FlyOnTheWall said:

IamBryan said:

That is very lopsided album, hard to imagine that was recorded in the D&P time, there was no way that album was going to be a successful... the singles released for it with the exception of "7" (which should of been the 1st single released instead Sexy MF) ... he should of listed to WB on that one suggestion. Every single after that was just dreadful... My name is Prince is about as enjoyable as passing a kidney stone...Morning Papers? ummm...yeah. Damn U was a perfect fit for R&B charts. Tony M contributions were heavy on this album...i wish there was away to edit him out like they did Rosie.

In the early 90s before You Tube, internet, I Tunes...you had radio and MTV... If those songs sucked...no one was running out to buy that album... was DOA...

[Edited 7/17/16 13:42pm]

He won THREE Grammys after that album, so it's hard to make the case that it "KILLED Prince's career commercially!"

FlyOnTheWall,

You have a point, but how many successful singles did he have after the Symbol album? The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and ...? He may have won Grammys, but he failed to have much success with new material on radio after 1994. Also, popularity is not the most important criterion for most of the Grammy awards. Billboard tends to be more of a "popularity contest" whereas the Grammys are more about the artistry (as they should be).

--

Also, I totally understand and respect Prince's position about not wanting any of his material on YouTube. However, the downside of him having nothing on YouTube (until after his death) is that I believe younger fans had a hard time accessing his music. So prior to his death, he was not reaching a lot of teenagers and 20-something fans. However, other older artists are reaching these fans. For example, 4 years ago, I was working at a summer program with elementary-school age kids and these kids had exposure to Michael Jackson's music because of the Wii game Michael Jackson: The Experience. (I'm sure many of them also had exposure to MJ's music in other ways as well.) Also, the game Guitar Hero has introduced younger people (including myself) to rock music that is "before their time."

--

Outside of the Super Bowl and some award show appearances, Prince really did not have a consistent presence in the music world to the GENERAL PUBLIC for the last 15 to 20 years in terms of radio, TV, and YouTube among others. Michael Jackson had Invincible and his 30th anniversary concert in 2001. His videos are on YouTube (although I don't know how many were there before he died.) Madonna had Ray of Light in the late 1990s and Music in 2001 -- both of which were very commercially successful and garnered a lot of airply on radio and TV. She also had the hit song with Justin Timberlake in 2008 or so. Janet Jackson has not had any big radio hits on Top 40 since the All For You album, although she has received some airplay on R&B stations. However, Janet has been in some movies and also had the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl. She also has been in the public eye because of MJ, especially after his death.

--

I also think that what helps some of the other superstar entertainers stay in the public eye, for better or for worse, is the fact that they have children. Having children makes celebrities more newsworthy.

--

I could ramble and ramble, but having been in high school and college in the 2000s, and having paid pretty close attention to the pop culture of the 2000s, Prince was a pretty irrelevant superstar for teens and 20 somethings in the 2000s. He had some moments here and there, and we all knew who he was, but very few people my age were talking about Prince's new album/song/video in the 2000s. He just wasn't that relevant.

206Michelle said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

He won THREE Grammys after that album, so it's hard to make the case that it "KILLED Prince's career commercially!"

FlyOnTheWall,

You have a point, but how many successful singles did he have after the Symbol album? The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and ...? He may have won Grammys, but he failed to have much success with new material on radio after 1994. Also, popularity is not the most important criterion for most of the Grammy awards. Billboard tends to be more of a "popularity contest" whereas the Grammys are more about the artistry (as they should be).

--

Also, I totally understand and respect Prince's position about not wanting any of his material on YouTube. However, the downside of him having nothing on YouTube (until after his death) is that I believe younger fans had a hard time accessing his music. So prior to his death, he was not reaching a lot of teenagers and 20-something fans. However, other older artists are reaching these fans. For example, 4 years ago, I was working at a summer program with elementary-school age kids and these kids had exposure to Michael Jackson's music because of the Wii game Michael Jackson: The Experience. (I'm sure many of them also had exposure to MJ's music in other ways as well.) Also, the game Guitar Hero has introduced younger people (including myself) to rock music that is "before their time."

