FEATURE:
The Artist Formerly Known As…
PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Katz/The Prince Estate
If I Was Your Girlfriend: Exploring the Upcoming Cancelled Prince Album, Camille
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A fascinating feature…
PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Katz/Alamy/Warner Brothers/Everett Collection
was published by The Conversation last month. In June, the world will mark what would have been Prince’s sixty-fifth birthday. The legend left the world in 2016. It was such a shock to hear. Such a tragic and humungous loss, it took from the world one of the greatest innovators in music. Someone always pushing boundaries and transforming himself, Prince’s influence is enormous. He will inspire artists for generations to come. As Prince was so prolific and productive, he has an archive of unreleased material in a vault. Managed and handled by his estate, we have seen albums and songs released pretty steadily since 2016. An album that was cancelled in 1987 but will now see the light of day is Camille. Many artists have alter egos. That is no different with Prince. What makes Camille so special and important is the fact that it is Prince switching genders. The Conversation argues that Prince’s Camille character fits into the “wider narrative and rediscovery of the hidden histories of queer and trans people”. Pop has always featured gender-bending and artists subverting gender stereotypes:
“Pop has long been a rich space for subverting gendered stereotypes and Prince consistently challenged the rigidity of binary gender roles. At once hyper-masculine and delicately feminine, he cuts a distinctive and enigmatic figure within queer pop history.
Now, a cancelled 1987 album that explores all these elements is finally about to see the light of day.
The tracklist and songs that make up this lost release have been available in various guises for several decades, some existing on compilations, albums, and unofficial leaks. We have analysed all the available evidence and musical fragments ahead of their much anticipated reunion to present the most accurate picture possible of this elusive work.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to introduce Camille.
The story of Camille fits into the wider narrative and rediscovery of the hidden histories of queer and trans people, mapping the blank spaces where they were erased from history. Many examples spring to mind, but perhaps soul singer Jackie Shane’s slow rediscovery over the past decade is a perfect example of the treasure trove of music and figures that have been obscured from music history. When shared, these histories can empower marginalised groups within broader society. Imagine the potential impact had Camille been released and received as a queer persona in 1987. What would have happened if “His Royal Badness” had been “Her” four decades ago?
In many ways it is futile to speculate around lost impact. Yet it is worth reflecting on what it would have meant to have an artist of colour – who was also a bastion of male sexuality – playing with gender, femininity and sexuality. Would it have pushed further aspects of queerness into popular culture? After all, Prince was a mainstream megastar, selling millions upon millions of records throughout the 1980s.
Conversely, imagine pop without the gender-bending and provocatively queer moments that we now hold up as legendary. What would our history be if we lost David Bowie and Mick Ronson’s shocking “oral guitar solo”, the winking audacity of the I Want to Break Free video, Frankie telling us to “relax”, or Lil Nas X offering the devil a lapdance? Camille should have been among this list of cultural touchstone moments that make up our collective conception of popular music.
If I Was Your Girlfriend is one of the songs which survived and made it on to Sign ‘O’ The Times, and in some early releases is even credited to Camille. The song is perhaps where the combination of lyrics and artificial vocal manipulation are most striking. Opening with six bars of falsetto sighs and screams, the song introduces us to a more vulnerable Camille. This vulnerability soon gives way to something more urgent.
The meaning of “girlfriend” is as ambiguous as we have come to expect from Prince. The opening verses describe our narrator and the addressee doing arguably platonic activities, like choosing outfits and swapping stories about those who have wronged them. It is not long, however, until Camille sings of the sexual gratification that might result from such closeness and promises of long baths and kisses “down there, where it counts” soon follow.
The shifting perspectives of the narrator make it difficult to work out who is being addressed and who does the addressing in this song. Camille makes reference early on to having been the former “man” of the person she sings to and suggestions of children occur in the spoken section. Yet her pleas to girlfriend status make up the majority of the song. All elements are sung in Camille’s distinctive timbre. Jumping between male and female signifiers throughout, Camille could be said to occupy an ambiguous space here, leaving us little in the way of explanation”.
I think The Conversation do a brilliant job discussing Camille and why it is so significant. Contextualising Camille into Prince’s discography and queer/gender-switching albums and history, I wanted to bring the article to people who may have missed it, but also think about what could have been if it had been released. In 1986, Prince released Parade through Paisley Park/Warner Bros. This was a golden run for Prince. In 1987, he would put out the imperial and all-conquering Sign o' the Times. If Camille was released in the same year, would it have been too much of a departure. Even though songs like If I Was your Girlfriend did make it onto Sign o' the Times, it would have been fascinating having Camille in the world in 1987. Look at the best albums from the year, and there is nothing like it around. Containing strong material and revealing this new and fascinating persona, I don’t think it would have alienated fans. How would critics react to Prince as Camille? Whilst artists of the time were changing personas and reinventing themselves – Madonna being the most famous example -, would Prince’s perhaps more radical shift have been embraced? I feel Camille would have been well-received and got praise, but maybe 1987 was the wrong year to release it, considering the fact Sign o' the Times is so different in scope and themes compared to Camille.
It is brilliant that Camille will see the light of the day. It is a shame that Prince will never get to see it or tour it. I feel it will be his finest posthumous release to date. At a time when transphobia and discussions around gender identity swirl and are making headlines in music, it will be empowering and timely. Not many artists of today gender-switch or create these alter egos that are so different to themselves. There are debates as to whether there is acceptance and understanding of trans and queer artists. Whilst things are more open and there has been progression, I think there is still this discrimination and prejudice. When Sam Smith recently released a video of their latest single, the fact that it was steamy and risqué provoked more complaint and backlash than it would against other artists. Smith identifies as non-binary, and he has received transphobia abuse. I feel having an album like Camille in the world will open up conversations and break some barriers. Inspire other artists who might be hesitant about experimenting with gender to come out and release similar albums. The masterful Prince is still inspiring people nearly seven years since he died. I am not sure what would have become of Prince’s career trajectory if Camille did come out in 1987. I think it would have bene a brilliant sister to Sign o' the Times. Fitting into that purple patch and golden period, it definitely would have gained a lot of press and fan interest. Whether Camille was scrapped back then because of potential criticism or issues, I am not too sure. We are all very grateful that this lost masterpiece will finally…
ARRIVE in the world.