Publication: The Washington Post [US]
Date: December 31, 1998
Section: Style
Page Number(s): C01
Length: 1,175 Words
Title: "Singing In the New Year; The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Has Some Big Plans for '1999'"
Written By: Richard Harrington

Tonight a lot of people are going to party like it's 1999.

Prince predicted as much back in 1982 when he released "1999," a driving, dizzyingly funky anthem that will undoubtedly be all over the radio tonight, particularly as we approach midnight.

A quick check of local music retailers found all copies of the single and the "1999" album gone from their shelves, suggesting probable ubiquity at New Year's Eve parties as well.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. tonight, M2, MTV's all-music channel, will be playing the "1999" video. All day, all night. Nothing but the "1999" video -- 300 times.

This is just the beginning. The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (and before that as Prince Rogers Nelson) is about to release a note-for-note copy of "1999" on his own label, hoping to compete directly with the original Warner Bros. version that was recently sent to radio stations around the country.

And still the song is likely to be as misunderstood as the man who wrote it.

Because of its snappy funk rhythms and references to dancing and partying, a lot of people have come to think of "1999" as a gigantic party jam. Actually it's an apocalyptic warning, an acknowledgment of an impending "judgment day," albeit with a good beat you can dance to.

Technically, it would be more appropriate for next New Year's and the century's end, but so far no one's come up with a clever, catchy alternative to "two thousand zero zero, party over, oops, out of time/ So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999."

After a wonderfully sharp, attention-grabbing synth-and-drum splurge that dates "1999" but doesn't diminish it, the vocals start up in a now-familiar pattern that emulates another party anthem, "Dance to the Music," by Prince's idols Sly and the Family Stone. The lyrics were originally recorded in three-part harmony by Prince, keyboard player Lisa Coleman and guitarist Dez Dickerson, but when it was time to mix, Prince decided to split up the lines sequentially. That accounts for why the melody keeps fluctuating, since we're hearing harmony lines, not leads.

It works beautifully.

"I was dreamin' when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray," Coleman sings.

Dickerson then confesses, "When I woke up this morning, coulda sworn it was judgment day."

And then Prince chimes in: "The sky was all purple, there were people running everywhere/ Trying to run from the destruction, you know I didn't even care."

"1999" then serves up a series of defiant responses to the Cold War revivalism of the late '70s and early '80s: "War is all around us, my mind says prepare to fight/ So if I gotta die I'm gonna listen to my body tonight," and "Everybody's got a bomb, we could all die any day/ But before I let that happen I'll dance my life away."

At the end, a child's voice wonders, "Mommy, why does everybody have a bomb?"

In "The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1,001 Greatest Singles Ever Made," critic Dave Marsh describes Prince's "fatalistic hedonism" as "one step beyond even punk nihilism." Another critic called it "a thumping dance record where Prince sees the final countdown as a stairway to heaven itself, and sex as a way of controlling death."

At the time of the song's release, Pravda, the official organ of Soviet Communist Party, offered a critique, castigating "a large, demoralized section of American youth beguiled by an icon who seemed to imply that a holocaust -- nuclear or otherwise -- was surmountable and desirable."

Warner Bros., which released the original "1999," recently redistributed it to radio stations nationwide. "We knew 17 years ago they were going to want it at this time," says label spokesman Bob Merlis. "It's not science, it's just good marketing."

However, The Artist is about to offer an alternative on his own NPG label. "1999: The New Master" will include a note-for-note copy of the original, as well as dance, hip hop and reggae remixes. Tomorrow in Las Vegas, he'll introduce the recording formerly known as "1999" at the MGM Grand Hotel's Studio 54 with a two-day listening party and concert.

This slice of pre-millennial tension is hardly surprising: Prince left Warner Bros. in 1996 after a contentious contractual battle during which he appeared publicly with the word "slave" written on his cheek. He's currently trying to win back copyrights to his master recordings dating to 1978.

In a November invitation-only round-table discussion for webmasters whose Internet sites focus on The Artist's work, someone whose online handle was NPG2000 -- and whose spelling was suspiciously like Prince's -- wrote: "This is the issue: Should The Artist have to re-record what's already perfect? . . . All that has 2 happen is a new master recording -- so 1 vocal part can b changed and that would constitute a new master."

Copyright laws do allow artists to emulate the sound of an original recording. And while most contracts have a "re-recording restriction" to keep artists from competing with their old companies, they normally expire two to three years after termination of an agreement.

"The restrictions are long over, so he's certainly within his legal rights to do so," says Merlis of The Artist's re-recording of "1999."

"You can go very, very, very far to copy and make a sound-alike recording of a previous master," says Bob Kohn, author of "Kohn on Music Licensing."

"You can make it sound exactly like the previous recording," Kohn says. "And if Prince does a good job, who'd know the difference?"

Probably just deejays who played the new version and retailers who offered the new recording on The Artist's own label.

Stan Soocher, author of the recently published "They Fought the Law: Rock Music Goes to Court," adds that since The Artist will own the new master, he'll generate much higher royalties from sales of that version.

"1999" could take on yet another life. Whatever Prince's intent in writing the song, advertisers' interest in it would seem natural. It does have that gigantic "party/1999" hook that could become a major selling point for some deep-pocketed client. There have been rumors of talks between him and potential advertisers, and a spokesman for Warner/Chappell Music, which holds the publishing rights to the song, told SonicNet magazine that it has been approached but that no licenses have been granted.

Observers suggest that rights to the song could sell for as much as $ 1 million, which would be split by the singer and Warner Bros., both of whom would have to sign off on use of the original master. In addition, says Kohn, The Artist could demand that any use of "1999" in advertising be done with his new note-for-note master, not the original. The difference between "slave" and "master" could amount to sweet payback.

(To hear a free Sound Bite from "1999," call Post-Haste at 202-334-9000 and press 8181.) Funky New Year's: You-Know-Who has re-recorded his '80s hit "1999," tonight's obvious musical choice. With Prince's 17-year-old hit, New Year's revelers can party like it's 1982.