I tought this song was intentionally released feeling unfinished — relatively rushed compared to his other albums — in line with the overall intent of the album, which felt like a manifesto saying I’m done with this!!, shaped by the pressures Prince was under at the time and the context of the era.

Pop Life (Album Version)

Because he deliberately put it out rough and unpolished — wanting to pop the balloon of his overwhelming public image as a “superstar” as quickly as possible. So I thought this was a genuinely great song, but one that made me feel a pang of regret — thinking it would have been incredible if he had refined it a little more. (Though I loved even the Prince that made me feel that regret.)

Pop Life (Extended Version)

But after listening to the extended version, I was completely (once again) shattered. It was just a song he had already finished all along.

This is the song that brought me full circle, making me rethink the entire intent behind his album. I can’t stop thinking about what was really going on behind the scenes of its making.

America

Another masterpiece — I’ve been listening to America too.. This one song just runs raw for 21 minutes straight. Could there possibly be anything more I could ask for in this world?