But, June is also the season of hydrangea or アジサイ. This beautiful flower can be found in different shades of pink, red, blue, and purple. A flower that blooms between May and July, it is a photographic gem that appears in various Japanese literature, paintings, dishes, and drinks. It is actually the official flower of the ward I live in here in Japan, so there is a lot of hydrangeas planted all over the ward.
Tying “Purple” with “Rain” and Prince
How do hydrangeas and the rainy season tie into this month’s Battle of the Songs? Well, if you take the purple (color) from the hydrangea and the rain from the rainy season, you get “Purple Rain”, which is one of the most popular songs from Prince’s discography.
Actually, Prince’s birthday is in June, which was last week on June 7. However, I am not going to do a battle on Prince’s songs. As great as his albums were, I really want to focus on the songs that he wrote for other artists. He wrote a lot of amazing songs that are so well known as “Nothing Compares 2 U”, “I Feel For You”, and “Glamorous Life”. It is hard to pick only two songs because all his songs are so good.
Sheila E – “Sister Fate” (1985)
Sheila E. is an amazing musician who has mad drumming skills. My all-time favorite song from her is her first single, “The Glamorous Life”. But, I didn’t want to feature that on today’s post because that song was super-popular when it came and I feel like it is the only song that people know Sheila E. for.
I choose “Sister Fate” because it features Sheila E’s mad drumming skills (as you can heart in the very beginning). It also had funky beats written by Prince. Although the single didn’t do well when it was released in 1985, the song is very upbeat and pleasant to listen to. You can hear the influence of Prince in the melodies during the verses.
Fun Fact: When I was little, I thought Sheila E. was related to Prince because I thought she was the female version of him.
Morris Day and The Time – Jungle Love (1984)
Apparently, according to many articles like this one, many didn’t know that “Jungle Love” was written by Prince. That seems strange. But, I think it because Prince used an alias when he wrote the song. Yet, he was the producer of their early hits, like the one above.
The band is filled with talented musicians. It had Prince as well as Morris Day and the legendary Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. This duo wrote a ton of hits for Janet Jackson, Karyn White, Human League, New Edition (and members’ solo careers), and etc. This band was the start of the careers of many talented musicians.
“Jungle Love” is a funky tune that will have you get and up dance.
