Nasty Girl: Lilith's Role in Prince's Music

Lilith can often unleash obsession, lust and issues surrounding power. Black Moon Lilith is the feminine archetype of dark primal energy. She’s the seductress and the mystical side of sexuality. 

In early Sumerian mythology Lilith was Adam’s first wife, and due to her refusal to submit to him (and patriarchy) she became the archetypal, “Bitch Goddess.”:  A vicious vamp; both whore and seductress, a femme fatal who was deadly and banished into the wilderness. Prince’s song, “Irresistible Bitch,”(and to some degree, “Little Red Corvette”) speak of Lilith’s power, especially over men. We see Lilith’s stamp on his track, “Shockadelica,” as well (Where Lilith takes form as a witch), the ultimate Lilith anthem, “Pussy Control,” and “Darling Nikki,” where Lilith unleashes her sexual prowess (and devices) on Prince after luring him to her castle. Once again, Lilith’s mark can be heard on Vanity 6’s, “Nasty Girl,” where Vanity boldly lets the world know of her sexual prowess and needs.

Prince often takes on the role of sexual submissive in many of his songs and he is usually at the mercy of his personal Lilith. Prince’s Lilith is in fiery Aries in the creative 5th house (a house also associated with love affairs) at 12 degrees trine Uranus in Leo. Prince’s musical message (prior to his religious conversion) was always of female sexual power, and sex (Lilith) as a catalyst to freedom and liberation (Uranus) Sex also served as a conduit to the spirit and the spirit world. This duality was put on display during his “Lovesexy” tour (1988) where the first half of the show was centered around surrendering to the pleasures of sex (Lilith) and the second half focused on spiritual awakening and transcendence (Neptune) Lilith in the 5th house gives insight into Prince’s creative process and the fact that women are often centered in his music and serve as creative muses. His sexual assertiveness got him in hot water with Tipper Gore after she heard Prince use the word, “Masturbation” in his song “Darling Nikki’. Because of this the “Parental Advisory” sticker was born. The PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) had a list called the, “Filthy Fifteen,” and “Darling Nikki” was voted number one!

Prince was very much an outsider even though he was popular. Like Lilith he was “exiled” due to his sexual lyrical content, persona, and refusal to submit to record labels and societies puritanical views on sex. His Lilith/Uranus aspect made him the ultimate sexual trouble-maker with shocking (Uranus) results. It is Uranus’ job to upset the apple cart and place one on the path to emancipation and It is Lilith’s job to enforce autonomy and personal power, and this is often done through sex. For Prince sex was fun and creative (5th) and allowed him to merge feminine (Lilith) and masculine (his Mars in Aries) energies, and as I said above, the Goddess, often takes a leading (Mars) role in his more sexual songs.

Of course his religious awakening had him omitting the curse words from the majority of his songs and he even refused to perform his more sexual content during live shows when he became a Jehovah’s Witness. Yet Lilith’s energy is very much front and center on songs such as, “Breakfast can wait” (2014) though her influence is more subtle.