Alrighty... next installment!

First!

I was a Senior in High School when PR came out; at this point, I would give Prince some credit, but I was still not calling myself a fan. In fact, I was going back into my "anti" phase, because the "cool" kids were into Prince, and I was a .
(No lie... there was a group of guys who all dressed like The Time, and their g.f. all dressed like Vanity 6. They'd wear white shirts and tight jeans with camisoles under them. They had nicknames like "Stacy" and "Grace". U should see their yearbook captions! My cousin- mentioned in the previous 'memories' threads as my early source of Prince- signed hers "May U live to see the Dawn". )

Anyway- I went to a party where the soundtrack was playing. We were all pretty much s, so it was "risque" for us to listen to Prince. This boy I liked started lip-synching the words to "Darling Nikki" and grinding on me! I thought he was "nasty" and shoved him away!

I never even saw PR until it came out on VHS years later.

As for ATWIAD, I hated it!
Years later, it is actually in my top 7- except for "America". I hate that damn song.

Please,

-L-

Funny. Yeah, I graduated HS in '84, so prince was was a huge chunk of the soundtrack of my teens. Especially Purple Rain. Prince seemed to fall right into place, as I was into New Wave and Punk and his previous 3 albums had that vibe.

ATWIAD helped me get through a pretty grappy nightshift job at a machine shop while I went to college. I was pretty much working there by myself and I would crank a cobbled together music system. The radio would have tons of Prince and associates playing all the time... The Time, Jill Jones, Sheila E, Wendy and Lisa, Tamara and the Seen, Jesse Johnson. I was shakin' ass while running machines that could cut your hand off if you weren't careful. So I guess I was carefully shakin' my ass.

I wouldn't change a thing.

i was in yr 9 in high school the yr PR was released- i started writing in Purple Pen

i won tix to see PR at the movies- and went back 3 times
begged mum to give me the $ to buy the album- and my lifetime love of Princes music began.

the only person in my school who'd admit to watching PR was a guy- who only watched it to perv on apollonia

i first heard of ATWIAD after the live broadcat of the Syracuse PR concert, as a relatively new fan. i was

got a copy

then i fell in love with Raspberry Beret- both the song and the vid...my radio request handle became Prb, and ive used it ever since

squirrelgrease said:

Thanx for the contribution!

I was in Middle School when Purple Rain came out. The very first Prince record I bought was the 45 for "Let's go crazy". I was hooked from then on. I was the only guy in school who wore a Prince shirt.

"Around the world in a day" became the soundtrack to the summer of '85. I played it so much my family hated it I will always remember playing that album (I had it on cassette) while we were camping at Conneaut Lake Park. "Condition of the heart" and "Around the world in a day" were and still are my favorites on the album. "Pop life" is still one of my favorite singles of the 80's as well.

I was out of my friggin' mind excited for Purple Rain. I'd really gotten into Prince with 1999 - he was all over MTV with Little Red Corvette and 1999. There was so much early buzz about Purple Rain - we all knew it was coming. And when he dropped When Doves Cry...oh.my.gawd. everything just blew up.

I had heard the movie was opening in limited release and I was that Madison was one of the cities, because I was fully pepared to go to Chicago to see it if I had to. I still remember which theatre I saw Purple Rain in - all four times. I wore the vinyl out, too. It was a very exciting time.

Around the World in a Day was probably the Prince album I needed the most. I'd just lost my job and was having a total identity crisis/nervous breakdown. I bought it the day it dropped and from the opening oud, I was enchanted. Loved (and still do) the quasi-psychedelic air of that album. It had everything...love, whimsy, spirituality, and classic Prince raunch. When I saw the video for Raspberry Beret, I wanted that "cloud" suit so bad...even though I wondered why he'd gotten his hair cut like Liza Minelli's.

Ah, yes...good times.

I really love, "America." the song is great.

"Purple Rain" is the only one I can really vouch for here because there are "past memories" of which I can discuss.

ATWIAD, I've only had and been aware of for less than a year, so it wouldn't be fair for me to dicuss it.

Purple Rain is ultimately what did it for me. And here I'm talking about the film and how he portrayed himself in the film. Though the music was part of it though a very small fraction.
Two songs: I would die 4 U and Baby I'm a Star

A few years ago, my dad burned a CD of some of his favorite songs growing up in his 20's-30's. Included the likes of Lionel Richie (All night long, dancing on the ceiling), Billy Idol (white wedding), Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run, Born in the USA, Led Zepplin (Stairway to Heaven)... and of course the last two songs were those Prince songs I mentioned.

