# Why is Prince considered to be a genius? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896 "2016-04-23T13:39:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/181 "2016-04-25T16:05:18Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > It’s driving me crazy that it’s getting repeated all over the internet, as there is no source. If you can find a source, I’d love it. (I haven’t been able to.) > > I’m pretty sure people are mistaking Jimi Hendrix saying this about Rory Gallagher. (Which is true.) Meh. I wouldn’t worry about it. First of all, Clapton has always been a gracious guitar ambassador. I don’t think I have read an interview where he hasn’t held _someone_ up as the greatest. Beck, Page, Hendrix, Freddie King, Robert Johnson, etc. If he made the comment - and I have no problem believing he might have at some point - it was merely a way to say “I really respect his playing.” ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/182 "2016-04-25T16:07:07Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Nah :). I love pre-metal Rory Gallagher’s playing ( not so much his original lyrics ), but as far as anyone can determine Hendrix never said that. Or at least no one has ever come up with a decent cite that I’ve ever seen. It appears to be yet another example of [this](https://xkcd.com/978/). Dammit! 🙂 Sorry I’m an ass, everybody! (…and thanks!) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/183 "2016-04-25T16:14:08Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Prince was clearly a gifted musician who even though he had no “classic” musical training still really understood cords and the basics. I dont know if I can find it but their is a great video on Facebook showing Prince before a concert in Japan sitting at a piano going doing a sound check and going over cords and sounds with his bandmates. > > [Here it is.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxVeUvo5COI) Bookmarked. Thanks. The videos are starting to trickle in. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/184 "2016-04-25T16:16:21Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > Dammit! 🙂 Sorry I’m an ass, everybody! > (…and thanks!) No need to apologize man, it’s a great example of one of those quotes that it seems likely that no one ever said, but is attributed to many people. Clapton didn’t say it about Prince, or at least there is no proof he did, and it’s unlikely Hendrix said it about Rory Gallagher. The Hendrix quote is often attributed to him 1969, which is 2 years before Gallagher’s first album. Is it possible Hendrix knew about Rory from other sources? Sure, but it seems unlikely he would have said this in 1969, when almost no one outside of dedicated fans of the band Taste would have known who Gallagher was. Taste DID play at a festival in 1970 where Hendricks also performed, but no evidence exists to show that Jimmy was there when Taste played. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/185 "2016-04-25T16:27:15Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > It’s driving me crazy that it’s getting repeated all over the internet, as there is no source. If you can find a source, I’d love it. (I haven’t been able to.) > > I’m pretty sure people are mistaking Jimi Hendrix saying this about Rory Gallagher. (Which is true.) See post #15 (by one of our most handsome and talented members). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/186 "2016-04-25T16:29:20Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > No need to apologize man, it’s a great example of one of those quotes that it seems likely that no one ever said, but is attributed to many people. > > Clapton didn’t say it about Prince, or at least there is no proof he did, and it’s unlikely Hendrix said it about Rory Gallagher. The Hendrix quote is often attributed to him 1969, which is 2 years before Gallagher’s first album. Is it possible Hendrix knew about Rory from other sources? Sure, but it seems unlikely he would have said this in 1969, when almost no one outside of dedicated fans of the band Taste would have known who Gallagher was. Taste DID play at a festival in 1970 where Hendricks also performed, but no evidence exists to show that Jimmy was there when Taste played. Christian guitar fans are _always_ citing how Hendrix praised **Phil Keaggy** , who truly is a great guitarist. Other folks have stated that Hendrix heaped big praise on **Terry Kath** the wonderful guitarist for Chicago who died tragically. Again - if they were said at all, they were meant as respect, not to be taken literally. I would simply point out that Hendrix grew up in the Blues tradition and was exposed to so many amazing players from Blues to Jazz. If he was going to cite anyone, it would be a Buddy Guy, a Wes Montgomery - someone like that. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/187 "2016-04-25T16:33:54Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Christian guitar fans are _always_ citing how Hendrix praised **Phil Keaggy** , who truly is a great guitarist. > > Other folks have stated that Hendrix heaped big praise on **Terry Kath** the wonderful guitarist for Chicago who died tragically. > > Again - if they were said at all, they were meant as respect, not to be taken literally. I would simply point out that Hendrix grew up in the Blues tradition and was exposed to so many amazing players from Blues to Jazz. If he was going to cite anyone, it would be a Buddy Guy, a Wes Montgomery - someone like that. Agreed. And don’t get me wrong, I love me some Rory Gallagher. That man could shred. