# Prince vs. Michael Jackson **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704 "2010-07-14T19:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/101 "2010-07-16T21:34:04Z")
Well, sure, but that kind of seems like an age thing to me - people in their 20s trying to define themselves in some way. That’s why I don’t read Onion AV comments or Pitchfork reviews. That’s basically the audience, and, the way I see it, most of those hipsters will eventually grow out of it and complement their “indie” stuff with some prog/pop/jazz/rock/whatever if they really like music. Hell, it’s not even entirely a hipster phenomenon - I’ve met plenty of metalheads/hip-hop fans/etc. who wouldn’t acknowledge any other type of music could be worthy - they just generally didn’t have the English Lit degrees or interest in music criticism to argue their points in a snooty fashion in print or on the internet (well, except for Chuck Eddy). I just think when you get older and are secure in your identity, you tend to admit a lot more disparate types of art into your life, so I don’t put too much stock in the snobs. They’ll be listening to Rush and Chic in another 5-10 years. Still, music critiques can be fun and interesting, especially when they’re done by somebody who’s passionate and knows what they’re talking about. I learned a long time ago not to take it personally when a critic was dismissive of something I cherished - it didn’t affect my enjoyment, and occasionally a point was made that I wouldn’t have considered. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/102 "2010-07-16T22:49:46Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > Agreed, in this instance. > > [hijack]Still, hipsterism, musical elitism, whatever you want to call it, _does_ go on possibly a bit more so than you’d care to admit. To see it, all one has to do is take a look at the comments section of nearly any A.V. Club article or review. [Take this](http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-smiths,38875/), for example. If that’s not musical snobbery, then I don’t know what is.[/hijack] And I personally think the hipsterism goes on _less_ than you’d think. Especially in this generation. I think musical elitism was a bit more prevalent when I was growing up (I’m 34.) I see more fans now embracing both top 40 pop and indie non-ironically. The “music afficiando” message boards I peruse seem to have a lot of fans who are equally as into top 40 pop acts as Lady Gaga, Robyn, and Kelis as your typical indie artists like Arcade Fire or Fiery Furnaces or Wolf Parade or whatnot. I mean, fuck, even the poster child of hipster elitism–Pitchfork Magazine–gave the last Lady Gaga album a 7.8. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/103 "2010-07-16T23:56:18Z")
Prince. Artists of Prince’s caliber are not born everyday. I like to listen to his old 80s stuff – and it blows me away how modern it sounds, like it was recorded yesterday instead of 1987. Michael Jackson’s music always sounds dated, and you can easily pinpoint what decade a song of his was recorded in. Plus, Prince’s music is genuinely erotic. I can’t resist cranking up “Kiss” and groving to it all sexy (“I wanna be your fantasy – maybe, you could be mine”). The hottest Michael ever got was “Dirty Diana”, and even then I couldn’t really believe he was really tempted by the sexy wiles of some vixen. Anecdote time: A college friend of mine’s dad is a music producer, and she met Prince when she was little, like seven or eight. She told me, “I feel so stupid because at the time I had no idea who he was, and all I remember was telling him about what I wanted to be when I grew up, which was to be a pirate princess or something dumb like that, and he was so nice and kept saying, ‘That’s great, tell me more about it!’” ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/104 "2010-07-17T00:25:33Z")
When I was a kid, _Thriller_ seemed to be the best album ever. The other day I found a photo taken on my 6th birthday of me proudly holding up the gatefold of _Thriller_, which was the BIG birthday present that year. I liked Prince but I _loved_ Michael Jackson. But then you had _Purple Rain_, _Around the World in a Day_, _Parade_ and _Sign O the Times_, all before Jackson got around to releasing _Bad_, and what a disappointment that was. After the _Thriller_ hype died down, I became a big Prince fan. For over 20 years, I’ve enjoyed his music, and while there’s some pretty mediocre offerings amongst his output, there’s more greatness there than in the best of Jackson’s output, even if you include second-tier tracks like “Give In to Me”. I only own about half of Prince’s albums versus all of Jackson’s adult output, and I can say this with complete confidence. Jackson was a star and a performer with great rhythmic instincts. Prince is a musician’s musician. I’d honestly be surprised if any hardcore music enthusiasts preferred Jackson over Prince. I also agree that Jackson’s music has not aged nearly as well. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/105 "2010-07-17T00:42:59Z")
