlin nikki" syracuse new york. You ll appreciate the guitar in both songs. In computer blue he actually throws the guitar in the air after the solo and u see the stagehand catch it perfectly. Syracuse was of course a big production so it wasnt a raw show like this. Wendy said after they finish the album, she told someone "u gotta here this stuff" and that person was amazed at where it was going. Another great reaction. Shared w friends. I like the way u broke down the guitar in how they played.
Thank you so much Marcus! Great post!
U r gonna luv this Bryan 💜🎵🎼🎶💜💯🔥
He's blue (sad) & blank computer screens are sometimes & most often blue
Definitely! Prince was the first artist to take advantage of the internet and what it has to offer as far as selling music.
Yes he was. He formed a website to deliver his songs to fans for a fee. This would be the beginning of the Warner Bros Argument about OWNING your ART and #Prince led, the artists rights to own Their OWN music. ALONG with Darling NIKKI creating the USE of A Parental Guidance sticker on Music. YEP! #Prince did all that.
Another damn good 💜🎵🎼🎶💜 reaction Bryan 💯🔥 thank U 💯🔥
This has always been a favorite of mine, from the music and vocals to the lyrics. As others have pointed out, the full version provides a clearer picture of the meaning. His mind is the computer, hardwired to see things from a male perspective, equating lust and beauty with love. He places women on a pedestal until they falter. The longer version suggests that he needs to be reprogrammed or rewired to understand that women too are struggling to understand the world and shouldn't be tossed aside when they fall from grace. I relate to this song immensely. Love it!
I'd throw a hip out if I tried 2 spin like that 🤣😅😂😆 now or if I was in my early 20's 🤣😅😂😆
🤣🤣🤣
You made perfect sense ,prince always thought ahead of time ⏲ especially when it came to tech...great video again brother
That song was so good to play!! In high school, my friends and I used it at a school project... it was about computers and how they can work together... ;)
I'm really fascinated by it....
Ohh! You aged yourself. Now I will too. Lol. My friend had the Apple IIE, I had the commodore 64. And I had Doctor J VS Larry Bird One on One.
Oh yeah, good video as always. You're becoming one of my favorite UA-camrs. Thanks.
Lol loved that game had it for my apple 2 E! I also had search for the most amazing thing that came out in 1981 with a city called Metallica lol. I really appreciated your kind words, means a lot thank you!
Thank U
💜☸💜
Thank you!
Michael Perez's comment is very much on point 👉 💯🔥
I’d say Computer Blue was his sex life failures after a breakup because “something must be wrong with the machinery” (his manhood). This will continue until he finds “the righteous one”. In the film, he’s obviously angry over his breakup with Apolonia when she leaves him to join Morris’ band. He performs this right before he sees her in the club then performs ‘Darling Nikki’ referring to her about there relationship
Mike Mucchette's comment is on point also, the long version of this song is a must listen 2 💯🔥🎵🎼🎶💯🔥
Mike rocks! At his suggestion I checked it out the other night and it was great :)
@@YesYouCANPlayGuitar I can't find it on UA-cam 😱 how do I find it? What do I need 2 do Bryan?
Too think Prince had When Doves 🕊 Cry, The Beautiful Ones and the infamous Darling Nikki up his sleeve for the Purple Rain album,on top of all unbelievable songs Performed for the 1st time at that ‘83 benefit show 🤯🤯☔️☔️Thanks Bryan
Thank you good sir :)
@@YesYouCANPlayGuitar is The Beautiful One’s thee perfect Prince song?🤔him playing everything etc the way he builds the sing to the climax with the want of a better word 😂, the same with the album version of Joy in Repetition.. the way he builds it as himself as the band , quite special moments in time..there’s a version of Joy in repetition that starts with a single drum beat.. that’s the best one imho ☔️☔️
Until I find the righteous one, computer blue. Until then he'll (take care of himself while staring at a screen).
