This is very sad news. Musical icon Prince passed away last Thursday. He was found unconscious in an elevator in his studios in Minnesota but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. He was 57 at the time of his death, just way too young.
Prince is one of my all-time idols for so many reasons. His songs such as When Doves Cry, Kiss, Cream, and 1999 showcased his tremendous versatility and the variety of influences he had in his writing. His music has a unique, irresistible funk, sexiness and passion. In 1984, Prince simultaneously had the #1 album (Purple Rain), #1 movie (Purple Rain), and #1 song (When Doves Cry, also from Purple Rain). I think this album might actually be my all-time favorite. Check out this stunningly electrifying live performance of Purple Rain during the 1985 American Music Awards (oh, to have been part of the crowd! They were on their feet!)
video uploaded in youtube by Moodownn
It was this kind of stage presence that also made me an absolute fan. Prince just had so much energy when he was performing and his unparalleled passion and love for music seemed to ooze out of every pore of his body. He can captivate an audience and get them going with a guitar in hand like he did during the Superbowl half-time show in 2007 and he can also accomplish that with just a mic stand and some awesome moves like he did when he promoted his new album on American Idol in 2006. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he didn't sing but he performed an incredible guitar solo in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", sharing the stage with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Jeff Lynne.
Just how legendary is/was Prince's musical talent? In his debut album "For you", not only did he sing and write all the songs (he did had a co-writer in one of them), he also did all the backing vocals and played all TWENTY-SEVEN (27) musical instruments. Wow!
Many people don't know that he wrote a lot of songs for other artists, including Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You", The Bangles' "Manic Monday", Martika's "Love... Thy Will Be Done", and Alicia Keys' "How come you don't you call me". He also wrote songs for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks, Tom Jones, and many others. Talk about being prolific. And generous.
Given his enormous contributions to the music industry, it isn't any surprise that his demise has been mourned by countless celebrities. Stevie Wonder was clearly heartbroken in an interview conducted by Anderson Cooper shortly after Prince passed away. Justin Timberlake shared how huge of an influence Prince had on him and his music. Judith Hill, ex-contestant of The Voice, was mentored by Prince and he even worked with her on her album. She has openly spoken about her heartbreak and twitter and she shared this incredible picture of many different landmarks around the world "turning purple" in memory of Prince.
R.I.P. Prince. Thank you very much for sharing your immeasurable talent and amazing music to the world.
photo courtesy of cnn.com
Prince is one of my all-time idols for so many reasons. His songs such as When Doves Cry, Kiss, Cream, and 1999 showcased his tremendous versatility and the variety of influences he had in his writing. His music has a unique, irresistible funk, sexiness and passion. In 1984, Prince simultaneously had the #1 album (Purple Rain), #1 movie (Purple Rain), and #1 song (When Doves Cry, also from Purple Rain). I think this album might actually be my all-time favorite. Check out this stunningly electrifying live performance of Purple Rain during the 1985 American Music Awards (oh, to have been part of the crowd! They were on their feet!)
video uploaded in youtube by Moodownn
It was this kind of stage presence that also made me an absolute fan. Prince just had so much energy when he was performing and his unparalleled passion and love for music seemed to ooze out of every pore of his body. He can captivate an audience and get them going with a guitar in hand like he did during the Superbowl half-time show in 2007 and he can also accomplish that with just a mic stand and some awesome moves like he did when he promoted his new album on American Idol in 2006. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he didn't sing but he performed an incredible guitar solo in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", sharing the stage with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Jeff Lynne.
Just how legendary is/was Prince's musical talent? In his debut album "For you", not only did he sing and write all the songs (he did had a co-writer in one of them), he also did all the backing vocals and played all TWENTY-SEVEN (27) musical instruments. Wow!
screenshot of the For You wikipedia page
Many people don't know that he wrote a lot of songs for other artists, including Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You", The Bangles' "Manic Monday", Martika's "Love... Thy Will Be Done", and Alicia Keys' "How come you don't you call me". He also wrote songs for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks, Tom Jones, and many others. Talk about being prolific. And generous.
Given his enormous contributions to the music industry, it isn't any surprise that his demise has been mourned by countless celebrities. Stevie Wonder was clearly heartbroken in an interview conducted by Anderson Cooper shortly after Prince passed away. Justin Timberlake shared how huge of an influence Prince had on him and his music. Judith Hill, ex-contestant of The Voice, was mentored by Prince and he even worked with her on her album. She has openly spoken about her heartbreak and twitter and she shared this incredible picture of many different landmarks around the world "turning purple" in memory of Prince.
— Judith Hill (@Judith_Hill) April 23, 2016
R.I.P. Prince. Thank you very much for sharing your immeasurable talent and amazing music to the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment