How did you first get into prince?

I remeber this so well for myself, I flicked on the radio and heard the last minute of a song that I really liked and was really suprised to hear it was by prince. It turns out that song was pop life it was that song which started me on my own epic voyage of discover about prince. Which was great for me because I came to prince quite late about eight years ago when I was 20 and he had already produced so much material and there was so much to learn and to hear it was great.

How about you??

I wrote a thread very similiar to this. I got into Prince when I first heard "7" at age 8 and when I saw him...it was curtains for sure then. I remember being sick with a crush over him. Seriously, I would go to bed and my stomach would be hurting. Wow, I remember also seeing "Love 4 1 ANother" on VH1 and freeking OUT

Do you remember Tamar's show at Mansion nightclub in Miami, Prince? I re-live it every night, day and waking second. Somewhere here I am on Earth.

i feel like i've answered this question on the org a kajillion times, and i enjoy answering it every time.

i first recall seeing prince when i was just a little kid, when my mom let me stay up late to watch midnight special with her and they played the "i wanna be your lover" promo clip. we didn't know who this "prince" guy was, but he was a dude with a moustache who sounded and kinda looked like a girl, and he could play tons of instruments. he definitely made an impression on me, but being a kid more obsessed with star wars than pop music, he quickly left my radar.

fast-forward to late '83, when the rolling stone yearbook came out and prince had a full page photo - you know the one, where he's sticking his tongue out and doing the little triangle hand gesture over his crotch. i'd heard all the singles from '1999' on the radio and i thought it was cool music, but when i saw this picture, i suddenly became obsessed. he looked like he was wearing a costume, like a super villain in a comic book or something. and he was crude. and he was a man wearing make-up without looking like a total drag queen (i'd have to wait for camille for that ). i thought it was the coolest freakin picture ever.

then, finally, spring of '84. when i lost the plot altogether: hearing the end of "let's go crazy" for the first time, on television. i thought it was the most cool-ass thing i'd ever heard in my life. it was settled. i needed to get the 'purple rain' album. i needed to learn it, live it, love it. and i did.

i've been a shell of a man ever since.

I like this.

Well... I was just a kid in 1982. I already played guitar, bass, percussion, and keys, and had just started messin around with my first drum machine.

I had already gone through every Stevie Wonder album, along with James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, Hendrix, Parliament, Santana, etc... Even was listening 2 eclectic jazz, like Ornette Coleman, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Coltrane, etc.

So here I was as a Funk freak, and primarily a funk/blues guitarist... a kid with a real attitude.

My boy Russ comes over 2 my Mom's house with the '1999' album, and says, "U gotta hear this, Man." I was like, "Prince?" Of course I had heard of him, but hadn't gotten turned on yet.

Well... the album didn't go back home with Russ. I borrowed it, and played the ISH out of it. All the time reading the credits, and I was flipping that he basically played all the instruments.

Immediate favourites:

"Automatic"
"Something in the Water..."
"DMSR"
"Lady Cab Driver"

I became obsessed... Saved some cash, went down 2 the record store, and started buying everything before '1999'... chronologically.

When I got 'Controversy', I really wore that out, BIG TIME.

Once when listening 2 the song "Controversy", my older sister came pounding on my door, opened it, and said, "What the Hell did he just say??"

She didn't know he was saying "Controversy"... she thought it was "C___ or P____" (2 words 4 the vagina).

Anyway, this was all just before 'Purple Rain' exploded on the scene.

After that, I got every release he came out with... all albums, all 12" extended/b-sides, etc... Still have them all, in fact.

He basically summed up all of my influences, and was unabashedly original at the same time.

I think my musical workaholic thing came from him.

He was actually a good role model, so 2 speak, because of his dedication, boldness, and unfettered originality.


That's all 4 now.

It was almost 30 years ago, who remembers?!
[Edited 4/25/08 8:13am]

from my sister
i was between 4 and 6 ( i don't quite recall) and she gave me two tapes:
purple rain and around the world in a day

never looked back

I've told this story so much...
Although I 'respected' Prince, I thought he was a little weird. I was really into Rick James.
My friend Darryle would always try to get me to listen to stuff in high school, but I'd listen "politely". I didn't even go to see "Purple Rain" Senior Year of high school with my friends.

When I got to college, I met KK, who was both a RJ and Prince fan. She'd try to get me to listen, too. But in my junior year of college, the housing lottery hooked me up with Sammi- a DIE HARD PRINCE FAN. She was collecting bootlegs on cassette backinthaday.
Living with her, I had NO CHOICE! Prince day & night... BUT I started to hear stuff that wasn't on the radio, and it was like,
I never looked back... Then Rick lost is damn mind. I still love me some RJ, tho, but Prince weaseled his way in.

" . . . Say papa, I think I wanna dance! . . ."

Prince music Purple Rain Prince playing Lets Go Crazy

imma need ALLLLL prince bootlegs, immediately! ! !


sincerely,


websherrif.


who knew?????

