Be so good they can’t ignore you– Steve Martin
I grew up on Prince. Purple Rain came out in 1984. I was 11. You can do the math. Prince’s music was always with me. It will always be with me but the maker of this music is gone.
Prince was a myriad of contradictions. He was profoundly religious and extremely sexual. He was intensely private yet wrote some of the most soul baring songs ever to air. He had his own distinctive voice and never let anyone tell him who to be yet was one of the most popular artists of all time. He sang falsetto yet had a deep baritone speaking voice. He wore lace and high heels. He was black and white. His music was R and B, and blues but his guitar solos made a metalhead weep. His sexuality was diametrically opposed to the age of AIDS where sexuality was demonized. His lyrics shared the crap out of Tipper Gore. His songs were timeless and yet they will always be associated with the 80s.
Many people have died this year but this one is the one that reminds me that I am no longer young. This was my childhood icon and he is gone. My musical Santa Claus has been exposed and the magic is over. But what a gloriously fun magical time it was.
Love this. I was a young adult when I first danced to Prince. He was the dangerous alternative to Michael Jackson, and I loved his music. He transcended age, race, and gender. I cranked up the Sirius channel today and just let all the memories flood back. He fulfilled the earlier promise of Hendricks in my mind.