--

Outside of the Super Bowl and some award show appearances, Prince really did not have a consistent presence in the music world to the GENERAL PUBLIC for the last 15 to 20 years in terms of radio, TV, and YouTube among others. Michael Jackson had Invincible and his 30th anniversary concert in 2001. His videos are on YouTube (although I don't know how many were there before he died.) Madonna had Ray of Light in the late 1990s and Music in 2001 -- both of which were very commercially successful and garnered a lot of airply on radio and TV. She also had the hit song with Justin Timberlake in 2008 or so. Janet Jackson has not had any big radio hits on Top 40 since the All For You album, although she has received some airplay on R&B stations. However, Janet has been in some movies and also had the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl. She also has been in the public eye because of MJ, especially after his death.

--

I also think that what helps some of the other superstar entertainers stay in the public eye, for better or for worse, is the fact that they have children. Having children makes celebrities more newsworthy.

--

I could ramble and ramble, but having been in high school and college in the 2000s, and having paid pretty close attention to the pop culture of the 2000s, Prince was a pretty irrelevant superstar for teens and 20 somethings in the 2000s. He had some moments here and there, and we all knew who he was, but very few people my age were talking about Prince's new album/song/video in the 2000s. He just wasn't that relevant.

Thank you. It's hard telling people here that he hasn't been relevant in decades. I think the only times my family would talk to me about Prince in the last 20 years were after the Superbowl and the RR Hall of Fame guitar solo. But it made me respect him more. I think that right about the time he did Letterman (Slave on his face) is when the public just lost interest. But it just made me more of a fan.

"7" in the USA was a huge hit. Prince being transferred by WB as an R&B artist lowered his status at the label giving him less play on pop stations and less promotion. (Starting with this album.)

feeluupp said:

rogifan said:

feeluupp said: Batman is pretty high up though.

The biggest sellers after his death were:

THE VERY BEST OF PRINCE

PURPLE RAIN

THE HITS/THE B-SIDES

ULTIMATE PRINCE

1999

TVBOFP sold 1 million copies alone in the U.S.

[Edited 7/19/16 12:37pm]

Wrong.

Since his death, TVBOP sold 560.000 ex in the US, 400.000 more outside the US.

ksgemini63 said:

It was the r and b focus that killed his career. The Revolution sort of had a cross section of lifestyles and genders but made more commercial music. I sold everything after Sign because there are some great songs here and there but most of it just didn't have that same vibe with some great exceptions like 7. Sexy mf is a good example of why he stopped charting big

You americans are really self-focused...SEXY MF was a hit outside the US, reaching #2 in UK, and was one of its biggest hits ever in France.

.

While 7 was a flop outside the US....

.

Besides PURPLE RAIN, Prince's sales were usually low. Even PURPLE RAIN sold only 6 millions outside the US in 30 years...not a great achievement.

.

So LOVESYMBOL's sales are no big surpise at all. Of course, he deserved better sales.

206Michelle said:

FlyOnTheWall said:

He won THREE Grammys after that album, so it's hard to make the case that it "KILLED Prince's career commercially!"

FlyOnTheWall,

You have a point, but how many successful singles did he have after the Symbol album? The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and ...? He may have won Grammys, but he failed to have much success with new material on radio after 1994. Also, popularity is not the most important criterion for most of the Grammy awards. Billboard tends to be more of a "popularity contest" whereas the Grammys are more about the artistry (as they should be).

--

Also, I totally understand and respect Prince's position about not wanting any of his material on YouTube. However, the downside of him having nothing on YouTube (until after his death) is that I believe younger fans had a hard time accessing his music. So prior to his death, he was not reaching a lot of teenagers and 20-something fans. However, other older artists are reaching these fans. For example, 4 years ago, I was working at a summer program with elementary-school age kids and these kids had exposure to Michael Jackson's music because of the Wii game Michael Jackson: The Experience. (I'm sure many of them also had exposure to MJ's music in other ways as well.) Also, the game Guitar Hero has introduced younger people (including myself) to rock music that is "before their time."

--

Outside of the Super Bowl and some award show appearances, Prince really did not have a consistent presence in the music world to the GENERAL PUBLIC for the last 15 to 20 years in terms of radio, TV, and YouTube among others. Michael Jackson had Invincible and his 30th anniversary concert in 2001. His videos are on YouTube (although I don't know how many were there before he died.) Madonna had Ray of Light in the late 1990s and Music in 2001 -- both of which were very commercially successful and garnered a lot of airply on radio and TV. She also had the hit song with Justin Timberlake in 2008 or so. Janet Jackson has not had any big radio hits on Top 40 since the All For You album, although she has received some airplay on R&B stations. However, Janet has been in some movies and also had the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl. She also has been in the public eye because of MJ, especially after his death.

