Anyone have any information about Prince (interests/inspiration/interviews where he mentions John Lennon or the Beatles?)

John Lennon killed 12.8.1980 NYC

Prince performs @ the Ritz NYC 12.9.1980 the day after

Prince began touring in November 1980, playing 90 minute sets made up almost entirely from 'Dirty Mind'. Comparisons to Jimi Hendrix began to emerge about his energetic guitar playing. The day after John Lennon was killed, Prince played at The Ritz in New York. The show was a success and its timing drew comparisons to Lennon who was seen in some quarters as the exemplar of white rock music. New York Times writer Bill Adler wrote, 'Prince may be the unlikeliest rock star, black or white, in recent memory but a star he definitely is.'

Annie Christian was a whore always looking for some fun
Being good was such a bore, so she bought a gun
She killed John Lennon, shot him down cold

Bobby Z (Purple Rain 1984) Leaving the dressing room before they perform the Beautiful Ones

"Neither of us [Yoko or I] want to make the mistake that Gandhi and Martin Luther King did, which is get killed one way or the other. Because people only like dead saints, and I refuse to be a saint or a martyr."

"The outpouring of grief, wonder and shared devastation that followed Lennon's death had the same breadth and intensity as the reaction to the killing of a world figure: some bold and popular politician, like John or Robert Kennedy, or a spiritual leader, like Martin Luther King Jr. But Lennon was a creature of poetic political metaphor, and his spiritual consciousness was directed inward, as a way of nurturing and widening his creative force. That was what made the impact, and the difference — the shock of his imagination, the penetrating and pervasive traces of his genius — and it was the loss of all that, in so abrupt and awful a way, that was mourned last week, all over the world."

An image of Paul McCartney[thanks Steakfinger] in the dressing room. 1 of many images Prince had in the dressing room and his home bedroom of other stars/starletts

I'm still frightened of Prince allured by the promise, alarmed by the chintzy crud of his live routine, partially assuaged by this new "Controversy". -NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS November 14, 1981

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Prince's vision isn't as compelling as it might be, however, because of his childlike treatment of evil. "Annie Christian," the one track that tackles the subject, turns evil into a bogeywoman from whom the artist is forever trying to escape in a taxicab. Though the song lists historical events (the killing of black children in Atlanta, Abscam and John Lennon's murder), it has none of the resonance of, say, "Sympathy for the Devil," since Prince, unlike the Rolling Stones, still only dimly perceives the demons within himself. ROLLING STONE, JANUARY 21, 1982

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Annie Christian wanted to be number 1
But her kingdom never comes, thy will be done
She couldn't stand the glory, she would be 2nd to none
The way Annie tells the story, she's his only son
Annie Christian wanted to be a big star
So she moved to Atlanta and she bought a blue car
She killed black children, and what's fair is fair
If u try and say u're crazy, everybody say electric chair
Electric chair
.
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until u're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until u're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
.
Annie Christian was a whore always looking for some fun
Being good was such a bore, so she bought a gun
She killed John Lennon, shot him down cold
She tried to kill Reagan, everybody say gun control
Gun control
.
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until u're crucified I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until u're crucified I'll live my life in taxicabs
.
Liar Liar Liar! got ya in a jam
Put your head on the block, somebody say ABSCAM
ABSCAM
.
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until u're crucified I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until u're crucified I'll live my life in taxicabs

The first 10 shows from the Controversy Tour during the song Annie Christian, Prince would pull out a hand gun and point it towards the side of the stage. His face would be full of rage. It was reported that Prince's management told Prince that perhaps he should drop that out of his act. He did.

SuperSoulFighter said:

What's Abscam?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam

That picture seen in the Bobby Z. screengrab is Paul McCartney, not John Lennon.

ROLLING STONE (1985)

BY NEAL KARLEN

Does it bother you when people say you're going back in time with 'Around the World in a Day'?

No. What they say is that the Beatles are the influence. The influence wasn't the Beatles. They were great for what they did, but I don't know how that would hang today. The cover art came about because I thought people were tired of looking at me. Who wants another picture of him? I would only want so many pictures of my woman, then I would want the real thing. What would be a little more happening than just another picture [laughs] would be if there was some way I could materialize in people's cribs when they play the record.

How do you feel about people calling the record "psychedelic"?

I don't mind that, because that was the only period in recent history that delivered songs and colors. Led Zeppelin, for example, would make you feel differently on each song.

OldFriends4Sale said:

ROLLING STONE (1985)

---

PRINCE TALKS

BY NEAL KARLEN

---

Does it bother you when people say you're going back in time with 'Around the World in a Day'?

No. What they say is that the Beatles are the influence. The influence wasn't the Beatles.

Lol.....maybe now some folks can wake up from their DELUSION.

Graycap23 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

ROLLING STONE (1985)

---

PRINCE TALKS

BY NEAL KARLEN

---

Does it bother you when people say you're going back in time with 'Around the World in a Day'?

No. What they say is that the Beatles are the influence. The influence wasn't the Beatles.

Lol.....maybe now some folks can wake up from their DELUSION.

I wish he talked more lol went a little further into it because here it seems like he's talking about the album imagery.

But his Rasberry Beret look is definately influence by it...

OldFriends4Sale said:

Graycap23 said:

Lol.....maybe now some folks can wake up from their DELUSION.

I wish he talked more lol went a little further into it because here it seems like he's talking about the album imagery.

But his Rasberry Beret look is definately influence by it...

It would be great 2 hear his perspective...........so I agree.

Wendy and Lisa say that Prince would never admit to liking the Beatles or being influenced by them. Too populist. I get that.

OldFriends4Sale said:

God I wish we had more videos in this same vein from ATWIAD. I always wondered what he would have done visually with Pop Life.

