First off, no one can deny the talent of Prince. When it came to writing and performing, he was in an elite class. While many people can write a decent song, it takes a special person to bring the song to life. Prince had that unique ability. Through his dynamic vocals and electric stage presence, he was able to squeeze every drop of energy out of his songs. And, for a performer, that's about as good as it gets.
But before I go any further, I need to say a few words about this....
Last May, Prince announced an impromptu show at Baltimore's Royal Farms Arena. The concert, which was called "Rally 4 Peace", was supposedly organized in an effort to help the city heal after the recent "unrest" surrounding the death of Freddie Gray. Many excited fans lined up to buy their tickets to the much-anticipated show. However, the superstar's trip to Charm City also proceeded to anger many others. Although the concert was said to promote unity, some saw it as Prince taking sides with the protesters and casting unfair judgment on the police department.
Prior to the concert, Prince wrote a song, appropriately called "Baltimore". The song includes the familiar protest mantra "If there ain't no justice, there ain't no peace". There's also a line which says "Let's take all of the guns away". Not surprising, many people saw this as Prince taking a political stance instead of bringing people together.
But to be fair, Prince made a plea to the youngsters in the crowd with the following statement: "The system is broken. It's going to take the young people to fix it this time. We need new ideas, new life...The next time I come to Baltimore, I want to stay in a hotel owned by you."
On a lighter note, I used to be really jealous of Prince. And it wasn't because he was a great musician or that he had a really bad-ass looking guitar. You see, I used to have a big celebrity crush on actress, Kim Basinger. So, when I heard that Prince was going out with her, I become quite envious. (Of course, when she later married Alec Baldwin I was absolutely crushed. But that's another story..)
And remember when Prince "changed" his name to "the artist formerly known as"? Of course, most people thought he had lost his mind. But he actually had a pretty good reason for doing it. You see, although the singer was born Prince Rogers Nelson, the record company owned the rights to market the name "Prince". So, in effect, the singer felt like he had lost his identity. So, when he refused to use the name "Prince", it was his way of taking a jab at his record company.
And remember when Prince "changed" his name to "the artist formerly known as"? Of course, most people thought he had lost his mind. But he actually had a pretty good reason for doing it. You see, although the singer was born Prince Rogers Nelson, the record company owned the rights to market the name "Prince". So, in effect, the singer felt like he had lost his identity. So, when he refused to use the name "Prince", it was his way of taking a jab at his record company.
The thing that I found so intriguing about Prince's music is that is was uniquely diverse. It had elements of rock, pop, funk and R&B. There really wan't anything else that you could compare it to. You could almost recognize his songs from the first few notes. He put his virtual signature on almost every tune.
Prince also wrote (or co-wrote) huge hits for other artists such as Sinead O'Conner (Nothing Compares To You), Stevie Nicks (Stand Back), The Bangles (Manic Monday), Sheena Easton (Sugar Walls) and Chaka Khan (I Feel For You).
Prince may have only stood at 5'2" but he was a giant on stage. During a conversation last night over a few beers, I mentioned that Prince was one of the greatest live performers of our generation. Although I received a few raised eyebrows, I also said that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Elvis and Michael Jackson. His ability to connect with a live audience was something really special . When he took the stage, he absolutely owned it. Price's performance at the 2007 Super Bowl is ranked as the greatest halftime performance ever. In the pouring Miami rain, Prince made everyone forget that there was still 30 minutes of football left to be played.
As a tribute to the Minneapolis native, many places around the world were showered in "purple rain". This is a visual representation of the impact that his music had on people everywhere. While many of his most devoted fans are still in shock over his untimely death, they can rest assured that Prince's music will live on forever.....
kw
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