A rare Prince song has recently received a wide release. Titled “United States of Division,” the song originally arrived on July 4th, 2004 as the B-side to the Musicology single “Cinnamon Girl,” and only saw limited release on physical editions in the UK and Europe. Now, for the first time, it’s available on streaming platforms everywhere.
Lyrically, as its title suggests, “United States of Division” is a bit of a political song, encouraging everyone to “stop fighting,” put down their guns, and “gather round” and “make love.” Echoing the views of its A-side “Cinnamon Girl,” which mourned the innocent loss of life and rise of racism that followed 9/11, the song throws in its free, feel-good refrains with pointed questions, like “what is this rush to declare war?” and “what are we fighting for?”
In one moving moment, Prince sings “Why must I say ‘God Bless America’ and not the rest of the world?/ Oh say can you see?/ I love my country but I love God more/ Every man, woman, boy, and girl,” Combining the melody of the national anthem over the lyrical allusion to it.
“United States of Division” addresses unnecessary war and separation of individuals. It asks questions like “How could your brother hear the same music?” and “How far from heaven must we go?”. Prince asks “how you gonna love the Father but not love the Son”. In addition, he implies that peace is inevitable, with the statement : “This world how it’s supposed to be, land of peace and harmony”. In the end, he encourages “Everybody make music / everybody make love”.
Meanwhile, Prince will be the subject of a few upcoming adaptations, including a new biopic produced by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) with a script by Bryan Edward Hill (Titans, Ash vs. Evil Dead). Additionally, it was announced in January that Purple Rain is being adapted into a stage production.
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