I was thinking about times that Prince was stubborn and should have listend to others. And also when others should have listened to him.
What examples do you have of times when HE was right and They were wrong. And then times They were right and HE was wrong?

Id have to say he was right when he wanted to release the Gold Experience, and WB was wrong in not backing it like they did on his previous projects. I understood their position in not wanting him to saturate the market, but that album would have been a HUGE hit!

He was wrong in not re-negotiating with Warner when his contract expired. Warner was right in wanting him to hold back on his releases. But he burned a very valuable bridge with them.

ronnwinter said:

Why was he wrong and Warner was right? I suppose it depends on what you hold more important - artistic integrity or commercial sense....I know which I would side with

Its very easy to make such judgments with the benefit of much hindsight - its a lot more difficult when faced with those decisions in the moment!

There are lots of examples of each in regard to single choices:

Prince was right about "When Doves Cry" and "Kiss," and fought hard for both of them.

Prince was wrong, however, in fighting for "If I Was Ur Girlfriend" and
"My Name Is Prince" as singles. The public didn't get it and they were both followed by big hits, the ones WB wanted to release in the first place.

More speculative examples: Was Prince wrong to release "Mountains" instead of "Girls & Boys"? We'll never know, but the failure f the movie would likely have killed whatever single was released. "Lovesexy" probably would have done better than "Glam Slam," but we'll never know.

WB might have been wrong to chop "Crystal Ball" down into SOTT, but again, we'll never really know. After UTCM, a triple album might have been perceived as bloated and arrogant and the whole thing might have derailed his career. Or it might be regarded as even more monumental than 'Sign.'