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 The disco synthesizer and its soul/funk beat of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" gave Prince his first Billboard's Top 20 single (it reached #11), and also topped the Black Charts, and no wonder. Lyrically and rhythmically it's tighter and punchier. The song has a line where he wants to be some overarching expression of love, where he sings, "I wanna be your brother/I wanna be your mother and sister, too." It's sexually charged in one part. This is the full 5:47 version and not the single edit, meaning there's an extended instrumental section. I wonder if there's a 12" mix of this available.The other single, "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" is another out-and-out synthesizer dance number, articulated with some rock guitar chords, kind of an expansion of what he did in "I'm Yours". I like this better than "I Wanna Be Your Lover". A rock guitar solo, more closer to Hendrix, is included. More shades of Purple Rain. The upbeat stuff continues with "Sexy Dancer", which has simple lyrics, about the effects of what that sexy dancer has on him: "Sexy dancer, you got my body screaming" etc. One line is more explicit than the others. Some panting is included here, as well as monologue, something he would use in many of his future songs. "When We're Dancing Close And Slow" is a contrast to the previous three floor-burners. It's closer to a nocturne, featuring a quiet acoustic guitar, piano, and drum. "With You" is more a Lionel Richie-type radio ballad than "Close And Slow" is, as there's a constant synthesizer backing. It's more a romantic tune without the sex references in "Closer And Slow". The rock-guitar tinged "Bambi", is surprising coming from someone who advocates sexual openness like him. The title character is a lesbian and he screams out the chorus: "Bambi, can't you understand?/Bambi, it's better with a man." The piano-dominant ballad "Still Waiting" is the trials of a man waiting for that true love to come around. A similar sound would be used in "Gotta Broken Heart Again" on his next album. The mid-paced third single, "I Feel For You" had its start here before Chaka Khan took it to the Top Ten in 1984. With the layer of moog-synthesizers, I definitely prefer this version. A single edit of the 5:30 "It's Gonna Be Lonely" could've made this a good radio ballad. I like this lyric: "I'd be in a messed-up state of blue." Like Prince, this was another one-man production, yet the fact that he thanks Bobby Z, Andre Cymone, Dez Dickerson, Gayle Chapman, and Matt Fink, who comprised his band, indicates that he may have had some kind of help from them. It's difficult to tell from the liner notes and credits. Prince has better songs, cohesive rhythms, and catchier tunes and outdoes his opening shot, For You.
He managed this admirably. From the gold selling catchiness of single "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and the pop perfection of "I Feel For You" (Later Chaka Khan's biggest hit. Why wasn't it deemed single-worthy in 1979 i wonder?) to the hard rocking of "Bambi" (his ode to a lesbian), Prince came out with an album destined to please both young and old music lovers alike. He was already defying categorisation to one particular genre. The video to "I Wanna Be Your Lover" made girls fall in love with him and men respect his musician skills (He plays all intruments in the promo) and vice versa. ;) This initial fanbase may have been shocked by what would come next (Dirty Mind) but the pure "pop" credentials of this album could not be doubted. Prince had proven his song writing prowess.
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Prince showed a nice progression from his debut album to this second effort. The overall songwriter is stronger, the music tighter and Prince's singing is more confident. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was his first hit (reaching number 11) and is a sexy, funky song. Others like "Why You Want To Treat Me So Bad?", "Sexy Dancer" and "Bambi" are excellent songs. His original version of "I Feel For You" is quite different than Chaka Khan's, it's a slower ballad in this version. despite the tremendous growth, Prince was still more confident in the more upbeat songs as a couple of ballads fail. Still, the album moved Prince a few more rungs up the ladder toward greatness.
