Just how influential has the man been?

I'm collecting references to Prince from tv, film, and song and would like some help compiling the list. Here's a few to give you an idea of what I mean:

From X-Files (in a discussion about possible colors of precipitation):
Scully: purple rain?
Mulder: great album, deeply flawed movie

From Animaniacs cartoon (they're playing detectives)
Dot: look for prints!
suddenly a man in a purple coat appears, distinctly looking like u know who)
Dot: Not that Prince ... FINGERPRINTS!!!

From Pretty Woman film
Julia Roberts (after singing "Kiss" in the bath) says to Richard Gere: "You gotta love Prince"

Kanye West "since Prince was on Appollonia"

And of course, the credits of the film, Fargo, attribute the dead body in the snow to someone named O)+>

Anyway, you get the idea. I think that one way to evaluate an artist's impact is by looking at pop culture generally to see how pervasive his/her influence has been. I may write an article on this, so thanks in advance for your help and muchlove!
[Edited 9/28/07 5:05am]

Ok I found this on wikipedia-there are loads of refs to Prince in popular culture crazy!

Prince and the Revolution is the subject of a famous Chappelle's Show sketch where Charlie Murphy tells the story of how he challenged Prince (played by Dave Chappelle) to a basketball game. Murphy had earlier mocked Prince's clothes, telling him he didn't buy his frilly shirts in the men's department. Prince then beat Murphy soundly in the basketball game without ever changing out of the shirt. In an 2004 interview for MTV, Prince denied wearing stage attire during the contest, but confirmed "the whupping's true." [31]
Prince was depicted as an Internet nerd on The Simpsons and his work has been referenced on the show on several occasions. For example, the Simpsons named one puppy "The Puppy Formerly Known as Prince."
Prince has been impersonated on the following sketch comedy shows:
Saturday Night Live, by Gary Kroeger in two cold-opening sketches in the mid-1980s — one where the SNL cast prepare for Prince's arrival on the show, and another where Prince is singing a charity song called "I Am Also the World" and every musician who attempts a duet with him gets beaten up by Prince's back-up singers (Mary Gross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) or his bodyguards (played by hosts Mr. T and Hulk Hogan); by Chris Kattan in a one-off sketch from the 24th season episode hosted by Bill Paxton where Prince performs "Kiss" on a talk show hosted by Ted Nugent (Paxton) and gets shot with a crossbow; and, more famously, by Fred Armisen in the recurring sketch "The Prince Show" that started on the 29th season episode hosted by Drew Barrymore.
MADtv, by Phil LaMarr in three sketches: one where Prince has dinner with "The Klumps" from the Eddie Murphy version of the Nutty Professor movies, one where Prince stars as Moses in a Biblical epic called "The Artist Formerly Known as the Prince of Egypt"; and in a one-off sketch where Prince, Jack Nicholson (played by Pat Kilbane), and Steven Seagal (played by Will Sasso) have a sleepover and try to kick Eddie Murphy (played by Aries Spears) out of it.
Rock Profile, by Matt Lucas in two sketches and a 45-minute special, titled Rock The Blind. Prince is portrayed as a Scottish tramp, busking in Glasgow, and living "up the woods".
In an episode of Muppets Tonight, when Prince is trying to get past Bobo to get backstage for the show, he claims he's "the artist formerly known as Prince," Bobo retorts by saying, "and I'm the bear currently known as not amused." He also confuses his symbol for an ink blot test.
Prince is mentioned in The Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch", Missy Elliott's "Work It", Kanye West's "Stronger", Nas's "Bridging The Gap", The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Nasty Girl", Groove Armada featuring Mutya Buena's "Song 4 Mutya", Eminem's "Without Me" & Ludacris, Twista & Jagged Edge's "Freaky Thangs".
In the episode of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius where Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl enter the annual school talent contest, Sheen demands that he be referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Sheen."
In one episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, Ashley brings home a boy who tells Phil his name was the symbol drawn on a piece of paper. When asked about it, the boy says "It's a symbol. Like Prince."
Los Angeles Indie Rock band, Sabrosa Purr, named their debut E.P. "Music From the Violet Room" after a misinterpreted Prince lyric in "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" from Sign o' the Times. Prince is noted in many of their interviews as the biggest influence on Sabrosa Purr's singer/songwriter Will Love.
In a sketch of Big Train, Prince as a carnivore stalks a herd of horseracing jockeys in the African wilderness eventually killing one and feeding on its carcass.
Prince was featured as one of Maxim magazine's shortest leading men with a height of 5'2".
According to recent census data he ranks as the third shortest adult male in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.
Pop artist Darren Hayes attribute his decision to record his double album 'This Delicate Thing We've Made' to the influence that Prince's album Sign o' the Times had on him as a child.
Prince is spoofed as The Administrator Formerly Known as Principal in Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth.
In one of the Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime series, Keenan Ivory Wayans spoofs Prince as "Prince Jones" (with Robert Townsend as "Michael Davis" aka Michael Jackson) in "Rock Cops." The two performers come together to fight crime. In one scene, Prince taunts Michael with the puppet used in Purple Rain, to which Michael shouts "Get rid of that puppet. I'm sick of you and that puppet!" Prince snaps back "As soon as you get rid of this zoo!" (because of Michael Jackson's animal collection).
In the 1985 hit movie "The Goonies," the character Mouth wears Prince "Purple Rain" album cover t-shirt.

How about Moonwalker? Little MJ after doing the "Bad" performance walks out and asks if Bubbles is in his trailer and what he's wearing. Assistant says "Red sneakers and a Prince T-Shirt", to which he replies "PRINCE T-Shirt?", and then he walks through smoke and turns into real MJ.
[Edited 9/28/07 5:48am]

Then the Morris Day & The Time reference "from that Prince movie... that shit is so gay" in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.