--

I also think that what helps some of the other superstar entertainers stay in the public eye, for better or for worse, is the fact that they have children. Having children makes celebrities more newsworthy.

--

I could ramble and ramble, but having been in high school and college in the 2000s, and having paid pretty close attention to the pop culture of the 2000s, Prince was a pretty irrelevant superstar for teens and 20 somethings in the 2000s. He had some moments here and there, and we all knew who he was, but very few people my age were talking about Prince's new album/song/video in the 2000s. He just wasn't that relevant.

Radio promotion cost a lot. Prince reportedly paid 2 millions $ to promote TMBGITW. With the inflation, it makes at least 4 millions $.

Without a big record company, you can't have a hit on the radio, because you have to pay them. As simple as that.

RODSERLING said:

feeluupp said:

The biggest sellers after his death were:

THE VERY BEST OF PRINCE

PURPLE RAIN

THE HITS/THE B-SIDES

ULTIMATE PRINCE

1999

TVBOFP sold 1 million copies alone in the U.S.

[Edited 7/19/16 12:37pm]

Wrong.

Since his death, TVBOP sold 560.000 ex in the US, 400.000 more outside the US.

That's not correct ROD.

Remember in the FIRST TWO WEEKS ALONE, TVBOP sold almost 300,000 copies, in just TWO WEEKS since his death.

RODSERLING said:

ksgemini63 said:

It was the r and b focus that killed his career. The Revolution sort of had a cross section of lifestyles and genders but made more commercial music. I sold everything after Sign because there are some great songs here and there but most of it just didn't have that same vibe with some great exceptions like 7. Sexy mf is a good example of why he stopped charting big

You americans are really self-focused...SEXY MF was a hit outside the US, reaching #2 in UK, and was one of its biggest hits ever in France.

.

While 7 was a flop outside the US....

.

Besides PURPLE RAIN, Prince's sales were usually low. Even PURPLE RAIN sold only 6 millions outside the US in 30 years...not a great achievement.

.

So LOVESYMBOL's sales are no big surpise at all. Of course, he deserved better sales.

PURPLE RAIN SOLD 13 MILLION IN THE U.S. ALONE.

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE SALES SURPASSED 25 MILLION PLUS, SO HE SOLD AT LEAST 11 MILLION WORLD WIDE, IT'S WAY MORE THAN 6 MILLION.

Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, MJ weren't exactly topping the charts regularly after they reached their peaks either. It wasn't just Prince. That's how this industry works, the entertainment industry in general. You're hot for a while then someone else comes along and takes your place.

I think his biggest problem was oversaturation. Prince never gave the gp a chance to anticipate his next album release and tour. I wish he had taken a breather of a few years after PR to build excitement for his next album. Instead, bam, bam, bam, bam...

The singles did fine here, iirc Sexy MF and MNIP were both top 5 in the UK. All the singles were very commercial - yes, even with Sexy MF's lyrics, he was obviously going for the same shock value as Gett Off, just turned up to 11.

.

Continental didn't make it as single though was planned as some point and was commercially viable also, maybe even things like Blue Light, Love 2 The 9s could've also worked as singles.

NouveauDance said:

The singles did fine here, iirc Sexy MF and MNIP were both top 5 in the UK. All the singles were very commercial - yes, even with Sexy MF's lyrics, he was obviously going for the same shock value as Gett Off, just turned up to 11.

.

Continental didn't make it as single though was planned as some point and was commercially viable also, maybe even things like Blue Light, Love 2 The 9s could've also worked as singles.

There was at least 10 potential hit singles from this album. He could have promoted it for two years. Too complex for the large audience I guess

NouveauDance said:

The singles did fine here, iirc Sexy MF and MNIP were both top 5 in the UK. All the singles were very commercial - yes, even with Sexy MF's lyrics, he was obviously going for the same shock value as Gett Off, just turned up to 11.

.

Continental didn't make it as single though was planned as some point and was commercially viable also, maybe even things like Blue Light, Love 2 The 9s could've also worked as singles.

