I’ve just spent the last hour of an egregiously slow work-day reading the various Prince-related halftime threads. I’ve noticed there’s a pretty diverse set of opinions on the man and, as someone who once thought he was nothing special to someone who has dressed up as Prince for three straight Halloweens (rather fantastically, I might add), I thought we fans could share the album or the song that made us realize Prince was the man or simply share our favorites since, well, the guy has a ridiculous catalogue so it’s hard to know it all.
For me, the Love Symbol Album was what did it. “My Name Is Prince” is one of the best opening tracks I’ve ever heard and “7” is, well, “7.” Unfortunately, for my money, it seems like he sort of fell off after that album and made some mostly forgettable albums during most of the rest of the '90s, only to surprise a ton of people (myself included) with his last two (the newest one is grrrreat).
From a purely selfish perspective, the SB41 halftime show reminded me to re-up my collection & I’m looking for other gems. Dirty Mind is a classic, as are 1999 and, obviously, Purple Rain. But I lost much of my Prince collection in the great We’re-Breaking-Into-Your-Van debacle of 2005 and I’m drawing a blank on some of the other albums I had (full disclosure: they were burned CDs from a true fanatic).
Yeah. Just wanted to get the ball rolling, really.
I can’t point to any specific song or record as I’ve been listening to Prince since I was a wee one. But I have to say that I can recall being fairly young (maybe 10?) and listening to Darling Nikki and REALLY not understanding the lyrics. I don’t know what I thought I was hearing during the “masturbating with a magazine,” but I’m fairly sure I didn’t know what masturbating meant. And I also thought he was singing “Nikki started to cry.”
What’s particularly funny to my 31-year old self is that I’m positive I sang this song (with my not-quite-clear understanding of the lyrics) around my mom, and she never said a word.
I also have fond memories from being 18 or 19 and visiting a particular billiards place in Atwater Village (suburb of LA) with friends on a weekly basis. “Sexy Motherfucker” was available on the jukebox, and we used to play that endlessly. We could not get enough of that song.
I love Prince; when I was about 20 or so, I went through the epiphany that I loved every song of his that I had heard even though I’d knee-jerk and say, “I hate that guy!” I’ve gone on to pick up most of his records and have read several books about him (“Possessed,” though dishy, remains the best).
I think that “Sign of the Times” is his best record by far, but I tend to gravitate toward the records that preceded it rather than anything afterward (though I do love “Diamonds and Pearls” as well). I love “dirty mind,” “purple rain,” and “1999” in particular.
Favorite non-obvious Prince songs: “Lady Cab Driver,” “Money don’t matter 2 nite,” “the ballad of dorothy parker.”
Something that needs to be mentioned though is that Prince has a history of really shitty behavior - taking credit for other people’s songwriting work, routinely disposing of band members that don’t act as yes-men, cultivating then abandoning proteges, not to mention his treatment of women…
Sing O’ the Times, 1999 & Dirty Mind made me realize he was The Man. Lovesexy, however, made me realize he was no longer The Man. Everything else since then (and yes, I have listened to some of it) made me realize he would never be The Man again, but that’s OK- you can’t be The Man forever.
Favorites that weren’t huge hits? Adore, Ballad of Dorothy Parker, When You Were Mine.
I think Prince always will be the man. I remember dancing around to “Kiss” when I was a little girl (my mom’s major Prince obsession paved the way for my minor Prince obsession). I absolutely loveMusicology and 3121, probably more than the classics. I think it’s because I experienced them for myself and not through my mom. In addition to his smokin’ hot music are his smokin’ hot good looks. Plus, he is short. The widely accepted height (after a cursory search) seems to be 5’2, but there are those who believe him to be a few inches shorter. I like to believe that he’s 5’0 because so am I. Lastly, he is from Minnesota.
But there are ways in which Prince is decidedly not the man. Listen to Crystal Ball for example. I did. All three discs of pure crap. Also, there is, as others have mentioned, the fact that he is a jerk. Watch An Evening with Kevin Smith to hear an enlightening tale about his unpleasant (and crazy) personality. On the other hand, listen to Charlie Murphy’s basketball/pancakes tale (on Chappelle’s Show) for proof of his athletic ability and generous hospitality. Prince’s jerky and quirky behavior actually makes him more appealing (to me, at least). I don’t know why, but I guess I’ll attribute it to his general awesomeness.
My faves include (which haven’t been mentioned): Uptown, I Wanna Be Your Lover, I Feel For You, Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad, Private Joy, I Wish U Heaven, The Holy River (song I proposed to wife to)…
Wow - I have a 25-year relationship with Prince. I have a deep respect for the artist, have really tried to avoid having to take a stand on the man.
Dirty Mind was the breakthrough. I of course knew 1999 and Purple Rain - enjoyed them in a “hey - not normally my taste, but okay” sort of way. Then I started my first out-of-college job and after a few months, became roommates with a guy I spent a lot of time nightclubbing/girl-chasing with. Just a very cool, urban black guy with great taste in music. Really spent time listening to good shit - Al Green, What’s Goin’ On, Soul II Soul, Parliament/Funkadelic, Public Enemy - a variety, all good. And he loved Prince. What was I gonna do? But after a just a bit of time, I got hooked. A casual listen of the song Dirty Mind brings “ugh - synth crap. And really stupidly sexy lyrics” but before long it became “Jeez, how did he get synths and synth drums to sound so sexy?”. There was something about the fundamental groove of the stuff that just stood out.
