Although I am young and have only known handfuls of your music, I appreciated you. Your music sparked a dance party in my heart, and in those of people all around the world. We can’t resist singing along to Purple Rain, Kiss, 1999 and so many more. You were purely incredible, and such a force to be reckoned with. Unstoppable in your passion and ability to entertain, captivate and charm us with jaw-dropping talent. A 35-year legacy of unique, funky and unrivaled hits, and you had the same otherworldly quality as Michael Jackson and David Bowie.
In 1995, you changed your name to the unpronounceable symbol, "0{+>" (also known and copyrighted as Love Symbol #2) as a way of striking back against your label, Warner Bros, because you felt they kept you like a slave. How can we forget the consecutive times you stepped out in public, fashionable as always, with the word “SLAVE” written across your face? You were sending a message, not only to your label, but to your fans. You taught many that they cannot let others oppress and belittle them, and to always stay purple.
You were a prodigy, writing your first song “Funk Machine” at only seven years old. From there, you continued to write songs filled with not only funk, but emotion. You wrote about topics many were afraid to speak out about, such as sex, domestic violence, death and so on. You were the first musician who made us understand that you could be many things at once: a small figure in a tightly cut red matador suit, cooing in a phenomenal falsetto. Then in the same breath, dropping to a velvet baritone, all while fluttering kohl-rimmed eyelids.
You kept to your roots and never left where you came from. Although you spent many nights in many different cities, you always came home. You were as Minnesotan as you could get, and we appreciate that immensely. You are homegrown, and no matter what part of Minnesota people come from, we take pride in the fact that you came from here as well. With that, we thank you for staying with us, no matter how far and wide your music brought you.
You have made us see the color purple as a color for you, and that is the definition of a legend.
Music is such a precious, wonderful thing. It creates memories, evokes nostalgia, brings much pleasure and stirs emotions. Thirty-nine studio albums and a beyond excellent musical legacy later, we bid farewell to one of the greatest, coolest artists ever to have graced planet Earth. Many would say that's part of the reason he was taken so soon. He wasn't of this world.
Prince, we thank you.
Stay purple, and rest in peace and power.
Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)