Prince by the circumference of his ego. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/106 "2010-07-17T01:13:27Z")
Not an example of more current works, exactly, but my personal anecdote on Prince: I have a habit of keeping music playing in the car while I’m gassing up. The only three times I’ve had someone ask me what was playing - that’s just three times out of how many times I’ve ever stopped for gas since 1987 - it’s been the SAME music playing: The Black Album Prince for me. Since I was 12. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/107 "2010-07-17T01:16:57Z")
I like them both quite a bit, but I’ve got to go with Prince. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/108 "2010-07-17T01:20:25Z")
Came in just to vote for Prince. Despise Michael Jackson, the man AND his music. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/109 "2010-07-17T04:27:02Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > \ > > Plus, Prince’s music is genuinely erotic. I can’t resist cranking up “Kiss” and groving to it all sexy (“I wanna be your fantasy – maybe, you could be mine”). The hottest Michael ever got was “Dirty Diana”, and even then I couldn’t really believe he was really tempted by the sexy wiles of some vixen.\ How’s this for erotic - [Blue Light.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ywgXcH_QVk&feature=related) Or [The Greatest Romance Ever Sold.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sE3T_8IxCk) ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/110 "2010-07-17T11:08:35Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > \ I can’t resist cranking up “Kiss” and groving to it all sexy (“I wanna be your fantasy – maybe, you could be mine”). I’d have to say that, along with “When Doves Cry” and “Girl”, “Kiss” is one of the most gloriously weird sounding songs ever recorded. None of the aforementioned songs sound dated (IMO), because they didn’t sound like anything else out there at the time of their release. Plus, “Kiss”'s groove may be the funkiest groove ever to be put on wax (and may actually be the brainchild of Brown Mark and Mazarati, instead of Prince). Oh, and speaking of funky (and as a belated reply to the PP who (sorta) denigrated the Family), Prince neophytes should [check this out](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6zduBiRZw8). (In fact, it’d be cool to see what my fellow Prince enthusiasts consider to be the most essential Prince songs not actually recorded by Prince. Hell, you could even throw in [the best Prince songs not actually written by Prince](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-n-jZJhpT4).) ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/111 "2010-07-17T11:15:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > How’s this for erotic - [Blue Light.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ywgXcH_QVk&feature=related) > > Or [The Greatest Romance Ever Sold.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sE3T_8IxCk) Capital choices both. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/112 "2010-07-17T11:38:46Z")
I’m quite partial to “The Glamorous Life” by Sheila E. Maybe that’s too obvious. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/113 "2010-07-17T11:51:04Z")
As far as Sheila E. goes, I dig [“The Belle of St. Mark”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlA7Y6qXi4M), [“Koo Koo”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQmQxbCteqQ), and (of course) [“A Love Bizarre”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zts26_kyim4) the most. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/114 "2010-07-17T12:12:15Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > How’s this for erotic - [Blue Light.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ywgXcH_QVk&feature=related) I love Michael’s older stuff cuz I’m old, but I can’t even imagine Michael trying a ska beat. There is no way on this Earth anyone can call me a hipster when it comes to music. Almost every song that makes every worst song ever list happens to be a favorite of mine. Sugar Sugar is the best song ever sung by cartoons, Afternoon Delight is a beautiful 4 part harmony about fucking in the day-- what’s not to love? So when I say Prince by a few leagues, I hope everybody knows I’m not trying for cool points. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/115 "2010-07-17T18:43:54Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I love Michael’s older stuff cuz I’m old, but I can’t even imagine Michael trying a ska beat.