I would go to my local records a lot when I was a kid. I saw this poster in the window and tons of free book covers (yes, book covers, i wish i would have kept them now) of this guy named Prince. Wow, he looks like my cousin! Then I heard this funky ass track called "soft & wet" on the radio. I was like, "who in the hell is this girl singing this song!!" "This song is great!"
I never made the connection for awhile. When I did, I was all over. I knew he was going to be a star from the time I bought and wore the hell out of the "For You" album in 1978. Before, "Prince, "Dirty Mind, 1999, and "Purple Rain." I was a total fan!!
I'm so happy that I had the chance to grow up with him and inspire me in many different ways. He was my musical role model and a person that spoke my language, and told me (through his lyrics) what I needed to hear during my troubled adolescence. I first saw him when he came to town for the "Dirty Mind" tour. I've seen him live so many times, that I've lost count.And that's pre-purple rain. That's how I want to remember P. I have no desire to see him live now, only because I miss the Rude Boy.
My life was always Purple and I'm grateful for the experience!

Very cool memories here. Thanks to everyone for sharing!

For me, I was a young music lover -- playing sax and keys, and starting to write my own songs. I was digging music of all kinds. I think it was my hearing "Little Red Corvette" on the radio that first got my attention. I wanted to know who sang it. Soon after, MTV finally came to town ("I want my MTV," remember that?), and it was all over for me when I saw the video for "1999." Prince was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Like Anx with that one Avedon pic, I totally dug the way the guy looked -- not to mention how funky-cool musically-powerful he seemed. Then I saw the video for "Little Red Corvette" and found out it was the same guy. I had to get the album -- that's when I learned just HOW talented he was. Like Giovanni, I became obsessed and bought the previous albums. I wanted to be like him... he inspired my own songwriting (later producing) career. I only wish I had the chance like tricky did to see (or even know about) Prince much earlier. I can only imagine what that would've been like.

Anxiety said:

i feel like i've answered this question on the org a kajillion times, and i enjoy answering it every time.

i first recall seeing prince when i was just a little kid, when my mom let me stay up late to watch midnight special with her and they played the "i wanna be your lover" promo clip. we didn't know who this "prince" guy was, but he was a dude with a moustache who sounded and kinda looked like a girl, and he could play tons of instruments. he definitely made an impression on me, but being a kid more obsessed with star wars than pop music, he quickly left my radar.

fast-forward to late '83, when the rolling stone yearbook came out and prince had a full page photo - you know the one, where he's sticking his tongue out and doing the little triangle hand gesture over his crotch. i'd heard all the singles from '1999' on the radio and i thought it was cool music, but when i saw this picture, i suddenly became obsessed. he looked like he was wearing a costume, like a super villain in a comic book or something. and he was crude. and he was a man wearing make-up without looking like a total drag queen (i'd have to wait for camille for that ). i thought it was the coolest freakin picture ever.

then, finally, spring of '84. when i lost the plot altogether: hearing the end of "let's go crazy" for the first time, on television. i thought it was the most cool-ass thing i'd ever heard in my life. it was settled. i needed to get the 'purple rain' album. i needed to learn it, live it, love it. and i did.

i've been a shell of a man ever since.

kerjillon x's

9 years old when I heard some chick singing a song called I Wanna Be Your Lover

When I asked my cousin who the girl was, she told me it was a man named Prince! For the next couple years I listened to the radio just waiting for that song to come on and when I was 12, my cousin bought a tape called 1999. My daily routine was to come home to my aunt's house after school and lock myself in my cousin's closet and listen to that tape on loop over and over until my mom came and picked us up. The rest is history.....



.
[Edited 4/25/08 10:40am]

i didn't get in2 his music but the 1st time i ever heard about him was on that clay animation show "celebrity deathmatch"(it used to be on Mtv) even tho it didn't really look like him lol however, that got me real curious 2 kno who is "" after that i fell in love with his music ever since
[Edited 4/25/08 10:46am]

I have my dad to thank, for he did many things that contributed directly and indirectly to my finding Prince and developing this fascination and respect for him.

1) Had recorded several music videos from 1986-7 and one of them happened 2b "1999"... I believe he showed me the video during the year 1999 or close to it. Didn't think too much of it at that time
though I do get nostaglic whenever I see the video

2) Made a mix CD of all kinds of songs he liked growing up in his 20's. Included 2 tracks from Bruce Springsteen, one from Billy Idol, Stairway to Heaven (which he had introduced me to around 8th grade or so, didnt think much of it at the time, though love it nowadays)... the last 2 tracks were "I would Die 4 u/Baby I'm a Star"... segued one in2 the other. As he told me, these songs ran in sequence and the 2nd starts where the first ends.
- "I Would Die 4 u", I absolutely loved had a great beat and the music blew me away.
- "Baby I'm a Star"... kinda annoyed me in places between the screaming and the fact it ran a little long I liked the previous song too much.

3) I call it fate. One day we were flipping through the channels and came across "Purple Rain"... it was almost half over and I wanted to change the channel. He said to stay on it because it was a good movie with good music (something like that). Looking back on it, I think that I didn't know that Prince was playing himself To me, it seemed like some fictional movie based on the life of a rockstar... turns out that he was a musical genius very concerned about his work. Such dedication and I really admired him for it. Saw him as a neo-Mozart type. Like "Stairway to Heaven," I dont think I cared much for the song... but when he did the last 2 and I saw his stage presence. I was sold: Prince is totally awesome

A few other random appearances came along in 2006.

