This year marks the 25th anniversary of Purple Rain (1984) and the 20th anniversary of Batman (1989). When I realized that the other day, I was shocked.

Then I started thinking about how I associate every timeframe in my life with a Prince album. Probably because he usually releases one every year . . . anyone else do that?

For example, Batman came out right after I graduated. I'll always link that summer after I graduated with Batman.

SOTT had even more associated with it: first love, first job, driver's license, etc.

Even more recently, it's hard for me to accept that Musicology is approaching 5 years old soon.

DAMN YOU, TIME!

If "Joy in Repetition," affects U...You'll be here in 3121 with a longer thread.

i can kind of roughly map out my life by way of what was going on when a particular new prince album came out.

when ATWIAD came out, my mom bought it the day it came out and we had a "listening party" for it in the dining room, and there was a blurb on the nightly news about the new prince album selling like hotcakes in indianapolis wrecka stows.

when parade came out, we'd just moved really close to the indy 500 and when prince was doing all his black & white stuff, i thought the reason i saw so much black and white in speedway was because prince started a new fad, not because i'd just moved to the home of the damn indy 500.

when SOTT came out, my mom and i bought it on vinyl and went to red lobster to open it and see the lyrics sheet and whatever other goodies that came inside the album.

and so on. some years are more fun/celebratory/memorable than others, but i can pretty much remember what was going on in my world the first time i listened or bought a new prince album.

some fammy behavior just never goes away.

Anxiety said:

That's one hip mama.

WHAAAAT TIME IS IT?

1999 came out in my 7th grade year and my sister's senior year. So all the people in her class was jamming to 1999. In 1983 Prince and MJ battled all summer on the charts with Little Red Corvette and Billie Jean.They would play them back to back on certain stations. My cousins and I would damn near get into fights on who was best MJ or Prince.

The movie that changed my life was Purple Rain which came out in the summer of my 9th grade year. Apolonia's breasts influenced me forever. The album itself set the tone for the rest of the decade.

ATWIAD came out on a day when I was almost blinded by an eye infection. I could not look at the light for 24 hours and my sister bought the album for me.That was the only fun I had for 5 days was listening to music.

Parade came out at the end of my sophmore year. My girlfriend at the time and I used to screw listening to that album.Her mom caught us right in the middle of Life Can B So Nice.

SOTT is the soundtrack to my high school years with Hot Thing being the title track. Many young ladies loved listening to that in my car in one nine eight seven.

Lovesexy is a bittersweet album for me because it came out in the weeks before I graduated from high school. I Wish U Heaven played as I left my schools parking lot for the last time.

Batman is remembered for the greatest year of my life 1989.

Graffiti Bridge was the first date between me and my wife.

Diamonds and Pearls was the album for my favorite college year. My wife and I have fond memories to Gett OFF.

The Symbol Album is remembered because my grandmother died the Friday before the album came out.

The Hits was released around the time I got my first real job after college graduation.

The Black Album was released around the time my grandfather died.

Gold was released the Tuesday before I was married.

The Rainbow Children was released the year my son was born. I remember chatting on the ORG with a Rainbow Child who one night about 3:30 gave us the complete track listing of the CD while I was feeding my son who was about 2 weeks old.

I saw the Musicology LA concert that was shown CCTV the night before my wife's grandmother passed.

The man's music is a soundtrack for my life for real.

I Always relate my Brother to Purple Rain or maybe vice versa because he has this little poster with events that happened in 1984, the year he was born. And it has the top songs of the year, so its got When Doves Cry and Let's Go Crazy. But I also think Ghostbusters, so...

Everyone is talking about PR's 25th anniversary, and talk around my house is my Brother's Birthday.

I sometimes associate the passage of time in my own life with whatever Prince album was out at the time.

More often, though, I associate a specific year with an album. For example, when I see or hear "1988" Lovesexy is the first thing that pops into my mind, and subconsciouly I sort of replace, say, "1981" with "Controversy" in my head.

Consequently, I don't believe the year 1983 ever took place.

I can tell what year it was by looking at Prince's hairstyles. I swear!

I have always associated time with songs I liked

Dayclear said:

Ken u noez tha time 2 by looking hiz hair? hahaha

Dayclear said:

just the way I can tell mj eras by looking at his skin and nose
[Edited 1/24/09 10:10am]