The United Kingdom is 243,610 square kilometers or 94,060 square miles

That’s about 57% the size of 'California'.

There is a long history of musicians, especially balck ones, being more embraced in western Europe than the US, especially supporting tours of people who no longer were having hitsl In addition to prince, other examples were Nina Simone and TinaTurner (before her US comeback with What's Love Got to Do With It), I once read an atricle about this and they named several other prominent black musciains in the past for whom this was true. I am not aware that this has extended to hip hop artists,

I think there are a number of plausible reasons:
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1) Western Europe (particularly the UK) tends to be more secular than the USA; we're not especially right-wing / conservative / religious as a whole - and so our artistic preferences are possibly a bit more 'liberal' - in that sense, the pre-JW Prince could be embraced without too much of a raised eyebrow;
.

2) We're a very small country - with a very eclectic population - London in particular can be seen as a cultural melting pot, with people from all over the world widely represented. It was inevitable that Prince's 'chameleon-esque' self would appeal to various factions of the country;
.

3) The UK loves its freaks and weirdos (my ex-boyf is an American and he used to comment on how the Brits have this facade of a stiff-upper-lip but are actually the most freakish and naughty behind closed doors, lol). When the USA dismissed Prince (in the 90s) as being too bizarre with which to bother, a lot of people in the UK just accepted his behaviour as par for the course for someone of an artistic temperament!
.

4) Prince was just part of a continuing movement in the UK which comprised all manner of androgynous / gender-fluid / ethnically, and musically, diverse artistes;
.

5) Our tabloid newspapers - I do recall them LOVING to report on P's shenanigans with the name change, the symbol 'thing', his fight with WB - it was all juicy fodder to sell more papers. And the more papers he sold, the more fascinated a lot of people became - hence his retaining popularity here when it might have been dissipating elsewhere.
.

6) The Brits love an underdog - I think, in America, the culture is much more success-orientated (by all means, please do correct me if I'm wrong). In America, everyone loves a winner (and after his fall-out with WB and decision to basically shun the commercially successful formula used by the record industry, P 'stopped' being a winner and was seen as a nutcase / failure instead).

In the UK, our national tendency is to support the 'outsider', the sorry loser...Perversely, had Prince started being a 'big star' again, his popularity might have declined somewhat - because we (and our tabloids) love to disparage those we perceive as getting too big for their boots!
.

Just a few thoughts on the topic - I know they're a bit long-winded but it IS a fascinating subject (to me, anyway)!

.

[Edited 10/27/16 3:58am]

NinaB said:

Me

And me!

Dibblekins said:

I think there are a number of plausible reasons:
.

1) Western Europe (particularly the UK) tends to be more secular than the USA; we're not especially right-wing / conservative / religious as a whole - and so our artistic preferences are possibly a bit more 'liberal' - in that sense, the pre-JW Prince could be embraced without too much of a raised eyebrow;
.

2) We're a very small country - with a very eclectic population - London in particular can be seen as a cultural melting pot, with people from all over the world widely represented. It was inevitable that Prince's 'chameleon-esque' self would appeal to various factions of the country;
.

3) The UK loves its freaks and weirdos (my ex-boyf is an American and he used to comment on how the Brits have this facade of a stiff-upper-lip but are actually the most freakish and naughty behind closed doors, lol). When the USA dismissed Prince (in the 90s) as being too bizarre with which to bother, a lot of people in the UK just accepted his behaviour as par for the course for someone of an artistic temperament!
.

4) Prince was just part of a continuing movement in the UK which comprised all manner of androgynous / gender-fluid / ethnically, and musically, diverse artistes;
.

5) Our tabloid newspapers - I do recall them LOVING to report on P's shenanigans with the name change, the symbol 'thing', his fight with WB - it was all juicy fodder to sell more papers. And the more papers he sold, the more fascinated a lot of people became - hence his retaining popularity here when it might have been dissipating elsewhere.
.

6) The Brits love an underdog - I think, in America, the culture is much more success-orientated (by all means, please do correct me if I'm wrong). In America, everyone loves a winner (and after his fall-out with WB and decision to basically shun the commercially successful formula used by the record industry, P 'stopped' being a winner and was seen as a nutcase / failure instead).

In the UK, our national tendency is to support the 'outsider', the sorry loser...Perversely, had Prince started being a 'big star' again, his popularity might have declined somewhat - because we (and our tabloids) love to disparage those we perceive as getting too big for their boots!
.

Just a few thoughts on the topic - I know they're a bit long-winded but it IS a fascinating subject (to me, anyway)!

.