In 'Song For Mutya' with Groove Armada there's the line: "I got Prince singing Hot Thing to me, I know every line."

bex23 said:

Something I NEVER tire of watching. I remember seeing it the very first time that was on TV (pre-fame for Simon Pegg so it wasn't hyped or anything) and my sides were aching from the laughter

Eminem's "Without Me" has the line "ever since Prince turned himself into a symbol".

Oh, one more. This is from the song "The Bad Touch" by the Bloodhound Gang.

Sweat baby sweat baby sex is a Texas drought
Me and you do the kind of stuff that only Prince would sing about

JuliePurplehead said:

[quote:3383534ddc]Eminem's "Without Me" has the line "ever since Prince turned himself into a symbol".[/quote:3383534ddc]

* - was about to say that, and also another eminem song i cant think of now where he says "i got a lion in my pocket, no i dont i'm lying i got a dime in my pocket"

* - last boy scout, the movie, they mention Prince a couple of times

* - oh an Jules, ill be turning 32 a day after your birthday, libra's Rule

jonty1975 said:

We do rule! Happy Birthday!

They did that "fingerprints" thing on Psych.

They were involved in some American Idol-esque thing.

Chief "Lassie" Lassider: "Guess what? We found Prince."
Shawn or Gus: Was he in a little red corvette
Gus or Shawn: Under the cherry moon?
"Lassie": FINGERprints

since then... I heard the word "prints" and turn my head. "Prince, where?"

But I was
I know exactly what you're talking about!

In Shaun of the Living Dead, they start throwing Prince records at the zombies. They won't throw SOTT, because it's a classic, but they find Batman and throw that.

The Josh Rouse song "Summertime" has this line: "I remember watermelon, finger banging, Purple Rain and being cool."

Salt N Pepa song "like prince said you're a sex mother...."

Weird Al song “Amish paradise” sings something like “if I finish my chores and you finish thine tonight were going to party like its 1799”

Prince is mentioned in Krush Groove, something like “who do you think you are Prince?”

There was a commercial for Fruity Pebbles with Barney dressed like Prince

Prince spaghetti commercials


In the NEW show “Chuck” on guys says “stop the press who’s that” and the other guy says “Vicki Vale, vick.. vick.. Vicky vale.” When the woman gives him a funny look he says “that’s from batman” which is not so it is from Batdance. The line is NOT given like that in the movie.


Other Simpson’s refs there are MANY:

* Otto's shoes say "don't worry I won't hurt you"

* When looking for info on the Radio Active Man movie, comic book guy gets on the computer and checks the boards it shows some people at their computer one of them is Prince

* in another that takes place in the future the TV shows a list of celebrities arrested that day one of them is "the Artist formerly known as

* Apu says “to night I am going to party like it’s on sale for $19.99

* In "Unbreakable" when Bruce Willis' character was having a night out with his estranged wife, they mention "Soft and Wet".
* On a few sketches from Mad TV, he's portrayed by Phil Lamarr.
* Same on "In Living Color" with Jamie Foxx.
* Eddie Griffin did some impersonation on "Malcolm and Eddie".
* There are Prince posters in "Krush Groove" and "The Goonies" (along with Corey Haim's Purple Rain t-shirt).
* Ally Sheedy checking out the 1999 album in "The Breakfat Club".
* Kanye mentions he'll "clean up his act like Prince'll do" on a track from "Graduation".
* Rappers Cam'ron and Beanie Seigel both have "Purple Rain" references on their albums.
* Stephen Colbert mentioned him on a Momar Quadaffi segment from his show.
* Chevrolet and Target have used Prince's music in their commericials.
* Ray Charles' infamous "you got the right one baby" commercials for Diet Pepsi was based on a Prince song. "Train", I think?
*I'm sure there are plenty more, but my beer is calling me.

AvramsDad said:

Wait! There is a song called "Uh Huh" and Prince says that line just like that , could that be the song your talking about! If it is Ray Charles took lines from Prince!

KidaDynamite said:

Yeah I think that's the one. I'd have to go listen to be sure, but yes Brother Ray was technically singing a Prince song in those commercials.

AvramsDad said:

WHAT!!!

JuliePurplehead said:

Ice Cube ~ I got a house next to Prince, Now i can kick it

KidaDynamite said:

U know he wrote the Coke-Cola Theme "Always Coke Cola"

mplsmike said:

Wait.....WHO!?!?!?!?

Prince ...Kida
and there is a prince version of "Uh Huh" out there too

I dont think theres any version of the,
coke song out there that we know about

mplsmike said:

Prince wrote that! Double

In the movie Playing by Heart Angelina Jolie and her date park in a parking structure on the Prince level. His face is painted on the wall.

mplsmike said:

How did you find this out!

KidaDynamite said:

I just wanted to send a big thank you to all for this incredible collection of Prince references. It's astonishing to see all this listed together and no doubt there are many more out there. Feel free to add more and I'll keep checking. If my article is published, I'll post the info.

Muchlove 2 all,

All I want to know is...when is Prince gonna send cease and desist letters to all of the above mentioned "copyright violators"?

Reference to the symbol & its possible origins in Dan Brown's Angels & Demons.

Wow, I totally love this thread. So Refreshing. Thanks 2 all who contributed 2 it

From John Lydon's (aka Johnny Rotten fron the Sex Pistols) autobiography the following text appears, though it is written by Marco Pirroni who helped form Adam and the Ants:

"Without punk there certainly couldn't have been anything like Prince. His first couple of album were really raw - the same sort of drum patterns all the way through."