I took it as when a computer crashes and gets gets stuck, they get that blue screen. So like the crashed computer he cant do his thing until he found the righteous one.
I luv how u explain the pedals that Prince is using & how U explain what sounds they make & how Prince uses those pedals 2 very specific sounds 💯 thank U Bryan 💯😎👍
Thank you Greg, I hope to do more in depth videos on pedals in the near future!
You should watch how they did on the purple Rain tour
I think you should listen to his song Moonbeam Levels from the Super Deluxe 1999 album. I've only heard the studio version, and I'm unsure if there ever was a live performance of this song, but I think you'll like it.
My gut tells me we got a sprinkling of Moonbeam Levels during the Piano & A Microphone tour... Never heard a full fledged live version. Would have loved to - amazing song.
I think the Computer is Prince's brain and how it process women and love. It is dysfunctional with out a connection to his heart so he is Blue.
This is a great analogy for sure Geo :)
Great reaction. I think your point makes total sense, but you might not have the benefit of the studio track or the concert version. Although Prince used technology in his music, I think he was always very skeptical of “too much” technology. Welcome 2 America, the single, is a great example. I think Computer Blue is what he is seeking throughout the song. What he thinks is the “love” life he deserves is actually lust and an overall desire for quick gratification in every way (like too much of a computer). The concert version (due out on Friday) and the long version (“Computer Blue, Hallway Speech”) both have a female voice speaking back to him very late in the track, explaining that love and lust are different things. In Hallway Speech, there is a lyric that women are “computers too.” Again, I think this refers not just to love over lust but also to both the man and the woman being equal. Both computers have advantages and vulnerabilities and should not be used to overpower the other person in the relationship.
Oh, by the way, the music is great on every level. This apparently was a groove that they would play on and on. Apparently, they never knew exactly how to cut it for the album, but if you’ve only heard the album version, most people really love it. I remember thinking it made sense that it was originally much longer. It’s very theatrical, almost like 3 different songs over a single groove. Hallway Speech is one of my all time favorites. Thanks.
Amazing post as always Lorenzo! Very informative as always. I really loved this performance.... and Wendy's first gig to boot!
Thanks a lot. I’m glad you like this performance. Yes, Wendy was probably 19 at the time. She could really play. I can only think of a handful of musicians from his bands who I thought might not be at a certain level.
As another person commented below, Prince was 25 at the time. Just the depth of what he was singing and writing, before you even get to the sound, are just amazing.
the song was in 1982/3 for purple rain 1999 was an album...(was a mumbling for sure)
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I love how this song makes you interpret just what he's singing about. Watch Purple Rain and someone will have a different interpretation from you. Amazing 💜
Bryan, in this Purple Friends 💜 & Family 💜 that u r now apart of 💯🔥 u couldn't make a fool or as I would say " make an ass 🍑 out yourself " 2 us Purple Friends 💜 & Family 💜 🎵🎼🎶💯🔥 if u tried 💯🤣😅😂😆😎👍
He would have been 64 tomorrow😂
Please react to "Why you want to treat me so bad" by Prince.
Absolutely brother, which live performance?
The live performances posted by "Stuart Studios"
@@ikenga02 Gotcha will do my man! :)
Diamonds and pearls live or Bambi undertaker version
Should watch colonized mind
Something in the Water (Does Not Compute) yand Computer Blue are in the same point of view. That computers are men.
Honestly Bryan since Prince never explained the meaning of a song , it’s what you want it to be.
💙🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡💙
Not my favourite song. This was Wendy’s first gig. And these versions were used for the Purple Rain album
Scottie Baldwin, Prince’s best sound engineer said that Prince’s best instrument was his voice. I agree
may be computer blue was not a computer but actually may be his lin drum machine programming music which is a computer. May be Bill Gates set blue when windows crashed for the same reason but its blue ... (thats a joke for sure)
Computer Blue (Hallway Speech) studio version rocks! Lyrics can be found on moonbeamlevels4u.info of entire track.