[Edited 10/27/16 3:58am]

Interesting points Dibbleskin, ultimately, I think Prince didn't really care whether he was a winner or not, he seemed focused on spending time on stage and delivering good live music to the fans, and enjoyed playing for them, which he did extensively in the UK, and the UK public was very grateful for it. Also it is possible that one of his first experiences of a big audience might have left a bad taste in his mouth (I'm thinking with the Rolling Stones in 1981) and perhaps made him apprehensive, if only a little, about US audiences for the rest of his career. He did say in a very early interview in Holland that everything felt different in Europe, and that he was more at ease there... Interview on here

CherryMoon57 said:

Dibblekins said:

I think there are a number of plausible reasons:
.

1) Western Europe (particularly the UK) tends to be more secular than the USA; we're not especially right-wing / conservative / religious as a whole - and so our artistic preferences are possibly a bit more 'liberal' - in that sense, the pre-JW Prince could be embraced without too much of a raised eyebrow;
.

2) We're a very small country - with a very eclectic population - London in particular can be seen as a cultural melting pot, with people from all over the world widely represented. It was inevitable that Prince's 'chameleon-esque' self would appeal to various factions of the country;
.

3) The UK loves its freaks and weirdos (my ex-boyf is an American and he used to comment on how the Brits have this facade of a stiff-upper-lip but are actually the most freakish and naughty behind closed doors, lol). When the USA dismissed Prince (in the 90s) as being too bizarre with which to bother, a lot of people in the UK just accepted his behaviour as par for the course for someone of an artistic temperament!
.

4) Prince was just part of a continuing movement in the UK which comprised all manner of androgynous / gender-fluid / ethnically, and musically, diverse artistes;
.

5) Our tabloid newspapers - I do recall them LOVING to report on P's shenanigans with the name change, the symbol 'thing', his fight with WB - it was all juicy fodder to sell more papers. And the more papers he sold, the more fascinated a lot of people became - hence his retaining popularity here when it might have been dissipating elsewhere.
.

6) The Brits love an underdog - I think, in America, the culture is much more success-orientated (by all means, please do correct me if I'm wrong). In America, everyone loves a winner (and after his fall-out with WB and decision to basically shun the commercially successful formula used by the record industry, P 'stopped' being a winner and was seen as a nutcase / failure instead).

In the UK, our national tendency is to support the 'outsider', the sorry loser...Perversely, had Prince started being a 'big star' again, his popularity might have declined somewhat - because we (and our tabloids) love to disparage those we perceive as getting too big for their boots!
.

Just a few thoughts on the topic - I know they're a bit long-winded but it IS a fascinating subject (to me, anyway)!

.

[Edited 10/27/16 3:58am]

Interesting points Dibbleskin, ultimately, I think Prince didn't really care whether he was a winner or not, he seemed focused on spending time on stage and delivering good live music to the fans, and enjoyed playing for them, which he did extensively in the UK, and the UK public was very grateful for it. Also it is possible that one of his first experiences of a big audience might have left a bad taste in his mouth (I'm thinking with the Rolling Stones in 1981) and perhaps made him apprehensive, if only a little, about US audiences for the rest of his career. He did say in a very early interview in Holland that everything felt different in Europe, and that he was more at ease there... Interview on here

.

I agree with you in many ways - I think he cared more about owning his material, having integrity, and being successful on his own terms than towing the party (record company) line and being more 'popular' (a commercial 'winner') as a result.
.

However, I think he cared very much about winning his personal battle for freedom / ownership of his masters. So, in that sense - he was determined, ferocious, and unbending in his desire to 'win' - it's just that he chose a different battle to many other musicians - and I guess not everybody appreciated that, preferring to think of him as a weirdo, a nutcase, a loser, a has-been instead.
.

I also think that the UK tends to have a fondness for weirdos, nutcases, losers, and has-beens! There have been so many that we've supported and celebrated over the years, if you think about it (in sports as much as anything else)!
.

Edit: I've never been called DibbleSKIN before, lmao!!! That's a new one - I rather like it!!

[Edited 10/27/16 5:15am]

Dibblekins said:

CherryMoon57 said:

Interesting points Dibbleskin, ultimately, I think Prince didn't really care whether he was a winner or not, he seemed focused on spending time on stage and delivering good live music to the fans, and enjoyed playing for them, which he did extensively in the UK, and the UK public was very grateful for it. Also it is possible that one of his first experiences of a big audience might have left a bad taste in his mouth (I'm thinking with the Rolling Stones in 1981) and perhaps made him apprehensive, if only a little, about US audiences for the rest of his career. He did say in a very early interview in Holland that everything felt different in Europe, and that he was more at ease there... Interview on here

.

