We all know he hails from that great state of Minnesota, and while he doesn't exactly talk like a cast member from Fargo, there are times when that Mid-Western accent creeps in. For instance, in "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man," when he sings "...she was standing by the bar, hmm, she was lookin' alright...," I thought for many years that he was saying "fire" instead of "bar." I think maybe Jordan Knight thought the same thing, because in his cover of the song, he sings "fire" instead of "bar." There have been other instances when the accent creeps in as well. Has anyone else noticed?

i've always thought he has a noticeable LACK of accent (for the most part, anyway), which is something that is very common in a lot of midwesterners.

He's always sounded kinda 'southern' to me.. Old skool company being the most recent example... (I think he puts it on though)

Does Camille have an accent?...

Anxiety said:

Often used as examples for newscasters too.

1sexymf said:

a lot of well known newscasters come from the midwest, yup.

He does have a slight midwestern accent I think, I've just been over to Chicago and noticed quite a few people adding 'uh' at the end of sentences and Prince seems to do that quite a lot in interviews too.
I quite like it though.
[Edited 6/10/09 7:08am]
[Edited 6/10/09 7:09am]

Which accent?

Billmenever said:

Few yrs. back on Jay Leno, Prince said he liked to play practical jokes on the band by calling their room "housekeeping." Where did that one come from?

I remember when he was next to me at the soundcheck and yah he certainly does have an accent.

When mixed with other dialects, it always comes out sounding like an accent. sometimes you can develop your own accent brand.

I don't hear it. And it always sounded like "bar" to me. But then I'm a Minnesotan from the Minneapolis. To me Twin Cities accents are for the most part, colorless. I can hear an Illinois, Wisconsin or out-state Minnesota accent from a mile away, though.






NSFW language, but pretty funny:

He's changed it over the years and butched it up. It's different on Tavis than it is on stage than it is in a concert. It's like even when he talks, he's performing.

squirrelgrease said:

He doesn't sound like any of those people.

He actually sounds very much like my black friend from Toronto. His tone of speech and the pausing.

Maybe I'm just goofy, because he doesn't appear to have an accent to me. And I always thought he was from California until I found out he was from Minnesota.

Well, at least he isn't boring us to death with St. Olaf stories like Rose Nylund.

The way he says MARKS on the table say somewhere in between, in Wall of Berlin and also in Supercute, the way he says FORTY - she arrives in a 747, they always make me laugh!! Maybe thats not accent though?? Just the way he says those words?? I don't know?, I find the American accent really sexy anyway, but Prince's is the ultimate sexy accent / voice, just delicious like the rest of him.

whistle said:

No, I do not...Eh?!!

Eye wonder if Rose Nylund and P are acquainted?

I thought that Prince was singing by the "Fire," until right now...I'm just gonna keep on singing by the fire...I won't worry about it, fire has a nicer ambiance than bar does anyway.