At 15 I was totally in love with Prince. Had his posters all over the walls, a scrap book filles with articles and pics, and so on. My mum used to say she didn't find him attractive at all, even though she really liked and respected him as a musician, and could not see what the fuss was all about.
So fastforward to ten years later, the 90s, and I manage to convince my mother to go see Prince with me at the Radio City Music Hall. A last minute thing, really. We bought the tickets at the doors from some guy on the streets and took our seats on the second row. Yes, second row. In hindsight, that must have been a lousy turn up audience wise, but I didn't even pay attention to that at the time. So we watched the whole show, Radio City Music Hall, second row. Prince did Scandalous close to the end, all dressed in a yellow silk suit, high heels, chest out, the lot. He got down on his knees and really screamed his heart out singing it. My mum could not take her eyes off him. Afterwards she could not stop talking about how sexy he was. For days!
Just a cute story I thought I'd share.

MakeUpIsFabulous said:

rob1965 said:

Nice topic! My mother liked Prince, my dad didn't. I got to know Prince through my sister who bought his self titled album and Dirty Mind the moment they were released. I started following with Controversy (the rhythm guitar was what got to me right away). Anyway, I remember watching TV one night with my family and the video clip of Purple Rain was shown during this music television show for the first time. It wasn't a hit yet, and my mother said: "We'll be hearing from this guy a lot more. He will be big! Remember what I just said". So... I just did

That's beautiful, made me cry <3

BlackandRising said:

cindyt said:

my very first memory of prince was him getting out of that bathtub and everyone in my house and there were other people there besides my family immediately said ewwwwww. i didn't like prince at all on that early material. never listened to him till he died.

LOL may crazy (RIP) mom said "you can see he has on shorts" and i looked and said "Dang mom you sure were looking close...."

My mom couldn't really give her 100% approval due to some of his more explicit stuff. Although, one day she came home from work, and said she was humming the melody of a Prince song all day, and when she finally realized what song it was, she was so embarrassed - Jack U Off.

She took me to Lovesexy at age 12, and I remember her sitting most of the time, with a patient look on her face. I don't think he was really her thing, but she knew how I much I loved him, and was supportive.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

My mom couldn't really give her 100% approval due to some of his more explicit stuff. Although, one day she came home from work, and said she was humming the melody of a Prince song all day, and when she finally realized what song it was, she was so embarrassed - Jack U Off.

Ha, that reminds me - I had a girlfriend back in the day who was playing Dirty Mind at home one day and her mom started dancing and singing along to 'Head'... she thought it was called 'Hey'.

eyewishuheaven said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

My mom couldn't really give her 100% approval due to some of his more explicit stuff. Although, one day she came home from work, and said she was humming the melody of a Prince song all day, and when she finally realized what song it was, she was so embarrassed - Jack U Off.

Ha, that reminds me - I had a girlfriend back in the day who was playing Dirty Mind at home one day and her mom started dancing and singing along to 'Head'... she thought it was called 'Hey'.

That was probably best.

eyewishuheaven said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

My mom couldn't really give her 100% approval due to some of his more explicit stuff. Although, one day she came home from work, and said she was humming the melody of a Prince song all day, and when she finally realized what song it was, she was so embarrassed - Jack U Off.

Ha, that reminds me - I had a girlfriend back in the day who was playing Dirty Mind at home one day and her mom started dancing and singing along to 'Head'... she thought it was called 'Hey'.

My mom doesn't really speak English. I used to play "If I Was Girlfriend" on the keyboards and sing over what I was playing in my room alone. I'd sometimes hear her singing in some sort of gibberish resembling English along to what I was singing in the other room.

I was always like, "oh, if you only knew what this song is about".

BobGeorge909 said:

First time poster, long time lurker. I have to say this board has been of more comfort to me since he passed, than if i would have gone to a therapist. Thanks!

My father is a Russian Orthodox christian priest (now 92)....there were 5 priests in his family. He also had a major in music so he could appreciate music of all types. I played him P songs sometimes, although there was a limited choice that was okay to share.

It was due to Prince, that I embraced my spirituality ("Our Father" in Controversy, changed my life). Being a daughter of a beloved and well respected priest put a lot of pressure on me, so like any self respecting PK i acted out. Of course at that time, my dad thought it had to do with listening to too much Prince, but little did he know that Prince brought me closer to God.

Finally, the last straw came for him when our jr high volleyball coach found out we went to a Prince concert. From everything she heard of him, she punished us. Made us run 150 laps around the gym!!. Two others, plus myself went to the ER for exhaustion!

It was worth every minute of it!

P.S. That coach was fired

My parents never tried to control what we listened to. I ended up taking my dad with me to see Purple Rain.

My parents were NOT Prince fans. If anything, my mother was an MJ fan. I wasn't allowed to watch MtV and my aunt considered it a great favor to allow my older cousin to watch Yo! MtV Raps. I somehow managed to watch music videos (Prince, Sade, MJ) before they caught on and changed the channel. My parents argued over whether I was allowed to listen to the local top 40 station (which already decided as a rule not to play rap music) because my dad objected to the "sex content". Occasionally my dad would forget to listen to the lyrics of something and then be utterly surprised when I listened to stuff and then he'd destroy tapes because they "sent a bad message". (He did this to "My Prerogative.") Then he'd forget and take us all to a concert with the same performers he objected to. Confused me utterly. When Prince died, my mother said he was "overcompensating for something." If my parents ever listened to lyrics, I would have been isolated in a silent room until I was 40. I still don't know how I managed to watch that 1991 VMA performance without them noticing.