Also, the 7 video never seemed to be off the TV.

.

IIRC And God Created Woman was mentioned in the ad on the Sexy MF home video so that may have also been considered as a single.

.

The timing was a bit off as usual - releasing the 3 Chains O' Gold video well after the album

Prince's commercial career (in terms of singles) ended in 1999 with the song 1999.

He was basically an independent artist. With a reputation for being incredibly difficult, and incredibly expensive, given his propensity for changing his mind.

By 2000 reality was all the rage. You had to be real. People could relate to Jay-Z and Eminem. People couldn't relate to Prince. Nobody saw Prince on TV then went out and bought a couture blue tinfoil suit. But everybody wanted the same baseball cap as their favorite rapper.

From 1999 onwards he barely released any singles at all. He made no effort to compete in the pop charts... occasionally he'd shoot a video that seemed to be more than a vanity project... Te Amo, Somewhere Here on Earth... but few people ever saw them.

I have only skimmed through this thread, so this probably isn't a new thought...

but I agree while those weren't the greatest singles for "commercial" success, Prince *IN MY OPINION* began to lose commercial appeal after Lovesexy- most people (in the USA) were like WTF? I feel like as moderate Prince fan during that time (I was a teenager) with Lovesexy you were either a Prince fan living (in some degree) in Prince world, or not. Batman kept him in the public eye because the movie was immensely popular, but Graffiti Bridge was much balleyhooed. D&P brought him back with the singles, but I agree the presence of Tony M was a big "no" and precipitated his image from an innovator to an imitator with his godawful rapping.

So the *commerical* singles for Symbol were like the the finals nail in the coffin to me. I don't know very many non-Prince fans who have the album or even listened to it in its entirety when it came out. The promotion and video order at that time Sexy MF and Seven was just oddly timed.

*JUST MY OPINION*

feeluupp said:

rogifan said:

If you search for Prince in iTunes the album that shows up dead last in the search results is Love Symbol. D&P is second to last. Though both albums have a rating of 4.5/5 stars.

It's funny, after his death when I was keeping track of sales through iTUNES, billboard, and the world chart...

the majority of his 90's albums that were available were quite ignored.

more people bought phase 1 and phase 2 after his death than graffiti bridge, diamonds & pearls, love symbol, and come.

Sign O' The Times and Parade didn't get a lot of love either. I looked at the Billboard charts and the most popular albums of his that were selling were Purple Rain, 1999, and The Very Best of Prince. I went into the FYE in Center City Philadelphia a couple of times within the 3 weeks after his death. The second time I went, I went to buy Sing O' The Times. The store database said that there were 3 copies in stock and employees and I looked everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. What they did have was HNR 1, HNR 2, lots of Purple Rain the album, lots of Purple Rain the movie, lots of 1999, lots of Prince the album, and a few copies of Around the World in a Day. I don't know who was making the decisions about what Prince material to put on the shelves. I could not believe that the store did not have SOTT because SOTT and PR are considered his masterpeices.

muleFunk said:

Another thing here that long time fans might remember was that 7 was the most played song on radio but never made it past 7 on Billboard's chart. I remembered that it was # 1 on other charts but it mysteriously stayed at #7 on Billboard. U Got the Look,Diamonds and Pearls were all monster hits on radio but didn't hit #1 which I found to be interesting. Adore was a monster hit on R&B radio that wasn't released as a single????

Prince was peculiar and hard to deal with but he was no more hard to deal with than other rock divas in music history. A lot of folks on this board forget that. Look at Get On Up for a good example of James Brown's unwillingless to bend. Prince was like the Godfather.

7 was a big hit...it had to be because I remember it from when I was a little girl and my parents listened to mostly NPR at home/in the car. I didn't even realize it was a Prince song until after he died, because it's not one of his hits that is played frequently on R&B radio. But when I heard it on the radio or a radio app I was like, "WOW, I remember this! I had no idea this was Prince!" 7 is a great song!

206Michelle said:

feeluupp said:

It's funny, after his death when I was keeping track of sales through iTUNES, billboard, and the world chart...

the majority of his 90's albums that were available were quite ignored.

more people bought phase 1 and phase 2 after his death than graffiti bridge, diamonds & pearls, love symbol, and come.