Based on the music and vocals, I had a certain view of Prince. I'm not sure if I can explain that now because I've learned so much since then and now truly know what I think of him.
"I would die 4 U" was my favorite of the two (still get sentimental when I listened 2 it now)... mainly based on the keyboards and also Prince's voice and what he could do with it.
"Baby I'm a star" was a little long for my tastes... and his screaming just made me not my thing. Haha... the ironic thing is I actually crave the screams and his characteristic vocal ( u all know the one I'm talking about) these days.

My initial idea of Prince came from the commentary my dad gave me through however much of the movie we caught that random weekend afternoon (im gonna bet in 2004 cuz they never show PR during the daytime... it had 2b cuz it was an important occasion)... and the lines I heard throughout the movie. Seeing it the first time in full, I remembered A LOT of what was said.

One line that defined Prince for me was "your music makes sense 2 no one but urself"... then I was told by my dad how he only wanted to play the music he wrote (explaining the whole thing with Wendy & Lisa cuz we missed out on most of that that particular day)... I watched him curiously he seemed like the Mozart/prodigy type, someone who lived for the music he wrote and nothing else mattered to him. Eccentric was the impression I got (and I still believe that 2b sure).

A lot of the ideals I formed about Prince came about from that one viewing of the movie. But what impressed me and engrained him in my mind until the day I saw him perform on AI and so on... was his portrayal of those 2 songs I mentioned above.

I had never seen ANYONE take up a stage like that and put on a show like that in my life. I just couldn't look away. I was greatly entertained by his stage presence. There was no denying that he had presence. Nobody had made me stop and stare and just be in awe like he had that day.
afterwards, my mom famously quotes "I think she's in love with Prince"

Still true, though I wouldn't define it as "love"
Call it a deep admiration for him and his talents

I was 4 years old when I saw Purple Rain on VHS @ my cousins house and never forgot. My mom bought "When Doves Cry" on LP for me to play on my little record player.


I didnt get the full album until I got my allowance when I was 13 in 1994.


Around The World... I got on cassette in 1994 also.

Needless to say I was let down when I first heard it. I hated fast forwarding Condition Of The Heart just to get to Raspberry Beret. It worked out for the better when I got the LP in 1995.


I didnt really get the album until I got the vinyl. And hearing Taja's vocals on The Ladder and Lisa sounding like she gonna cry on Paisley park really drew me in!! It took me a year to appreciate it.

when these came out..what a joy. everybody was talking about Prince by that time. I remember by this time you and your frinds did all the hand signs w/ the song i.e 'I would Die 4 U' etc. and the dance moves? My brother thats about 7 yrs older than me was talking among his friends about "Have you heard that 'Darlig Nikki'..song?..hahah. College radio stations and main stream was playing them both in my city. My friend Stacy and I had used the "bird call/scream thing" 4 a code 2 let each other know when we could sneak outside at night,by hanging our heads out our windows(we was nieghbours) ..Who came up with that..was it Prince or the Time(Morris)? Maybe it was just a 'Minneapolis Thang'..? any1 know? Plus you got 2 see the videos more on MTV. when those albums came out it was a great time in my life and to have a soundtrack 2 it...and a movie as a bonus.(PR)
much love

Tamera1 said:

Ahh the good ol days

I was 5 when PR came out and I was surprised to see Prince come out with something new cause I had just discovered him, I guess 6 months or more earlier. When I heard When Doves Cry, I liked it instantly. I thought it was weird but I liked it and it was from that song that I became a fan. I asked my Mom if we could go see Purple Rain and she practically gave me this: So much for that. I knew I not to ask Mom for the album but I was determined that one day I was going to have a Prince album when I got older. Fast forward to 1988. Mom brought the CD (my first CD in fact) for me when I was 9. It was after I had finally seen the film at my uncle's house. I loved it & when I played the album, which he had as well, my life changed. I hit me as to how incredible the music was and how amazing Prince was too. I asked my Mom if I could finaly have it and she said yes. Even though I was a fan and had other Prince albums then, that night in Florida was the beginning to me becoming a die-hard Prince fan.

I didn't even know about ATWIAD until late in the summer in 85. I was watching one of the video shows when I saw Raspberry Beret. I was stunned to see he had cut his hair. I thought the song was alright but it wasn't When Doves Cry or Lets Go Crazy and I loved those songs. I saw the video for America a few months later and I really liked it and it made me like Prince even more. I got ATWIAD as a 1st Communion gift from my father when I was 8 a couple of years later. I thought the album was weird as hell but I didn't dislike it. When I brought the CD years later, I enjoyed it a lot more. It's not one of my favorites but I enjoy it.