SFA's parents were progressive and they liked Prince. My mom, in particular, liked him and seen him in concert. My father was not into music but felt bad for him when he died.

Just like OF4$ parents my parents were fine with what I wanted to do, no music was off limits. Though they didn't like it when I would bring hardcore porn home or satanic music. They would have discussions about satanism if I was listening to satanic music or discussion about sex if I listened to sexual music or watched porn but my father would just give me advice to only have anal and oral sex as he was worried I would get someone prego at a young age.

Most folks and friends thought it was odd. I was a generic white kid living in Arkansas....and obsessed with Prince. There was a stretch of about 3-4 years in the early 90s that I didnt really listen to anything else. With each album and "new" bootleg, the catalog kept growing.....and so did my level of Prince listening. As odd as it might have been to some, I dont know anyone that got more out of listening to music than I did and still do, and that is mostly because of Prince. I am forever grateful for what Prince and his music has brought to my life.

MakeUpIsFabulous said:

wonderboy said:

My mom was fine with me listening to Prince, even the dirty sexy lyrics -- she was of the school of thought that it is bettr to educate and explain than to try to protect from in the intance of music, art, and literature. She was pretty strict otherwise, tho. I think she would have horrified poor Prince, though, because I don't think he would have been happy to hear my mom let me hear hs dirtier lyrics under the age of 13. (But then, Prince never had kids, so he prooobably wouldn't know how difficult it is to keep kids out of things they really want to get into. )

She isn't a fan herself -- as she likes jazz more than anything -- but she did always say she thought he was very talented. She is also like, "I'm really glad he fought to get his masters back; he deserved to get them!"

She was also pretty sad to hear he'd died, too, and said, "Man, he was a good musician, and he wass too young!"

I still remember being able to watch Purple Rain with absolutely no hovering from her, and how she rolled her eyes over the parental advisory stickers on his stuff. "Please,"She would say,"You will hear way, WAY worse than what he sings about. Buy all his cds, I don't care." And I would, even though I wass pretty clearly underage. I don't even know how I managed to do that, without a parent present in those stores. lol. I dunno, maybe they weren't supposed to ask for id or whatever, that I know of.

Funny story....

Its 1983...Its Summer probably september. Seaside Oregon at the Beach. My mom and I on vacation. We come out to lay in the sun on the sand. I lay down a blanket we brought and I brought my new small ghettoblaster radio to play my 1999 cassette and then later Thriller. I am wearing my new purple bikini and my purple devo style punk sunglasses. So we lay there enjoy the sunshine and hoping to get a tan. First comes on 1999, then Little Red Corvette, Then Delirious, Then oh no....."Let's Pretend We're Married" I'm only 14....I dont know or really care what he is saying on this song. I just had not really thought about it all at the time. I Just loved the MUSIC. THen it gets to the mo all nite part. I laying there thinking oh shit. I forgot about that part. Then comes on DMSR and it guess crazier. My mom says nothing for a few minutes. Then......So u know what he is talking about there right Michelle?....I say yeah....She just smiled and kinda laughed. I guess she was ok with it cause I got the feeling she was relieved. SHE WAS A GREAT MOM! She liked Elvis so she was hip to it all. I miss u Mom. I have No Mom now, No King, and now No Prince! My Rocks are Gone! What do I do now?

Oh the Blessings of being a Prince Fan. He did all the teaching for our parents.

[Edited 6/9/16 13:41pm]

[Edited 6/9/16 13:43pm]

[Edited 6/9/16 13:45pm]

[Edited 6/9/16 13:45pm]

[Edited 6/9/16 13:47pm]

[Edited 6/9/16 13:47pm]

BobGeorge909 said:

BlackandRising said:

I remember, being too young to understand, what "head" was. I was singing it one day at the dinner table, very innocently in my mind, and I distinctly remember my father getting up from the head of the table, calmly walking over to me, and slapping the shit out of me. I was confused as fuck. That night he explained why he did it, but still not getting the whole sexual innuendo thing, I was like, damn. My father hated that I bought his albums and thought Prince was a freak. He didn't admit to his obvious musicinship until Diamonds and Pearls came out. Then they liked him.

Man...It sux ass u had to endure some bullshit like that. NOT cool...at ALL.

that's how our parents did things back in the day. You step out of line, and their reaction left no question as to the fact that you fucked up. And doing that at the dinner table was an extraordinary offense; punishment was swift and was often bereft of words; just something to immediately let you know that you crossed a line.

My dad was strict. A testament to that is the fact that many of my childhood friends with parents that didnt' give a damn, let them run wild, do what they wanted, etc....some are dead, some are in jail, some are alcoholics/addicts.

My brother characterized Prince's songs as "squeaking and beeping".

BlackandRising said:

I remember, being too young to understand, what "head" was. I was singing it one day at the dinner table, very innocently in my mind, and I distinctly remember my father getting up from the head of the table, calmly walking over to me, and slapping the shit out of me. I was confused as fuck. That night he explained why he did it, but still not getting the whole sexual innuendo thing, I was like, damn. My father hated that I bought his albums and thought Prince was a freak. He didn't admit to his obvious musicinship until Diamonds and Pearls came out. Then they liked him.

This is why I always listen to the lyrics --- it's for the [nonexistent] kids.

Also, this is what headphones and that whole Rockabye Baby series is for.