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/188 "2016-04-25T16:40:56Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Agreed. And don’t get me wrong, I love me some Rory Gallagher. That man could shred. Rory rocked!! ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/189 "2016-04-25T16:42:30Z")
> [@carlb](#): > > But if he had decided to, they’d have been sexy as hell. And possibly assless. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/190 "2016-04-25T16:44:16Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I was reading an interview of the co-producer of his most recent albums, who is also married to the woman drummer in 3rd Eye Girl, Prince’s current backing band. He said they were talking about a video for one of the songs, and Prince casually mentioned that he had over 50 videos he had completed but never released. Kevin Smith has also told the story of when he met Prince’s film producer, who said there are at least 50 fully-produced videos for “songs you’ve never heard” sitting in a vault. The amount of unreleased material must be astonishing; there could be at least another 20 albums worth. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/191 "2016-04-25T16:54:37Z")
There’s a [Snopes page](http://www.snopes.com/eric-clapton-quote-about-prince/) on the supposed Clapton quote about Prince. And the current rumor seems to be that Prince may have OD’d on Percocet, which he was taking to deal with pain from prior hip surgeries. So, _not_ recreational drug use, which seems seriously out of character for him. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/192 "2016-04-25T17:17:58Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Yeah, I really don’t get people who say “His music does nothing for me” and then transition that into “Overrated” or that someone is not incredibly talented. > > I know it’s an overused meme, but as the Dude would say Fair enough. Maybe this is the wrong thread for me to post my opinion, since it’s specifically about why Prince is “considered to be a genius.” If people think he’s a genius, extremely talented, admirable, etc., because he was a great guitarist, a great singer, a multi-instrumentalist, a stylistic innovator, all rolled into one, I can understand that. What I specifically don’t understand is why he had so many hit songs, given that I personally don’t find his hits nearly as catchy, memorable, melodically interesting, or whatever you want to call it, as most other hit songs. But I guess there’s just a certain degree of “no accounting for taste” here. (I have to say, though, that it’s not a case of this kind of thing: > [@D.E.S.K.Top668](#): > > You cannot judge Prince’s genius by listening to his hits now. First listening of his hits hits NOW is “eh, heard that before. What’s the big deal?” > The big deal is that, at the time he created them, nobody else did what he did. Almost everything you hear now that Prince sounds like is because Prince did it first and got copied. > Prince isn’t in my top 10 list of favorite artists. He, however, innovated stuff that many emulated. > It’s like looking at an Edison bulb, a quartz halogen, and an LED without realizing if it wasn’t for A; B and C might not exist. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > It’s like criticizing “Casablanca” because every other line in the movie has been quoted non-stop since 1941 and they all seem so familiar. The concept is a valid one, but that’s not what’s going on when I try to listen to Prince. I mean, “Love Me Do” by The Beatles or “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys are 50 years old or more, but if I hear one of those songs on the radio, it’ll be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Not so with a Prince hit.) ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/193 "2016-04-25T17:32:23Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > I mean, “Love Me Do” by The Beatles or “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys are 50 years old or more, but if I hear one of those songs on the radio, it’ll be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Not so with a Prince hit.) Probably because there is something about those Beach Boy and Beatles songs that appeal to you. I heard Prince’s _Diamonds and Pearls_ yesterday around 6 pm. Just caught myself humming it while playing with the dogs in the back yard. Different strokes, and all that. 🙂 ---