Sign O' The Times and Parade didn't get a lot of love either. I looked at the Billboard charts and the most popular albums of his that were selling were Purple Rain, 1999, and The Very Best of Prince. I went into the FYE in Center City Philadelphia a couple of times within the 3 weeks after his death. The second time I went, I went to buy Sing O' The Times. The store database said that there were 3 copies in stock and employees and I looked everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. What they did have was HNR 1, HNR 2, lots of Purple Rain the album, lots of Purple Rain the movie, lots of 1999, lots of Prince the album, and a few copies of Around the World in a Day. I don't know who was making the decisions about what Prince material to put on the shelves. I could not believe that the store did not have SOTT because SOTT and PR are considered his masterpeices.

Really sad that one of the greatest albums of all time SOTT, really got little commercial success in USA.

It barely went Platinum in the U.S. wasn't a big seller at all, but critically was very well received.

3rdeyedude said:

206Michelle said:

FlyOnTheWall,

You have a point, but how many successful singles did he have after the Symbol album? The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and ...? He may have won Grammys, but he failed to have much success with new material on radio after 1994. Also, popularity is not the most important criterion for most of the Grammy awards. Billboard tends to be more of a "popularity contest" whereas the Grammys are more about the artistry (as they should be).

--

Also, I totally understand and respect Prince's position about not wanting any of his material on YouTube. However, the downside of him having nothing on YouTube (until after his death) is that I believe younger fans had a hard time accessing his music. So prior to his death, he was not reaching a lot of teenagers and 20-something fans. However, other older artists are reaching these fans. For example, 4 years ago, I was working at a summer program with elementary-school age kids and these kids had exposure to Michael Jackson's music because of the Wii game Michael Jackson: The Experience. (I'm sure many of them also had exposure to MJ's music in other ways as well.) Also, the game Guitar Hero has introduced younger people (including myself) to rock music that is "before their time."

--

Outside of the Super Bowl and some award show appearances, Prince really did not have a consistent presence in the music world to the GENERAL PUBLIC for the last 15 to 20 years in terms of radio, TV, and YouTube among others. Michael Jackson had Invincible and his 30th anniversary concert in 2001. His videos are on YouTube (although I don't know how many were there before he died.) Madonna had Ray of Light in the late 1990s and Music in 2001 -- both of which were very commercially successful and garnered a lot of airply on radio and TV. She also had the hit song with Justin Timberlake in 2008 or so. Janet Jackson has not had any big radio hits on Top 40 since the All For You album, although she has received some airplay on R&B stations. However, Janet has been in some movies and also had the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl. She also has been in the public eye because of MJ, especially after his death.

--

I also think that what helps some of the other superstar entertainers stay in the public eye, for better or for worse, is the fact that they have children. Having children makes celebrities more newsworthy.

--

I could ramble and ramble, but having been in high school and college in the 2000s, and having paid pretty close attention to the pop culture of the 2000s, Prince was a pretty irrelevant superstar for teens and 20 somethings in the 2000s. He had some moments here and there, and we all knew who he was, but very few people my age were talking about Prince's new album/song/video in the 2000s. He just wasn't that relevant.

Thank you. It's hard telling people here that he hasn't been relevant in decades. I think the only times my family would talk to me about Prince in the last 20 years were after the Superbowl and the RR Hall of Fame guitar solo. But it made me respect him more. I think that right about the time he did Letterman (Slave on his face) is when the public just lost interest. But it just made me more of a fan.

And there is nothing wrong with him not having any top 10 singles in the last 20 years. He was putting out music, a lot of really good music, and won 3 Grammys. He was doing what he loved, and he was still very good at it. But he just wasn't as commercially successful as he had been earlier and he wasn't very relevant for the younger generation (teenagers and 20-somethings)--this is an objective statement, not a value judgement. It's not a knock on Prince, it just is what it is. (It also makes sense that he wasn't as commercially successful from the mid 1990s onward because he wasn't a part of a label.)

--

Anyone who says that he was commercially successful or widely relevant during the 2000s is wearing purple-colored glasses, because he wasn't. He had a few great moments, the performance with Beyonce at the Grammys and the Super Bowl halftime show being the most salient. These were GREAT moments, but he was nowhere near his popularity in the 1980s--which is OKAY, the world changes. That Super Bowl performance was amazing, and many consider it to be the greatest of all time. So he was still great, just not as popular...but the most popular artists are typically teens through 30-somethings, not 45 or 50 years old.

