Like Tina Turner's comeback in 1984. Or rather, does anyone here think that Prince will ever go back to being as big as he was in the 80's, in terms of publicity (worldwide), sold records, etc.? Why, why not?

Well my initial answer is always "He never went anywhere", but I see what you're getting at. I don't think he'll ever go back 2 "Purple Rain"-level of public popularity only because he doesn't value fame. I think we've seen clear proof of that over the years.

Sure y not...i mean he'll make it big once again i'm sure of this...

He has been riding his wave from the 80's for the last 6 years. He will never top his prior success. That is not necessarily a bad thing to say. How could you possibly exceed the popularity of Purple Rain Era? No one can! His new music is no longer relevant. He should put out a gospel CD and then call it quits. Remember when he was a great producer? Those days are gone as well. If he wants to rejuvinate his career, then Superbowl Sunday is his best platform. He will never get a bigger audience than this. Prince, You better bring it, or stay home on Superbowl Sunday!

didn't he already come back in 2004?

he's a huge enormous star now. he's part of the establishment. he could putz around for the rest of his life and still be considered a major music legend.

comeback, schmomeback!

Are his videos going to be on heavy rotation at MTV etc; probably not.
Is he going to be able with the shit-talent that is todays music; probably not.
Well he sell multi-millons? probably not...
Honestly, is the super-bowl going to impact many ppl? after the responses from BET and American Idol I doubt it will have any effect on America's youth; so probably not...
Does he care about any of this? nope
So the answer to your question is no. Although, I do wish that after the superbowl and this year I can look back at this thread and say "I stand corrected."

does MTV even matter anymore?

Anx said:

In my opinion he doesn´t need a comeback. Prince is a living legend! A legend does not need a comeback. He got his fans since long long years and his status grows and grows. There is no one u can compare with Prince! No one!

Prince may not gain the popularity that he once had in the past, but at least he has longevity. Look at all the fans gained along the way who weren't even born during Purple Rain. To be in the business this long is quite the accomplishment. He's pretty much done everything. Go Princey, go!

He possibly could.
I've always likened Prince to Tina Turner, and Larry Graham to Ike, so who knows?

I was under the impression that he had been here for years, was rocking his peers, and subsequently was putting suckers in fear.

GottaLetitgo said:

He may actually be putting suckers in tears too.

Who knows, Prince is a pretty mysterious guy.

Comeback? He never went anywhere,plus he's already a superstar.Can't get any bigger!

Prince is more respected now than ever before....even as early as 1985 there was a strong backlash against Prince ..i remember people giving me hell for putting a Prince song on in a bowling alley jukebox in 1985! you had to be strong in the late 80's if you admited your a Prince fan .. things have changed since then

DanceWme said:

well? does it??

Imago said:

So, SO wrong.

He's bigger now than he'd been in years. It's cool for young acts to namecheck Prince and babble about their great love for him. (funny -how come Prince was on no one's heros list pre-Musicology? ) He's part of the music establishment; as much as considered a living legend at this point. People fall over themselves to kiss his cute little ass. And for all he was the butt of jokes and ridicule at the time of the Great Embarassment, (read: the name change) it's now generally accepted by both artists and critics in the business that he might've been onto something with that whole artists' rights business. Some of the same people who used to laugh at him now sing his praises. I'd call that one helluva comeback.

On the other hand, if by comeback you meant, will he ever again get heavy rotation on the jokes they call video channels and radio, and get his mug splashed across the pages of tabloids with a weekly update on his sex life/multi-racial baby adoptions/diet plan? Fuck no, and who needs it?

For a start, he has to get his ass COME BACK to the Netherlands one time.It's been too long!
...Then we'll see if he's back.

He'll never make a comeback in England, that's for sure. Especially if he carries on outputting his current tripe.

Also, if he's going to have a comeback in America, he's having it right now. It won't get bigger. He's too old, and his music's lost. He'll never make rock again.

Spookymuffin said:

he should do like paul simon, zappa, sting, etc., and go the 'distinguished old fart' route and do classical/orchestral stuff. i'm scared prince is turning into chuck berry, which would be cool if it were like 1959.

Anx said:

I think he should go back to funk, and not confuse it with r&b. He should reduce the band down to one synth, one guitar, one bass and a small drumkit. Then he should only allow himself to work with those lyrics.

You ever seen The Mighty Boosh? there's an episode where they get funky, and play a funk jam at the end which is incredible using just those instruments.

I'm not asking Prince to get energetic on stage again and do the splits, but I am asking that he makes some decent music and I think he'd do so much better as just a small band just tearing shit up by jamming and playing what they like. It would be so much more organic. I hate how commercial he is right now. After I listen I feel like I've been chewing bubble gum whilst sitting on a sofa covered in protective plastic.

Spookymuffin said:

i think he's gotten too comfortable with his second-guessy/produce-and-edit-everything-to-death mode of recording music, rather than going for the kamikaze marathon recording session/just make it sound pretty and release it approach.

there's a reason the NPGMC "chocolate invasion"/"slaughterhouse" stuff is more interesting than his last few major studio releases - because he treated them as sketches of songs or as demos - they were just fun things for the fans, which he might or might not choose to develop. and that lack of self-consciousness is what MAKES his music great.

of course, prince would probably rather chew off a limb than do anything understated anymore, so whatever.

Spookymuffin said:

Agreed. All or most of you people who say he's made a huge comeback think only of the US and forget to consider other parts of the world. Abroad, I practically never hear him being played on the radio, see his new videos on tv, read about him or anything. When I talk to people no one, except die hard fans, knows about his latest albums and singles that have been released since The Most Beautiful Girl In The World. And the Super Bowl is big in the US but that's it. No one in Europe cares about it.

Anx said:

Yes, and it's disgraceful that he's let himself go from someone who released demo tapes as a full album to this. It's almost as if he's been a hypocrite.

Anx said:

couldn't have said it better. When Prince just lets something fly, it's always so much better. All his truly great albums (not necessarily those held as great in the public eye) adhere to this.

Anx said:

I know, the chump. He's gone on and on about how restrictive the record labels are and how, for him, they are just business and not about music. Well now who's about business, Mr. Vegas? Eh?! Fucking idiot.

more to rant about edit
[Edited 1/4/07 6:54am]

VenusBlingBling said:

So true.

Outside of the US, Prince is dead. Anyone who says otherwise is disillusioned.

I know, I'm a british teenager. If he was big, my age group would be listening to him. They're not. They still think he's gay, and some think he's actually dead.

Also true about the Superbowl. What the fuck is that to any country that doesn't play American Football? i.e. the rest of the world. And no one else will see it, either.

I used to wish he'd come back big and show all of England how much he deserved fame, but having seen how he comes back I wish he never had. I wish he'd kept laying low and being viewed as this freak, because it kept his ego down, and kept him experimenting, which at least meant he was releasing something vaguely interesting, which now he most certainly isn't.

I hope not! I really don't think he wants to either I feel he's comfortable where he is in music right now, The music industry today sucks if you haven't noticed and the internet is killing cd's and live concerts and everthing. the biggest stars are american idol contestants> I don't think he wants to get involved with that crap He was great when he was suppose to be, trust me!

I don't think he even thinks about "making a comeback." I read an article after the Musicology concert where the interviewer asked him how he felt about his comeback. he said, "Comeback? I never went anywhere."