**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:** [April 25, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/194 "2016-04-25T17:59:15Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Probably because there is something about those Beach Boy and Beatles songs that appeal to you. I heard Prince’s _Diamonds and Pearls_ yesterday around 6 pm. Just caught myself humming it while playing with the dogs in the back yard. > > Different strokes, and all that. 🙂 Indeed. I heard “When You Were Mine” Friday night and it’s been stuck in my head all weekend and it’s still running through my head. His work can be earwormy with the best of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/195 "2016-04-25T18:24:49Z")
I’ve been a huge Prince fan since Purple Rain and my appreciation of his abilities as a musical artist have continued to grow with each new album and each story about what he was capable of. If you want to talk about why he was considered a genius, I think it has been pretty well covered throughout this thread, but I thought I’d put my two cents worth in as well. If we accept that being put on a “Top 100” list means you were among the best of the best in your chosen discipline, we can get a good picture of just how talented Prince was. He is on Rolling Stone’s [100 Greatest Singers](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/howlin-wolf-20101202) at #30. That all by itself puts him in extremely rare company. But he’s also on Rolling Stone’s [100 Greatest Guitarists](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/prince-20111122) at #33 AND on Spin’s very different take on the [100 Greatest Guitarists](http://www.spin.com/2012/05/spins-100-greatest-guitarists-all-time/9/) at #6. And NME put Prince on their [50 of the Greatest Producers Ever](http://www.nme.com/list/50-of-the-greatest-producers-ever/262849/page/2) list at #38. Did I mention that he’s also on Rolling Stone’s [100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-songwriters#prince) at #18? Your musical tastes may not be in line with Prince’s many sounds and styles and you could argue that he’s rated too highly on one or more of these lists. But come on. If he’s in the conversation for best-of-the-best in so many disciplines, you’d have to be badly out of touch with reality to deny that this guy had it going on. In my humble opinion, Prince wasn’t merely a genius; he was a multi-level genius. Name anything related to music and he could do it as well or better than virtually anyone else in the industry. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/196 "2016-04-25T18:30:59Z")
Since hearing the news, I haven’t listened to anything that wasn’t written by Prince, performed by Prince, produced by Prince, or all of the above. Not sure when I might want to, but not today. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/197 "2016-04-25T18:31:15Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Unfortunately Prince had most of his music taken off YouTube and streaming services so it’s hard to provide links to get specific examples to listen to. Live stuff exists but that doesn’t show off his talent as a multi instrumentalist or producer,and often it’s recent stuff so it doesn’t show off his most impressive vocals either. This is my take-away. I remember a few Prince songs from my youth, but his music is simply inaccessible. And I don’t mean difficult to understand; I mean difficult to find a way to listen to. I’m certainly missing out, but it’s not worth my time and money to figure out how to listen to Prince when I can already stream music I like. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/198 "2016-04-25T18:31:51Z")
It’s a silly argument. Prince may not have been your cup of tea. He wasn’t mine, either. But you gotta give the man his due. By all _objective_ measure, he was a phenomenally talented and respected musician, songwriter and producer. 32 Grammy nominations, 7 wins. 4 MTV Video awards, a Golden Globe, oh, and a fucking OSCAR, bitches. 12 Platinum records, 8 gold records. Mentioned on how many ‘all-time best’ lists? Wrote big hits for how many other artists?? A 36 year career? If you are not convinced, maybe you being a _tad_ short sighted. Maybe youre personal definition of ‘great’ needs some tweeking? Did any of the people _you_ find to be great do as well? He decided he didn’t want to be known by a human word, but by a symbol. And the public went along with it. **THAT** ’s how good he was. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/199 "2016-04-25T18:34:29Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > This discussion is all very interesting, but no less a musical luminary than Miles Davis celebrated Prince as heralding new and innovative styles of music and was reportedly obsessed with him. In his autobiography he said, “For me, he can be the new Duke Ellington of our time if he just keeps at it.” This is like Albert Einstein saying, “You could be pretty good at this physics stuff and win a Nobel Prize if is you keep at it.” > > Although I’m not a musician, don’t pretend to be an expert at what makes genius in popular music, and I’m not a huge fan of most of the popular songs of prince that received broad airplay, I don’t think anyone here is sufficiently credentialed to even challenge Davis’ estimation of Prince as an artist. > > Game over. > > Stranger Speaking of Prince and Miles Davis, here’s the two of them on stage together doing “Housequake” [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UoLkFQlmMI) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896/200 "2016-04-25T18:51:47Z")
Not only did he Become **Prince** , he later became famous as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” and later still **Prince** _again_. That’s gotta be worth somethin’ right there! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-prince-considered-to-be-a-genius/752896.md?page=11)