4) Years ago, my dad's being a huge footbal fan got me into the whole thing. Who knew that 10 years later, Prince would be a headliner for the SuperBowl I had waited a couple of years for (The Colts took part in it and ended up winning). Indirectly connected to his influence, though can't deny it.
I was thrilled to find out he'd headline the SuperBowl. I saw this as my chance to see what he could do on a huge scale. See what he was like at present, etc, etc.

I wasn't disappointed.
And finally, here I am. Have been here for a year, have already learned a lot and I have no regrets about anything that came to pass.

Prince is, in a word, amazing. No other artist I've checked out has that dedication or is as prolific or has music that speaks to all kinds of emotions, not only getting into the artist's head, but also figuring out what the music means for yourself.

Prince

The instant I heard Gold’s first note, it became Prince’s mark on my soul: a tattoo I wear with pride.
Prince is Dreamy, gives my Life that Pop and 2 the industry, he’s Royalty.

someone lent me a prince compilation telling me they thought i would like it.

i sincerely believed i would return it with a fake "i loved it!" and never listen to his music again aside from the few songs on the radio i'd heard and enjoyed.

i loved it and ended up borrowing the rest of their prince albums and it all went from there.

I've heard this question asked many times before, but I still love it. And I love reading all the responses.

As for me...

I was standing in my front yard, late in the summer of 1983. It was a really warm day so a lot of folks were outside. My next door neighbor was in his driveway working on his boat (that's what we do here in MN in the summer). He had his 'boombox' on, tuned to WLOL (anybody remember that station?), and it was playing this amazing song. I loved it immediately. The song went, "I get delirious, whenever you're near..." oh it sent shivers up my nine-year old spine. I asked my neighbor if he knew the song and he said, "That's "Delirious"." I asked him who sang it, and he said, "That's Prince, honey. He's from Minneapolis, too. Just like me and you." There was no way I could procure this music myself (I wasn't allowed to listen to rock 'n' roll as it was, as my dad put it, "the devil's music"), but I knew I had to have it. A few days later, my neighbor's daughter taped me a copy of her "1999" cassette and the rest is history...

Because of the person in my avatar(I saw her in the 1999 video I was hooked)

I'm too lazy to type out the "story"
so
Grammy's 04...

How did I get into his mind and heart?

wildgoldenhoney said:

How did I get into his mind and heart?

Gosh, I love telling this story.

Wow, Prince has kind of been on the outskirts of my life for years. (I always think of him in the background, like when he was watching A6 in PR.LOL)
He's popped up when I least expected him when I was a kid.

I first saw him on the 1991 VMAs when I was FIVE and he had on the infamous butt out trousers. I just remember standing, holding my doll and wondering why this man was on TV with his little butt cheeks hanging out.

I didn't see or hear from Prince for another 6 years. I vaugley knew who he was, but I wasn't heavy on him.
Then one day, when I was 11, my mom and I were driving around and listening to the radio and "Kiss" came on. Now I had heard the song before and was loving it, then my mother said something that changed my life:

"Prince's voice doesn't go with that song!"

I was kind of shocked, I had no clue that the song was Prince's. But I liked it. A few weeks later, I saw him "Muppets Tonight" And to show just how ignorant I was of him, I had no clue that he wasn't "Prince" on the show but he was "The Artist".

At the time, I didn't really run around behind Prince because my mother and I saw Purple Rain and she REALLY thought Prince was nasty. (Another reason my little 12 year old heart glowed at him)

I was always excited to see Prince, The Artist, whatever, on TV, but never really got into buying the albms and all.
That changed 2 years ago.

I caught Prince on the "American Idol" finale. I had tuned in originally to se Clay Aiken, but I totally forgot about him when Prince got on there and turned that mother out.

Within a week, I had bought about five of his cds, and was ordering more from the music store.

Now, 2 years later, I'm happy to be a Prince enthusiast.

jillybean said:

I was making love to my boglin and my mother shouted "DINNERS READY!!!"
I shouted back "I'M COMING"
Then it started to rain.



[Edited 4/25/08 20:49pm]

I've been a Prince fan my entire life!!!

I think it's fate. I was born on June 7th, 1983, and my last name is Nelson!!!

I think it started in the womb. My brother (R.I.P.) had a walkman, put the headphones on my mother's stomach, and I started to react.

I saw him

~~~~~~~ ~PASSION~ ~~~~~~~

a psychic.

I was about 11 at a friends house dancing and kidding around. Her mom & stepdad had a whole bunch of albits up against the wall. I kicked some by mistake and when they fell Princes albit Controversy was the only one left staring back at me. I was like who's that???? He's pretty & his eyes are like mine my friend said that's Prince wanna hear I said ok. I was amazed that he not only looked good but he can sing sound like a girl or boy & play the guitar.

From that day on I was hooked.

When Doves Cry video was the warm-up.

Purple Rain in the theater for the knock-out.