The American flag is a symbol of patriotism, the rainbow is a symbol for gay rights, and holding your first two fingers up is a universal symbol for peace. Prince made himself a symbol. Was it to mock all of the symbols around us or was he serious and conceited? Prince was an artist who changed the game for many others to follow. Jeff Stevens of "iHeart Radio" says, "He cut a path for many artists behind him. He had such cutting edge music in the '80s and '90s that still is heard today." With all of the talent and creativeness that this man possessed, it was no wonder that he became such a legendary icon.
Prince was a symbol of many different meanings. He symbolized the '80s, with his longer, bigger hair, baggier clothes, and high-pitched voice. High-pitched was the least that you could say about his voice, some say that he could hit demonic notes. Above all of this, Jeff Stevens from Iheart radio says, "Prince symbolizes creativity and longevity in his music." He continued to say how his music was filled with endurance as you still hear it on the radio. Longevity was his ability and the reason why he was here and made it this far. His endurance in his music is the test of time after his passing. His image still resonates today as Dr. Pepper uses his likeness in their soda ads.
Way back in 1993, Prince pulled a stunt that some called smart, but that shocked everyone. He, himself, being a symbolic man, changed his name to a literal symbol. He found a loophole in his contract with Warner Brother, who wanted him to release fewer CDs so that he wouldn't "flood the market" and they could promote him better. Prince loved his name and didn't feel as if any other name would satisfy him. So, he changed his name to the unpronounceable symbol for love. For a while, he was known as "the artist formally known as Prince." While he did this mostly just to mess with the Warner Brothers, he did have to give up his birth name, which is a pretty big deal. Many people thought that he was crazy for such a bold act, but once his contract was up he was able to return to being Prince.
Prince stood six feet and one inch tall when he was on stage and performing. Of course, four inches of that were his elevating platform shoes and seven inches were his creamy, jet-black pompadour. Like the wizard when the curtain was opened, the physical reality did not match the expectation. Standing at merely five feet and two inches, Prince was a lady-killer. With his devilishly good looks and moxie on the stage, he was set up for success. All that was left to do was perform and, as we all know, he was one of the best performers in history, commonly being compared to Michael Jackson. On the Mount Rushmore of '80s pop icons and symbols Michael Jackson is number one, but coming in a very close second place is Prince. No matter what you think of him, his accomplishments, his failures, or his controversies he was and will always be a visionary, an '80s icon, and a symbol to all of us.
