http://www.npr.org/templa...=105669291


All Things Considered, June 22, 2009 - Today, we're launching a brand-new music series to kick off summer, called You Must Hear This. We've invited musicians from all genres — rock, country, jazz, hip-hop, classical, bluegrass — to share a piece of music that they love, that inspires them, that they listen to again and again. And we've asked them to tell us why.

Jesse Carmichael and Adam Levine are founding members of the group Maroon 5. One thing they share is their love of Prince's Purple Rain.

Carmichael: It's interesting when you discover somebody that was around before your time. I really got into the album Purple Rain after I saw the movie, and it was one of those times when I thought, "How could nobody have told me about this earlier?"

The album starts with "Let's Go Crazy," and when you hear the sound of the organ and his gospel sermon begins, you really get sucked into a whole new world. I think he sums up everything I think about life at the end of that monologue when he says, "In this life you're [on your] own, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy."

Levine: The album Purple Rain is as enigmatic as Prince himself. It's so difficult to break down or articulate why it's so special. It's Hendrix, it's James Brown, it's outer space, it's church, it's sex, it's heavy metal. But at the end of the day, it's just Prince at his absolute best — in my not-so-humble opinion.

Carmichael: The reason Prince is an inspiration to me is that he's obviously writing from the heart, and somehow he's able to take these personal feelings, turn them into poetry and present them in a way that's accessible and weird at the same time.

Levine: What makes it so special is that no one had ever really heard anything quite like it. It's such a fearless record. The music is just completely limitless and unselfconscious about what it is. And that's why I truly, genuinely love it.

Carmichael: Basically, I think of Prince like a god in another realm. It's easier for me to think of him as a character in a movie than a real person. I mean, of all the people who might be aliens or angels or something like that — if we found out that he was not of this Earth, I wouldn't be that surprised.

Levine: And what really puts it over the top is how the music is performed in the film Purple Rain. It's as exciting and eclectic as the music itself. People never would have fully understood what it was unless you could see it unfold in front of you visually. It's truly brilliant, and you must hear it.


You Must Hear This is edited and produced by Ellen Silva and Frannie Kelley. Brendan Banaszak produced the mix for All Things Considered.

Nice

Real nice article showing some appreciation for Prince putting together so much phenomenal music!


His lyrics used along with the music he makes, always remind me that Prince is someone truly gifted.
The way he turns feelings into words and sounds, makes him a Natural Wonder of the World in my world.

You're a little late on the gun.

http://prince.org/msg/7/311885

I have never heard this phrase, did I have an appointment with the gun? Perhaps you are thinking of someone else.

ernestsewell said:

rozilla said:

I so agree with that statement.
As much as he was inspired by other artists, he combined it into an amazing sound all his own, a sound that wasn't around before Prince came along.

And this is also the same reason I hate his 90's music, instead of being unselfconscious, it was derivative of everything you were hearing on the radio just 2 years prior, it was a thitysomething year old man consciously pandering to what he thought teenagers wanted to hear, it was a grown man with a lollipop wanting to play with the kids, it was the complete opposite of why I became a Prince fan.

rozilla said:

http://prince.org/msg/7/311885

if we found out that he was not of this Earth, I wouldn't be that surprised.



sure true....

Cool.

While I think Prince as god, alien or angel is a bit much, I can appreciate how they feel here. And I'm particularly not surprised by Adam Levine's take -- I've always thought that boy has "Prince" written all over him.

This is news?! C'mon.

Maroon 5 makes me want to drive a shrimp fork into my eye.

I don't believe in him being a God...but ... I did like their song This Love....everything else is pretty much on point
[Edited 6/23/09 17:32pm]

squirrelgrease said:

LOL! Now that's funny! I remember reading that these dudes attended some of Prince's house parties. It was shortly after that they came out with their new CD and I remember thinking how they were all cleaned up with a new look. Even their music seemed Prince inspired to some degree. I think these dudes have been P inspired big time. Which is cool. Some of their music I like.

Klick

klick2me said:

Adam Levine has obviously been a Prince fan for a very long time, as have other members of the group. Prince influence, as much as anyone else's, is going to show through at some point in the music.

That is such a nice post..."Maroon 5," is a good band too, I really like what I know of them.

Prince is an Angel.

I thought everybody already knew that.

ernestsewell said:

How sad!

xenon said:

When nonsense is being spewed, I stick with logic. Unlike your fake quote of me. I hope a mod snips it.

And why do you give a fuck anyway?

Not sure really, but probs just cos' I think u're a cock.

Mods feel free to snip, but give ernest a chance to spell check me first.

squirrelgrease said:

for real

I have heard him talk about Prince before. You know it is a sad day in Prince World when this story makes the main page.

Cool!

squirrelgrease said:

They're one of the reasons I use iTunes - for the ability to download only 1 or 2 songs per album.

I like them (not love them), but only in small doses. The last single I downloaded "I Won't Go Home Without You", after many listens, sounds like it's being performed by The Chipmunks.

squirrelgrease said:

oh come on! They are pretty good.

japanrocks said:

not really....Maroon5 are young and popular, so for them to be giving Prince the props they are giving him is not a sad day at all in the prince world.
it may be a slow news day but...that's about it.

Nice comments I like Maroon 5 or to be honest I like Songs about Jane never really kept up with them after that.
Prince world is scraping the news barrel methinks.

I had the pleasure to meet the guys from M5 the night before their first album(songs about Jane)was released. They were doing radio station visits and the program director from a local station brought them into my club. I was very impressed with their sound because it was very fresh at the time and I asked Adam about Prince because I could definitely feel a "vibe" through a lot of their songs. Adam told me that he was a huge P fan and we started comparing notes on the many boot*&^S that we had. I can tell you that the guy had a pretty extensive collection back then and I can only guess it has gotten bigger as he has gotten bigger. The band also does a kick ass cover of Darling Nikki in their live set.

JesseCarmichael said:

While it's nice to see some positive feedback on lil boy, I underline Squirrelgrease' post about Maroon 5, the fork and the eye.

On top of that, they are so full of shit and nonsense statements, it hurts.

I think he sums up everything I think about life at the end of that monologue when he says, "In this life you're [on your] own, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy."

Really?! Is that the profound quote you want on your tombstone? Lol. Are you emotionally that deep?

The album Purple Rain is as enigmatic as Prince himself (...)how the music is performed in the film Purple Rain. It's as exciting and eclectic as the music itself. (...) It's truly brilliant, and you must hear it.

What?! Ok. The music is as enigmatic as Prince. How it is performed is as eclectic as the music. You have to see the performance to fully appreciate it. Then he concludes with you really must HEAR it. So Prince = the music = the performance. You must hear the performance. This guy is talking out of his arse!

Shit, this annoys me more it should!

squirrelgrease said:

I feel the same way ...Technically they are a very good band, I CAN'T STAND THAT KIDS SINGING VOICE..It's very nails on a chalkboard to me.

Sander said:

geesh...they're expressing how this music makes them feel...big deal...doesn't mean they base their life actions on it entirely.
Music never does anything to you? And let's remember this is for an NPR radio show...they are not just gonna say "yeah, it's great, I love it" they gotta talk it up, try to make the listener not only hear but "SEE" what they are saying.
damn...people find ANYTHING to bitch about.