RODSERLING said:

206Michelle said:

FlyOnTheWall,

You have a point, but how many successful singles did he have after the Symbol album? The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and ...? He may have won Grammys, but he failed to have much success with new material on radio after 1994. Also, popularity is not the most important criterion for most of the Grammy awards. Billboard tends to be more of a "popularity contest" whereas the Grammys are more about the artistry (as they should be).

--

Also, I totally understand and respect Prince's position about not wanting any of his material on YouTube. However, the downside of him having nothing on YouTube (until after his death) is that I believe younger fans had a hard time accessing his music. So prior to his death, he was not reaching a lot of teenagers and 20-something fans. However, other older artists are reaching these fans. For example, 4 years ago, I was working at a summer program with elementary-school age kids and these kids had exposure to Michael Jackson's music because of the Wii game Michael Jackson: The Experience. (I'm sure many of them also had exposure to MJ's music in other ways as well.) Also, the game Guitar Hero has introduced younger people (including myself) to rock music that is "before their time."

--

Outside of the Super Bowl and some award show appearances, Prince really did not have a consistent presence in the music world to the GENERAL PUBLIC for the last 15 to 20 years in terms of radio, TV, and YouTube among others. Michael Jackson had Invincible and his 30th anniversary concert in 2001. His videos are on YouTube (although I don't know how many were there before he died.) Madonna had Ray of Light in the late 1990s and Music in 2001 -- both of which were very commercially successful and garnered a lot of airply on radio and TV. She also had the hit song with Justin Timberlake in 2008 or so. Janet Jackson has not had any big radio hits on Top 40 since the All For You album, although she has received some airplay on R&B stations. However, Janet has been in some movies and also had the unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl. She also has been in the public eye because of MJ, especially after his death.

--

I also think that what helps some of the other superstar entertainers stay in the public eye, for better or for worse, is the fact that they have children. Having children makes celebrities more newsworthy.

--

I could ramble and ramble, but having been in high school and college in the 2000s, and having paid pretty close attention to the pop culture of the 2000s, Prince was a pretty irrelevant superstar for teens and 20 somethings in the 2000s. He had some moments here and there, and we all knew who he was, but very few people my age were talking about Prince's new album/song/video in the 2000s. He just wasn't that relevant.

Radio promotion cost a lot. Prince reportedly paid 2 millions $ to promote TMBGITW. With the inflation, it makes at least 4 millions $.

Without a big record company, you can't have a hit on the radio, because you have to pay them. As simple as that.

Very interesting, thank you for sharing.

beautifulone7 said:

I have only skimmed through this thread, so this probably isn't a new thought...

but I agree while those weren't the greatest singles for "commercial" success, Prince *IN MY OPINION* began to lose commercial appeal after Lovesexy- most people (in the USA) were like WTF? I feel like as moderate Prince fan during that time (I was a teenager) with Lovesexy you were either a Prince fan living (in some degree) in Prince world, or not. Batman kept him in the public eye because the movie was immensely popular, but Graffiti Bridge was much balleyhooed. D&P brought him back with the singles, but I agree the presence of Tony M was a big "no" and precipitated his image from an innovator to an imitator with his godawful rapping.

So the *commerical* singles for Symbol were like the the finals nail in the coffin to me. I don't know very many non-Prince fans who have the album or even listened to it in its entirety when it came out. The promotion and video order at that time Sexy MF and Seven was just oddly timed.

*JUST MY OPINION*

Thank you for mentioning Lovesexy - a had a close guy friend who hated Prince when Purple Rain came out. Just because of the way he dressed, the makeup, etc. All the things that made me love him even more than I did. He came to work one morning and I had hung the complete Purple Rain poster in his office behind his desk!!!!

When the cover of Lovesexy hit stores, guys I knew hated it!!! Please, someone, help me understand the hair, the pose, the thought process???!! I still worshipped him but I admit to being puzzled. Yes, he was dressed in lace and it was see through but he was still really masculine. That nude cover pose - it still freaks me out. Mostly, the hair!!! (Still better than the elf era hair!)