I just thought of another story: The "cool kids" that I mentioned in the other post decided to perform "Erotic City" in the school talent show my Senior year of high school. They built this elaborate set and had the AV kids hook up this cool purple lighting...
In the dress rehearsal, they used the radio edits, and the advisors let them perform. The night of the show, in front of their parents, teachers and peers, they went buck wild!
They switched to the 12" b-side version of the song, the girls were wearing lingerie, and they were practically simulating sex on stage! The principal wigged out, had the curtains closed and the plug pulled, and the whole crew got suspended!

paisleypark4 said:

chocolate1 said:

That's funny!!!!

in the summer of 84 i was a camp counselour and when doves cry xploded out the gates. i was singing that song everyday and i still wasn't a fan of his. i had seen the video and all but never knew there was a movie coming out. so finally 2 shut up this other camp counselour about the movie i went 2 go c it (THANKS JENNIFER PERRY!!!) i was hooked. what was cool about movie theaters back then is that u could stay as many times as u wanted with the price of one admission. so i had walked in when morris was trying 2 seduce apples at 1st avenue and saw the rest of the movie from there. i kept asking 'where is that dude with the japanese bandana?" and i still thought that prince was more in2 guys than women at the time UNTIL that bedroom scene lol!! when i left that movie theater it made me want 2 b a musician so i started learning guitar. and all the protoges i got their material and was dumbfounded at how songs like nasty girl, cool and others were in the prince circle

atwiad, hmmm let me just start off by saying this album has shaped my life 4 the better in terms of artistry. yes it was no PR so i hated it at 1st and didn't listen 2 it until 3 days later after i got it. but it set me in the mindset of LET A ARTIST GROW and that concept xtended 2 every other artist i have ever enjoyed. it was still a hard pill 2 digest but i will say that tambourine took me 2 years later 2 fully appreciate it lol

The first time I remember listening to Prince was at the age of 4. It was the Controversy album that my mom had. I asked her to play it all the time and wanted one of my own, she told me I had to wait till I was older. The first albums that I received were Purple Rain, 1999, and Controversey. I was so happy, I played them over and over. I have loved Prince since age 4, but did'nt get my first albums till Purple rain came out.

In 1984 the video Purple Rain was so much on tv that I really disliked it. But I knew who Prince was. My brother had Purple Rain on cassette and I could borrow it on occassion, he was very carefull with his stuff. He had the Vanity Six album and some stuff from Sheila E. and The Time.

We all loved the Purple Rain album and when Syracuse came on tv my mon taped it and I would watch it with her together. Very very cool show with him making the train on stage.
1985 was my first class at highschool and this German girl who sat in my class had the album! She made me my own copy on cassette so I didn't have to steal it secretly from my brother.
Because she knew I liked him that much she gave me that purple sheet inside with all the albums he had released until then.

At that time everybody was into somebody else, Madonna, which I liked too, Duran Duran, The Cure, MJ but I can't remember anyone liking Prince like I did. I sat a little bit on an island and did I enjoy it! Singing with my haircomb "the beautiful ones" all dramatic on my knees. I got my first cassetteplayer and I would be listening with my headphone on, well, just everywhere I went. I can't remember talking to anyone during these years.
And in the car I would have "take me with you" all the time because I knew the clip with Appolonia and him on the bike driving through the country, so I imagined myself on his bike.
I would be recording on our Betamax videorecorder whatever passed by, I was so in awe with this guy.

ATWT, I mean ATWIAD, well, I only got to know this in 1986 because as far as I can remember they had skipped this here. It was all Purple Rain and then Parade but I can still remember as the day of yesterday (see myself looking at my door frame) that I was listening to the radio, heard a song and yelled to my brother "is that Prince?" and he came running in, all excited and said no, this guy sounds different, but I was like, it's him, really but what album is this!

It turned out that Prince had made ATWIAD and we didn't know about it. Well, my brother bought the album and I made my own copy on cassette and was totally hooked. I sat all day with my dictionary translating the lyrics on the album. I was so in love with Condition of the heart. I listened to it last week again and the feeling I got back then came back immediately. It's was just a feeling I got that lifted me to another place, loving and peacefull, a whole other world than reality. How was someone able to cause such deep feeling just through music. And I really digged the way he danced and looked.
And my brother got me the extended versions of America and Poplife, OMG! These were very good times, I can tell you that.

Un4tunately,I was 2 young 2 know what was going on when all this great stuff was taking place. Once I got in the mix,I loved PR from 1st listen,and the movie just sealed the deal 4 me.I do watch all the fabulous events surrounding that great album on video(Oscar win,PR party,AMA per4mance,etc)and it's the 1 time I regret not being older.Surprisingly,I didn't really like ATWIAD at 1st.Altho it was very colorful with lotz 2 look at,I was disappointed at the cover.I thought most of the songz were 2 short,and I just wasn't feeling them.I remember my brother saying something about it possibly being the last Prince release,and he bought like a dozen copies of that album! Thru "joy in repetition",the album grew on me,and I have a great appreciation 4 it 2day.