Listened to AOL and PE quite a bit in the last two months of 2014, but the one Prince song I have worn out the most in that time has been..."Purple and Gold". Bit me on 11/11/14 when I wasn't looking and two months later I still got a fever for it. Now, I can't seem to get enough of it.

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The first three times I listened to it back around the time the song was streamed online, I wasn't feeling at all. Just was NOT connecting with me at all. I guess fourth time's a charm. It helped for me to listen to it on an mp3 player with headphones, allowing full concentration, with little in the way of any football associations to attach to it. I realize a lot of fans don't like this song, but there is a really cool song hidden right in plain site in this unassuming Vikings' marching tune. The overall sound and vocal melodies remind me of Grafitti Bridge-era material, although there are a few identifiable instrumental flourishes that place the song squarely in the 20Ten playbook. But you don't have to look too closely to find some classic Prince sensibilities here, especially in the vocal arrangements. Once you hear it, it's undeniable. (And irresistible.)

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"Purple and Gold" is like some weird, wondrous, otherworldly, funk-infused Christmas carol. If George Clinton and Dr. Seuss ever stole away together to some alternate universe and got busy, this song would be their love child.