I went back and listened Controversy and 1999. Let’s Pretend We’re Married became a revelation - jeez, his stuff is both goofy dance shit and provocative funk! Then he released Sign O’ the Times - I listened to It (the song) non-stop for about a month straight. Seriously. Every track had it’s time as the best in my brain - Ballad of Dorothy Parker, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, The Cross (even though I have deep issues with Christianity, I couldn’t deny the statement), the Mississippirapp by Sheila E and Dwarf’s Chant (Oh-we-oh - oh, oh) - you get the picture.
For a while after Lovesexy, I lost track - his stuff was off. But about a year ago, I mentioned to another friend that I knew his recent stuff wasn’t good. He looked at me like I was crazy and dragged me out to his car stereo. He put on this cut off Spike Lee’s movie Girl 6. She Spoke to Me. It happened all over again - this guy combined new-wave synth pop, Joabim-inspired Latin breaks, Wes Montgomery jazz guitar and a late-60’s Miles Davis Quartet - the one with Tony Williams and Herbie Hancock - full-on jazz break.
No one even comes close to touching Prince. No one at all.
I have been loving Prince for 25 years. Adore is probably my favorite song in the world. Gett Off, Sexy MF, and The Most Beautiful Girl In The World are other favorites. Temptation is the song I’d use if I were a stripper.
In addition to his unbelievable talent, the man is pure sex in human form. Holy sweet mother of god he is sexy.
I meet a surprising number of people who think he’s gay. There has never been so much as a whisper of it in all these years, but I can’t believe the number of people that think it’s a fact.
Yeah, part of my brain keeps telling me, “nah, that story can’t be true,” but if it is, that’s just amazing. Plus I’d read about how his house’s address is known to a number of fans in the Twin Cities area, and late at night on (Friday? Saturday?) sometimes he’ll invite any fans standing around outside to come in and listen to him and band members jam. (Almost makes me wish I’d had the guts to check out the storefront he had in the Uptown section of Minneapolis when I was there, but the place really intimidated me.) So yeah, I get that he’s been a real abusive asshole at times, but I’ve also heard stories of goodheartedness too; he’s a complicated human being, and everyone who makes decisions about what art to follow based on the artist’s behavior has to choose for themselves what they’ll put up with.
I don’t watch SNL often but did happen to be watching the season finale last year where he was the musical guest, and my husband and I were both in awe of him, talking about how he’s still got it. After the Super Bowl (f’in Bears…) I hit iTunes and bought his “The Very Best of Prince” collection, plus “Cinnamon Girl” and “Darlin Nikki.” I’ve always really enjoyed his music but just never got around to picking up an album before.
I was a big fan when I was a kid, ever since my uncle got me a vinyl copy of Purple Rain when I was eight. (It was the third LP I owned, after Thriller and Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D.)
Like most artists I grew up with, I eventually brushed him aside. In college I found both volumes of The Hits at a yard sale for $3 each, and I figured it would be worth that for the nostalgia value. But when I listened to it, it wasn’t nostalgia that I was feeling–my ass was being kicked all over again.
In the movie of my life, Prince will feature heavily in the soundtrack. His songs paint many of my childhood and teenage memories.
He’s loved for his funky jams, but personally I love his ballads, especially the spiritual ones. “The Ladder” and “The Cross” tug at my Christian heartstrungs, even though I’ve kind of disavowed myself from religion. “Mountains”, “Sometimes It Snows in April”, and “Purple Rain” always make me want to cry. It’s also true that no one can make me dance like Prince can. When I sing along with “I Wanna Be a Star”, I feel like a star. Very few songs give me such pure joy.
The best thing about Prince is that he proves a guy doesn’t have to be macho and masculine to be sexy. You don’t even have to be tall or good-looking (Prince looks like My Little Pony, let’s be honest). It’s all in the swerve of your hips, the tightness of your pants, and the steadiness of your gaze.
I had “Purple Rain,” of course (like every good child of the eighties), and liked the hits from “1999,” but I really got into Prince when I met my husband. My husband is a big Prince fan, and after going on long car trips and listening to some albums all the way through a couple of times, I am totally converted.
My favourite albums are “Controversy,” the “Symbol” album, and “Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic.” My favourite songs of his are “The Greatest Romance Ever Sold,” “Anna Stesia,” “And God Created Woman,” and “Damn U.” “Damn U” should be played in every movie and television scene where the couple are dancing romantically.
By the way, it’s called “Cloreen Bacon Skin,” Scott O.. What a strange, compelling, not always pleasant 15 minute jam that gets under my skin somehow. I think the fact that this song works is one of the signs of Prince’s genius. It really shouldn’t. Don’t forget “Da Bang” and “18 and Over” - never mind - too many to list. I agree - I like the “Crystal Ball” albums just fine.
My least favourite album of his that I’m familiar with (I’m missing some of the earlier ones) is “Rainbow Children.” I’m not a huge fan of jazz, and the thing he does throughout the album with the slowed-down vocals is massively grating.
Been listening to the guy for 24 years now (Jesus!). “Sign O The Times” is my favorite, but I think his most underrated is “Parade”, which may have been underrated 'cause of the shitty film it was attached to.
My favorite non-hits are “Starfish And Coffee”, “Sometimes It Snows In April”, “The Beautiful Ones”, “Partyup”, “Joy In Repetition”, and “D.M.S.R.”.