The Paisley Park video still breaks my heart to this day

Graycap23 said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

Graycap23 said:

Lol.....maybe now some folks can wake up from their DELUSION.

Do you really want to have that discussion all over again?

The discussion doesn't change the FACTS.

2 answer your question: No.

Graycap23 said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

ROLLING STONE (1985)

---

PRINCE TALKS

BY NEAL KARLEN

---

Does it bother you when people say you're going back in time with 'Around the World in a Day'?

No. What they say is that the Beatles are the influence. The influence wasn't the Beatles.

Lol.....maybe now some folks can wake up from their DELUSION.

He also brushes aside the notion of Hendrix too as an influence. So guess what...

ufoclub said:

Graycap23 said:

Lol.....maybe now some folks can wake up from their DELUSION.

He also brushes aside the notion of Hendrix too as an influence. So guess what...

Now that is another story all together.

I'm not much of a Beatles fan. I'll take ATWIAD over Sgt Peppers any day.

That said, I can hear a definite Beatles vibe on "Paisley Park", but not any of the other songs.

I wonder if John Lennon had heard of Prince or heard his music, eg. Dirty Mind album, which was released in October 1980, two months before he passed.

Guess we'll never know. I've never heard of any references to P in Lennon's 1980 interviews.

Lennon often had interesting insights into other musicians, so I wonder what he would have made of P's classic mid-80s music, had fate and stupidity (Chapman) not intervened.

[Edited 3/12/15 14:17pm]

Militant said:

I'm not much of a Beatles fan. I'll take ATWIAD over Sgt Peppers any day.

That said, I can hear a definite Beatles vibe on "Paisley Park", but not any of the other songs.

Conceptual as well. Listen to the message behind Around the World in a Day and then listen to Magical Mystery Tour.

Both are an invitation to escape on a fantastic psychedlic mental trip that is supposed to open your mind. Both albums are then constructed as wild genre hops of different speed songs and moods with certain elements like orchestral backing, strings, and creative sound effects, reverb, echo, strange edits helping to shape the journey into a suitelike sequence of very inidividual songs. Lyrics on both albums feature exotic elements with flowers, animals, and a definite call to to recognize alternate consciousness. Both made use a of a wildly colorful package design. Prince's little boy floating with the ballon is remiscent of the whimsical characters in the song Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds or even the artwork of Yellow Submarine.

PS, the Beatles were the first to print all their lyrics inside the gatefold of the album.

But The Beatles did it in 1967, and even went so far as to pretend that they were another band (Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band) with a singer named Billy Shears.

I wish OF4S all the luck in the world with finding material that tie Prince and Lennon (and the rest of the Fabs) together... --I'd love to find connections between Lennon and Prince in particular--ut I don't expect much else to show up. I don't think there's much direct influence (or even indirect, beyond the way that the Beatles just kind of leak throughout pop music in general). And while Around the World in a Day certainly reveals that P (or the visual artists and designers around him) were aware of some "psychedelic 60s" visual motifs, I don't think it goes much beyond the surface. I get what ufoclub says, but I can't really say that I feel certain Prince even listened to Magical Mystery Tour before he put the album together. Yes, it's a hodgepodge and there's the introductory I'm going to show you song--but that's not much, and the Beatles album isn't really that unusual is it? If he needed inspiration for Around the World (besides David Coleman's original track), it didn't take much directly from the Beatles (if anything) that didn't just float in the 60's air.

.

Prince knows about the Beatles, but I doubt he KNOWS them. And I doubt that he drew much from them.

EddieC said:

I wish OF4S all the luck in the world with finding material that tie Prince and Lennon (and the rest of the Fabs) together... --I'd love to find connections between Lennon and Prince in particular--ut I don't expect much else to show up. I don't think there's much direct influence (or even indirect, beyond the way that the Beatles just kind of leak throughout pop music in general). And while Around the World in a Day certainly reveals that P (or the visual artists and designers around him) were aware of some "psychedelic 60s" visual motifs, I don't think it goes much beyond the surface. I get what ufoclub says, but I can't really say that I feel certain Prince even listened to Magical Mystery Tour before he put the album together. Yes, it's a hodgepodge and there's the introductory I'm going to show you song--but that's not much, and the Beatles album isn't really that unusual is it? If he needed inspiration for Around the World (besides David Coleman's original track), it didn't take much directly from the Beatles (if anything) that didn't just float in the 60's air.

.

Prince knows about the Beatles, but I doubt he KNOWS them. And I doubt that he drew much from them.

I suspect that since Prince was showing off his guitar skills to his high school buddies by playing solos by Chicago, namedropping Led Zepplin in interviews, and then actually covering Come Together and The Long and Winding Road... I'm certain he was into what became known in the 80's and beyond as classic rock... and The Beatles are an apex of classic rock.

Personally I think that if Lennon wouldn't have died, we might have had Say Say Say with Jackson and McCartney matched by some Prince / Lennon pop song.

ufoclub said:

I suspect that since Prince was showing off his guitar skills to his high school buddies by playing solos by Chicago, namedropping Led Zepplin in interviews, and then actually covering Come Together and The Long and Winding Road... I'm certain he was into what became known in the 80's and beyond as classic rock... and The Beatles are an apex of classic rock.

Personally I think that if Lennon wouldn't have died, we might have had Say Say Say with Jackson and McCartney matched by some Prince / Lennon pop song.

Certainly an interesting idea.

Never noticed that Mccartney poster in Purple Rain. Very cool!

Graycap23 said:

ufoclub said:

He also brushes aside the notion of Hendrix too as an influence. So guess what...

Now that is another story all together.

It begins & ends with the fact that he's full of shit.