I agree with you in many ways - I think he cared more about owning his material, having integrity, and being successful on his own terms than towing the party (record company) line and being more 'popular' (a commercial 'winner') as a result.
.

However, I think he cared very much about winning his personal battle for freedom / ownership of his masters. So, in that sense - he was determined, ferocious, and unbending in his desire to 'win' - it's just that he chose a different battle to many other musicians - and I guess not everybody appreciated that, preferring to think of him as a weirdo, a nutcase, a loser, a has-been instead.
.

I also think that the UK tends to have a fondness for weirdos, nutcases, losers, and has-beens! There have been so many that we've supported and celebrated over the years, if you think about it (in sports as much as anything else)!
.

Edit: I've never been called DibbleSKIN before, lmao!!! That's a new one - I rather like it!!

[Edited 10/27/16 5:15am]

Ooops, sorry Dibblekins, that was totally unintentional on my part, I blame my keyboard which needs fixing urgently!

CherryMoon57 said:

MD431Madcat said:

The United Kingdom is 243,610 square kilometers or 94,060 square miles

That’s about 57% the size of 'California'.

And your point is?

I think it's fair to say that the dominant musical styles in the '90s US migrated away from what Prince was doing -- especially with the rise of hip hop and perhaps country.

IsufferfromMPS said:

Because other countries weren't totally taken over by rap and grunge music.

We love him in the UK and we also appreciated his post 80's music. Only thing that gets me down is he only had one number 1. Blame those with no music taste just look at the number 1's in the Uk since the 80's

Bryan Adams number 1 for 26 weeks for the song (Everything i do) I do it for You.

Guitarhero said:

We love him in the UK and we also appreciated his post 80's music. Only thing that gets me down is he only had one number 1. Blame those with no music taste just look at the number 1's in the Uk since the 80's

Bryan Adams number 1 for 26 weeks for the song (Everything i do) I do it for You.

.

I feel the same, but this has often been the case with a lot of other great artists, musicians and others, who - probably being ahead of their time - don't necessarily fit the majority's expectations or get the widest recognition during their lifetime but whose work grows steadily posthumously.

.

Having said that, charts classments are also based on sales and that also relies on the frequency of singles releases, and marketing methods.

[Edited 10/27/16 8:47am]

MD431Madcat said:

Dibblekins said:

6) The Brits love an underdog - I think, in America, the culture is much more success-orientated (by all means, please do correct me if I'm wrong). In America, everyone loves a winner (and after his fall-out with WB and decision to basically shun the commercially successful formula used by the record industry, P 'stopped' being a winner and was seen as a nutcase / failure instead).

This.

I also think that 99.9% of Americans lack an intullectual apreciation of music.

bluegangsta said:

BillieBalloon said:

MD431Madcat said:

The United Kingdom is 243,610 square kilometers or 94,060 square miles

That’s about 57% the size of 'California'.

What's your point?

I think the point is that he doesn't understand the difference between size and population.

jayseajay said:

PR3121 said:

CherryMoon57 said:

NinaB said:

Me

And me!

Me too

thedoorkeeper said:

And how many #1 singles did he have in the UK? Most have been many many #1 hits since the UK love for Prince is boundless. So how many?

Already answered above. Having one number has nothing to with the UK loving Prince and vice versa.

[Edited 10/27/16 8:40am]

Some good points made. I will agree with these: We like underdogs, eccentrics, mavericks etc. Quite a few US black artists have found a large and loyal audience in the UK and Europe, often better than back home.

.

I think Prince also toured here a lot which helped and liked the reception he got here.

BillieBalloon said:

Nice analysis Dibblekins. Just want to make a point about your comment about various factions. I think his appeal was more general to the UK population and not as niche as you state. His audience was and still is very diverse. Judging by his audience at various shows, the crowd was mixed across races and genders. I feel that he didn't appeal to "groups" of people but more to the general public as a whole. There never seemed to be any division amongst the audience. London is a melting pot and naturally the audience would be more diverse there but that demographic was also representative of the country as a whole, i.e no boundaries, all ages, races and genders. A side note: Audiences had no qualms with his lyrics (the sexual ones) and would sing them back to him. I think he felt they were comfortable with this. Eccentric behaviour is embraced and people are not as shocked by it in U.K. The press would report his outlandish behaviour but the public have always understood odd characters and have an affection for them. He had an affection for London, his second home. and said it was a wonderful city in an interview. He choose London for his 21 night residency because he said it was where he had played some of his favourite shows. London has a long and interesting history with rockstars, Jimi Hendrix was more popular in London/UK than he was in his native country at least in the beginning. [Edited 10/27/16 5:52am]

Forgive me - that's what I was trying to say (albeit not very well)!

I totally agree with all you're saying, BB!