\ We were in a restaurant last week listening to country music (because they play country music here every summer for 10 days - I stayed anyway); there was a song playing that I was singing “Little Red Corvette” to (the beat was reminding me of it) - it got us wondering about “Little Red Corvette” as a country song, and I hate to admit that it might actually work. I hesitate to say that Prince hasn’t recorded X type of song, because someone will come in and give an example. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/116 "2010-07-17T20:59:12Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > We were in a restaurant last week listening to country music (because they play country music here every summer for 10 days - I stayed anyway); there was a song playing that I was singing “Little Red Corvette” to (the beat was reminding me of it) - it got us wondering about “Little Red Corvette” as a country song, and I hate to admit that it might actually work. I hesitate to say that Prince hasn’t recorded X type of song, because someone will come in and give an example. Prince? Country-tinged songs? [Look no further than this.](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xanxxj_forever-in-my-life-prince_music) Because, really, if [Sting can do it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI8khooPyJk), anyone can. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/117 "2010-07-17T23:14:42Z")
My ears say that Prince wins over MJ. But my eyes say that MJ wins over Prince. So it’s a toss up. (But I have more Prince songs in my collection, so I guess that means something). My favorite MJ songs are some of my favorite songs of all time. “Man in the Mirror”. “Keep the Faith”. “Earth Song”. But when I think of MJ, I don’t think of his music first. I think of his dancing. No one could dance like Michael. _No one_. I watch the Thriller video not because of the song, but because I love the way the zombies move. Same with “Remember the Time”, “Beat It”, “Smooth Criminal”, “Black or White”, and countless others. To me, the music is almost background. I’m entranced by the dance. MJ may not have been a musical genius, but he was a dancing one. I think only a few would dispute that. But with Prince, the music really does catch the ear. He offers such a variety of styles and genres that it’s hard to label him, like you can MJ. With some exceptions, MJ’s music was about mass appeal. No experimentation, no crazy-for-the-sake-of-crazy creations. Nothing too wild and dangerous. The biggest thing he got in trouble for was that “kick me, kike me, don’t you black or white me” line in “They Don’t Really Care About Us”. Seriously? That’s as hard core as he could get? I’m not saying it’s all bubble gum, or that bubble gum is always bad, but a lot of MJ’s songs are…simple, for lack of a better word. Just look at the titles of his albums. Thriller. Dangerous. HIStory. Invinsible. Simple, child-like, and dare I say narcissistic. You cannot say that Prince’s works are simple. I offer [_Dolphin_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyErMgANC0k&feature=related) as Evidence A. Listen to the lyrics (better yet, read them). What is this song about? Is he speaking as Jesus? Is he talking as a scorned lover? Is the song an expression of his problems with Warner’s Brothers? It’s a beautiful song regardless, but my point is that MJ would have never produced anything with such depth. That makes Prince a more sophisticated artist. The album “Controversy” was released in 1981. The same-titled single, containing the lines “Are you black or white? Are you straight or gay?” reasonate even more today than they did back then. “Some people want to die, so they can be free.” I loved him, but Brother Michael wouldn’t have touched such lyrics with a 10-foot pole! Prince = musical and lyrical genuis. MJ = performance genuis. Apple and orange. The two really shouldn’t be compared, even though I just did. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/118 "2010-07-18T01:31:18Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Prince is insanely productive, both in the studio and in terms of live performances. The DVD _An Evening With Kevin Smith_ has extras, including him talking about his experiences with Prince, who really liked the film _Dogma_ and wanted Smith to film a documentary about his fans reaction to an album. One anecdote was about Prince’s producer Stephanie, who said that she had directed fifty complete music videos that were never released for songs that were never released, that are in the vault. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/119 "2010-07-18T03:03:16Z")
prince. it seems mr jackson liked prince as well, didn’t he name a child after him? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704/120 "2010-07-18T04:25:01Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > prince. > > it seems mr jackson liked prince as well, didn’t he name a child after him? Michael Jackson named his son after his maternal grandfather (Michael’s grandfather)- Prince Scruse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-vs-michael-jackson/546704.md?page=7)