An overly-eager artist being welcomed into the industry is taken on a bumpy ride as she learns life does not have as many sunny days as she thought. Within the process, she comes to learn that her tour guide is a lot more important to her than she e...
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May 20, 1984 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Long days and longer nights became my normal a lot faster than I initially expected. I had to figure out how to continue with the minor details of my everyday life that added to the bigger picture without being in the comfort of my native environment. Songwriting became one of those things I had to work the kinks out of. At home, it was far easier to go off into a corner to focus or even run to the studio to record. On the road, it was different and, with my luck, inspiration was hitting in the most random of sporadic locations.
I stood in the shower with a head full of suds, singing and humming, as I was washing my hair. There was a melody stuck in my head all day. I heard it on loop and it played over and over and over... I couldn't make up the words I was murmuring but it was about the catchy melody I heard. The lyrics were rough. All I had was 'can you' mumble, mumble, mumble, 'yeah, yeah, yeah'. This tune was eating my brain down to its bare nerves. I couldn't take it after a certain point. I had to write something down. I cut my shower short and stepped out in my towel, running over to the desk that had a pen and paper on it.
"You gone put some clothes on?"
I heard Crystal ask the question but I ignored her. I was on a mission and I knew I had to write quickly in whatever chicken scratch I made to develop what'd been replaying in my mind. I looked down at what I wrote. My eyes grew large and I stared in disbelief of what my clean mind created. Nothing but shock ruled my mental as I tried to digest the three lines that came naturally. For the time, it was pretty dirty and without knowing how to properly address my own sexual desires, I grew disturbed. I did what any other growing adolescent would have done... I blamed it on my friend. Had you asked me how I could've wrote such a thing back then, I would have easily told you: That little Chipmunk corrupted my poor innocent mind. A positive came out of it. I already knew what blaming him came with. If I recorded it, I could have only done it with him.
My every thought was shut down the moment I recognized a major factor. I was in no stable place to record at that moment.
I was in Oklahoma City and that was almost our last stop for that leg of the tour. "Will you put on some clothes?" Crystal said, reaching for her suitcase by her foot. She was growing annoyed with my existing in a towel for her own personal reasons. I never cared to know why.
"Okay, okay!" I dropped my towel and got dressed fast enough to cease her complaints. Crystal covered her eyes with her magazine and still complained about me being so open with her, which I find to be hilarious. I was not comfortable enough in my body to flaunt it to a friend. The closest anyone had seen me to naked was my sister seeing me in my underwear. Crystal was being dramatic. I had on panties and a bra. She should have taken a chill pill.
Crystal asked, "Have you talked to Prince?" It was a second sign that could have pointed out her thoughts on Prince and I. Again, I thought she was simply being a friend. I shook my head, sitting on her bed as I was applying my lotion. I rubbed down my every inch and especially made sure I got in-between my toes. I didn't want to look like I've been playing in flour.
