Posted on by LydiaA1614

The End of Prince’s Purple “Reign”

 

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Photo Credit: Getty

Kay was over for lunch today and was surfing the net while I fried fish cakes. All of a sudden she said, “oh no, please say this isn’t real.” Right away I asked who died and she said, “Prince.”

I will be honest, the first thought that came into my fibro-fogged head was that Prince Phillip or Prince Charles or Prince William, etc. had died and that is pretty awful at any time but especially on Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday!

But a millisecond later (in a shorter time than it took to write that run-on sentence) I realized she was talking about Prince Rogers Nelson, another major player in the world of music. He gave many stars their big breaks including Sheila E, Sinead O’Connor, Sheena Easton and many, many more!

Prince was not always charming, having gone to battle with Warner Bros. regarding his contract, which led to the famous changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol. He also took heat from fans and the band Radiohead for not allowing songs or pictures featuring him to be on the internet. The Radiohead incident was regarding a live recording by Prince of their song Creep. They maintained it was THEIR song and they gave permission.

Whether you called him Prince, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, The Artist, TAFKAP, or anything else, he was one of a kind. His music was different, spanning several genres and yet standing on its own, sometimes being referred to as the Minneapolis Sound.

We watched him receive an achievement award at the American Music Awards earlier this year and he was touched by the loving and respectful reception he got. Yes, he was different, yes, he was a recluse, yes, He wasn’t to everyone’s taste. The one thing that is undeniable is that this man had a lot of talent. Not only did he write and record the soundtrack of the 1989 movie, Batman, he wrote the soundtrack of a generation that I am proud to be a part of. Who can forget these powerful songs (just to mention a few):

  • Raspberry Beret
  • When Doves Cry
  • Purple Rain
  • Little Red Corvette
  • 1999
  • Diamonds and Pearls

So, Mr. Prince Nelson Rogers, the doves are crying today. I hope wherever you are, you are partying like it was 1999.

Lydia!

25 Replies to “The End of Prince’s Purple “Reign””

  2. Another sad loss to music, another intelligent, artistic , but disalusioned musician who should have been bigger than the drugs he took. A prematurely lost soul. When will they ever learn. Janice Joplin, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse on and on the list goes. May they all find peace somewhere. 😯😕😢.

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    1. When the list becomes so long you have to wonder if it is the profession and not the people that are the problem. I know a couple of musicians who struggle, but say they are actually better off not making it big.

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      1. When the smallest of words seem so hard to say, especially by people who use words for a living , singing, writing, acting, it beggars belief… “no”.

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      2. I agree with what you said about making it big..
        My better half is in a band and one of the guys in it has played with the “big boys” and they all agreed they do not want to get so called “BIG” with all that goes into it..They like what they are doing and plan to keep it that way ..Yeah you are not famous and not getting the big bucks and all that comes with it but that have their soul and they get to set the bar so to say and they get to play where they want to and when they want…
        The 2 of them have been around the music scene enough to know what really takes place and thank God it’s just not for them and they really enjoy what they do….
        Btw loved your blog post and hope to read more..
        Suzette

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Also look at all the groups or people that he helped write the songs…Such a long list of songs that were wrote by him…
    So much talent in that mans brains…Should have wrote books…just my opinion

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      1. I agree…
        I read that he did give lots of money to helping others more than we will ever know and like they said more than the people or company that got the cash will ever know since they didn’t know it came from him…

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  6. First timer here courtesy of Rob. I had the similar “that can’t be true” reaction. He was a unique performer who melded several styles into his own. He influenced many and touched even more .

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I was helping a family who lost their daughter to bipolar by doing a picture montage to music. One of the songs they picked was “When Doves Cry”. It had been one of her favourites and seemed fitting with the pictures. So yes, his music has touched many in different ways.

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