Songfacts®:

• This musically upbeat song carries a sobering message, looking at the culture of fear and intolerance in America in reaction to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The Cinnamon Girl is Arab-American ("cinnamon" referring to the color of her skin), suddenly turned into a pariah because of her heritage even though she did nothing wrong.
  
  "We live in a real xenophobic place," Prince explained to the Daily Telegraph. "They talk about all these terrorists. But I didn't feel no terror until the media told me to feel it. Who am I supposed to be feeling terrified of?"
• This song has heavy religious undertones. Since Prince was a member of the Jehovah's Witness religion, his writing was influenced by his belief system.
  
  "The god of confusion" refers to the JWs belief in Satan as the devil. The lyric, "Don't cry, don't shed no tears... cause we know how this movie's ending" refers to an Armageddon the JWs believe will occur. At the end of the song, when "the girl opens the books she knows will settle all the scores," that book is the Bible.
  
  Prince embraced his new religion after becoming friends with former Sly & the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, who was a Jehovah's Witness. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Michelle - Vancouver Island, Canada
• "Cinnamon Girl" was the third single from Prince's Musicology album. He spent much of the previous 10 years battling his record label (he dropped the name Prince and became a symbol from 1993-2000 in protest), tinkering with internet distribution, and making music that only his diehard fans could enjoy, including some instrumental jazz albums. The Musicology songs were a return to his hit-making days and got the attention of his many fans who longed to hear some funky grooves without having to join a club or download anything.
  
  The album was released in 2004 a few months after Prince was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He was suddenly out in public, granting interviews and embarking on the top-grossing tour of the year.
• The music video stars Keisha Castle-Hughes from the movie Whale Rider as an American teenager who is in school during the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Her friends turn on her, and she gets so upset she has a fantasy of becoming a suicide bomber.
  
  The video, directed by Phil Harder, is highly stylized, with the actors composited over painted backgrounds, as is Prince and his band as they perform the song.
• Prince charted new territory by distributing the Musicology CD to concertgoers on his 2004 tour. This made sure lots of people got the album and also boosted his sales figures, generating more positive publicity. Billboard and the RIAA (which certifies sales) rushed to close this loophole so acts couldn't jack up their numbers by giving albums away.
• Aside from its title, this song has no connection to Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl."
• Prince was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for this song at the Grammy Awards in 2005 but lost to John Mayer's "Daughters."