DollyDagger said:

ksgemini63 said:

I worked in a music store part time in 88 and we had to hide Lovesexy behind the counter. And I even think there was an alternate cover with just his face closeup Parade and Kiss did decently Had he kept the Revolution at 5 people and toured in summer of 86 Parade would have done even better. After that a few hits from sign and other than D & P it was over in us commercially.

You're all confusing two separate issues: how well individual albums/singles did in terms of sales/airplay, and the fact that once he left WBR and challenged how the music industry operates, he was blackballed.

DollyDagger said:

beautifulone7 said:

I have only skimmed through this thread, so this probably isn't a new thought...

but I agree while those weren't the greatest singles for "commercial" success, Prince *IN MY OPINION* began to lose commercial appeal after Lovesexy- most people (in the USA) were like WTF? I feel like as moderate Prince fan during that time (I was a teenager) with Lovesexy you were either a Prince fan living (in some degree) in Prince world, or not. Batman kept him in the public eye because the movie was immensely popular, but Graffiti Bridge was much balleyhooed. D&P brought him back with the singles, but I agree the presence of Tony M was a big "no" and precipitated his image from an innovator to an imitator with his godawful rapping.

So the *commerical* singles for Symbol were like the the finals nail in the coffin to me. I don't know very many non-Prince fans who have the album or even listened to it in its entirety when it came out. The promotion and video order at that time Sexy MF and Seven was just oddly timed.

*JUST MY OPINION*

Thank you for mentioning Lovesexy - a had a close guy friend who hated Prince when Purple Rain came out. Just because of the way he dressed, the makeup, etc. All the things that made me love him even more than I did. He came to work one morning and I had hung the complete Purple Rain poster in his office behind his desk!!!!

When the cover of Lovesexy hit stores, guys I knew hated it!!! Please, someone, help me understand the hair, the pose, the thought process???!! I still worshipped him but I admit to being puzzled. Yes, he was dressed in lace and it was see through but he was still really masculine. That nude cover pose - it still freaks me out. Mostly, the hair!!! (Still better than the elf era hair!)

It was a spiritual rebirth picture. The nudity was like when your born nude. It wasn't sexual nudity. The flower in the back ground was the sexual gesture. As in Prince's music the sacred and the sin is represented on the cover.

beautifulone7 said:

feeluupp said:

LOL Hartford Civic Center 1988 Lovesexy tour , stood near and watched Dr Fink at Al Franklin's Music World ask the owner why the album wasn't on display since they were playing there that night - too young and afraid to say hello

ksgemini63 said:

I worked in a music store part time in 88 and we had to hide Lovesexy behind the counter. And I even think there was an alternate cover with just his face closeup Parade and Kiss did decently Had he kept the Revolution at 5 people and toured in summer of 86 Parade would have done even better. After that a few hits from sign and other than D & P it was over in us commercially. DollyDagger said:

Thank you for mentioning Lovesexy - a had a close guy friend who hated Prince when Purple Rain came out. Just because of the way he dressed, the makeup, etc. All the things that made me love him even more than I did. He came to work one morning and I had hung the complete Purple Rain poster in his office behind his desk!!!!

When the cover of Lovesexy hit stores, guys I knew hated it!!! Please, someone, help me understand the hair, the pose, the thought process???!! I still worshipped him but I admit to being puzzled. Yes, he was dressed in lace and it was see through but he was still really masculine. That nude cover pose - it still freaks me out. Mostly, the hair!!! (Still better than the elf era hair!)

is such a great album.....


Brilliant album I love it all (ok, except the song Blue Light)

And those singles are among the greatest

Sexy MF (classic Prince)
My Name Is Prince (edgy, love this funk jam, those old samples in the intro, the MJ mocking, excellent!)
7 (classic Prince)
The Morning Papers (excellent song)


All 4 videos are amazing some of the best in Prince history, IMO and I'm not joking..!

this album is just amazing....



it seems to some of you.... "it's more hard 2 love than it is 2 hate"..?

SoulAlive said:

"The Morning Papers" is a decent,yet unremarkable song.A much better single choice was "And God Created Woman".

I also think that "The Continental" had alot of hit potential.

The 2nd half of The Continental was bliss. "How Ya Wanna Be Done?"

I also think The Morning Papers and God Created Woman and Damn You were all good.

RodeoSchro said: