I jumped on the Purple Train in 1981. Controversy just blew my mind.

First song I remember was "Controversy" which I loved.....There was a boy in my 5th grade class that would constantly sing it, lol.....I was too young to appreciate his greatness then, but I was hooked when the Purple Rain album came out, and since then, he's been my favorite artist..

Late 1979. Hearing the long verison of "I Wanna Be Your Lover" on the radio.

When I heard Lisa's cool voice at the beginning of 1999 back in 82

I was a Prince fan from the first album with Soft and Wet being the first incentive to pull my young mind into the fold. I was just loving his music so much that by the time that 1999 came out that when I was in college I would argue with a friend of mine about who was the baddest Prince or the Time? That friend has been playing with Prince now for a number of years and when I saw him after a show I walked up to him and asked him if he really knew the answer to the argument now!!! He laughed and told me How correct I was.

I was in 6th grade and this kid had a "PRINCE CONTROVERSY" button on his jean jacket and I said "who's prince?" and he began telling me about all these 'badass' songs called sister,head,uptown...and the rest is history.

Me, I go as far back as 1999 and Controversy. I am an oldie!

My fascination began with 'Controversy'... I was a ull blown fan with '1999'

well in the meaning I was a Prince fan before I heard/knew Purple Rain as a Prince song...started with Batman soundtrack and got everything up until Gold before I started buying earlier albums, including Purple Rain soundtrack in '95...does that count?

I enjoyed and was vaguely aware of the mid-80s hits as they were released but didn't associate them with Prince until much later.

Did'nt even know he existed until I saw Purple Rain. Purple Rain was the first album of his I owned,it was given to me as a birthday present when I turned 10 in 84
[Edited 1/6/09 16:09pm]

My sister had the poster from Right ON from the For You era so I was listening to her stuff prior to the Different Strokes episode where they were jamming to I Wanna Be Your Lover.

And to those who are too young to remember Prince was a huge star in the Black community when the Dirty Mind album came out and really took off with the crossover when 1999 came out. My uncle who was the pimpmaster had the Dirty Mind 8 track jamming to Head all of the time.

BigDaddyHQ said:

co-sign

Nov. 7, 1979 7:00 AM

Desertflower said:

Which is on the Purple Rain album. So no, you aren't before.
Simultaneous is not before.

lewdew said:

I came along during controversy but 1999 really made me follow his music that's when I went back and got Dirtymind, Prince & 4U. I fell in love with his writing i never heard songs that expressed the way I felt especially the Prince Album. I was about 15 back then.....but 1999 really got me into his music.By time Purple Rain came out I was like now everyone's on the banwagon! But I'm still here aint goin nowhere but believe it or not I can't make myself go to a concert.

Snake said:

Why?

My first Prince concert was 1999 in Oakland, CA. I was very nervous. If Prince could sing and sound as he did on his albums . . . I was gone. And I was already a cover the wall with Prince guy (it wasn't easy . . . dearth of material.) My room became legendary with random visitors to see the wall. lol

But I digress . . .

The concert was a blast! And that voice was all Prince and I was over the top.
He justified my fandom. That was all I wanted.
I've never cared about what he wore or how he looked, it's all about the songs.

No I don't care about who he sleeps with . . . .
[Edited 1/6/09 20:20pm]

my father would take me 2 buy records at the v.i.p records stow in L.A.when i was a little girl. i was going 2 get a silvers record when i saw a big picture of prince on the wall.it was the prince album.and i've never stopped.

I liked his music, but had never bought any. I went opening night to the movie, go their early, the theater played the soundtrack before the move. Listening to that once, then watching the movie, I couldn't get the music out of my head and a few days layer bought the soundtrack despite someone promising to give me their copy in just a few days - I couldn't wait that long - and have been hooked ever since.

And it's funny, all of these years later I don't know the pre purple rain music as well as I do everything since as those were never brand new albums for me. In fact, even as a die hard prince fan I somehow didn't realize the song "I want to be your lover" (which I knew from the 70s) was a Prince song until I heard him play it at a concert and wondered why he was playing someone else's song, perhaps because it predated MTV.

I was a fan before Purple Rain, but pretty much just a fan of the music. Then I saw the movie and I thought That Voice!!!! Not to mention the fact that I thought he was gorgeous!! Mind U I was only 14 at the time

banks said:

Same here. Also, his songs "Soft and Wet" &"Sexy Dancer" were big hits on r&b radio when I was little in the 70's. Thankfully at the time I had "ZERO" idea what the lyrics meant though

Sowhat said:

me too

nice thread

Same here.

Soft and Wet and like someone said before, at that time I had no idea what the lyrics meant. Who remembers him on American Band Stand?

since 1978 but i will never buy another record-dvd. marilyn manson has more respect toward people. his fans are not the only ones he treats like shit. and yes i can back it up with dates and names

I liked some of his musc before 1983 but I must admit I didn't fall completely till 'when doves cry' and Purple rain.

Since Soft and Wet and the Right On! magazine interviews. I was a mature 4th grader. I thought Prince was cool for eating Bubble Yum.

Oh yeah, and I thought it was cool that Prince offered to buy Cynthia Horner a dress or a banana at the farmer's market where she interviewed him. I can't believe I have that random ish floating around in my head after all these years.

Pathetic.
[Edited 1/7/09 18:37pm]

Well I was born in Feb of 1984, so I missed everything before and after PR. I started listening to Prince in '96, tho. I worked myself back through all his stuff.

1983

Barely.

I liked 1999. But it was Purple Rain that started an obsessive 10 year fascination with Prince.