Album: Diamonds & Pearls (Paisley Park/ Warner Bros.; 1991)
Songwriters: Prince
R&B Peak Position: #6
"Let me show you baby I'm a talented boy"
Prince kicked off his thirteenth studio album, Diamonds & Pearls, with "Gett Off", a JB-ish dance-funk romp he had compiled together using bits and pieces of previously recorded songs. Highlighted by some memorable contributions from his New Power Generation team and featuring a heightened rap influence (a style he had only recently begun to flirt with), "Gett Off" was a grandiose creation, re-introducing fans to the randy weavings of his inner brain.
As with any other Prince creation, "Gett Off" served an exciting blending of various genres, slamming together metal guitar screams with titillating snake-charmer flute riffs and a muscular hip hop crunch with the soulful wailings of NPG diva Rosie Gaines. This busy melange of sound framed a lurid plot by the Tiny One to turn out a sex-starved beauty.
"There's a rumor goin' all round that u ain't been gettin' served/ They say that u ain't 'u know what' in, baby, who knows how long," he sings in her ear, the anticipation of what he's about to throw down (including jaw-dropping promises of public strip-downs and "Twenty-three positions in a one night stand") getting them both all hot and bothered. Then, quicker than one of his signature stage splits, he's got her in his "Paisley crib", offering her up some dinner (sans the ribs) before the X-rated festivities begin.
One of his sweatiest dancefloor workouts ever, "Gett Off" was an endlessly pleasing event that spotlighted his comedic side ("Tonight you're a star/ And I'm the big dipper...") and soundly asserted that very few could probably match his level of freak-rotica. It also seemed to hint (at the time, at least) that despite the many pop gifts he had given us in the '80's, we hadn't come close to the peak of his genius at all.
Best Moment: When he freaks an old James Brown line ("I like 'em fat/ I like 'em proud...") with a little Prince spin ("...Now move your big ass round this way/ So I can work on that zipper, baby") (2:32)
Peep an unforgettable "Gett Off" performance from the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards:
DL: "Gett Off" (YFH)
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