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Prince's 30 year embrace of "Purple Rain"--Remarkable. I was discussing Prince with a co-worker who preferred MJ to Prince and stated that she preferred Man in the Mirror to Purple Rain. I couldn't argue with her because Purple's Rain's chorus can become tedious when you hear it at every tribute to him. All I could say was that "Prince is more than Purple Rain". (Of course, I didn't thinkt to tell her that MJ didn't write Man in the Mirror)>
I get tired of Purple Rain at times and can see why some people think it is overrated...that is until I see live clips of it and Prince's beautiful (and sometimes particularly long) guitar solos. The joy and love in him is apparent. He never abandoned the song or dismissed it as mainstream pop. It is endearing and unique to see a musican embrace a populist song of his that is probably both a curse and a blessing on his career.-- all because he is moved by the connection it makes to the audience. Everytime I see these live clips, I fall in love with the song again.
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It might be endearing, but it's not unique. I can list plenty of artists who regularly perform their biggest hits. And let's not forget that Prince wanted to stop playing Purple Rain and the other hits (see the Ultimate Live Experience tour), but it didn't take. | |
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Of course he is not the only musician to play his biggest hit and do so consistently. But what I am saying is that he still really seemed to enjoy doing so. Some artists seemed like they were just going through the paces when playing their biggest hits.
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I absolutely love Purple Rain, it is a beautiful song, as well as Man in the Mirror. I think both songs are endearing, and shows so much of their hearts in these songs. Erin Smith | |
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Prince according to his bandmates enjoyed playing Purple Rain as much as the audienced enjoyed hearing it. This is according to original NPG members. 99.9% of everything I say is strictly for my own entertainment | |
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purplerabbithole said: Of course he is not the only musician to play his biggest hit and do so consistently. But what I am saying is that he still really seemed to enjoy doing so. Some artists seemed like they were just going through the paces when playing their biggest hits.
Again, not all that unique. Watch Bruce play "Born To Run" every night - that's sheer joy. | |
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"  don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r." |
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protest. If he didn't play Prince music, WB had nothing to promote except the new stuff he was playing. And frankly, I enjoyed the Ultimate Live Experience, because I love the mid-90s material so much. Exodus, Gold, Come, C&D. That shit is awesome.
Agree. | |
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I have to say, Purple Rain has never been one of my favorite songs. It is a good song, but I feel he had so many other songs that were far greater. I think he continued to play Purple Rain in live performances because it was the movie and soundtrack that really got his career going, and that is what people remember him most for. Also, I find the song's message to be very conflicting, because in the beginning, he seems to be singing about a lover, but then the songs message changes with the next verse. I'm not sure if this was Prince's doing, or under the direction of WB. .
[Edited 11/25/16 14:23pm] "With love, honor, and respect for every living thing in the universe, separation ceases, and we all become one being, singing one song." - Prince Roger Nelson (1958-2016) | |
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What I love about seeing Prince perform PR is that he does it differently every time...And, yes, the emotion and exhilaration he feels when playing the solo and exhorting the audience to join in is plain to see. I can't help but be moved by it - but then, I think it's a gorgeous song, no matter how often I hear it. | |
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He wouldn't have abandoned it because it's the song he's most well known for. Also, it's a crowd pleaser, when those familiar chords would start up the audience just lapped it up and would sing along. I think his audience expected to hear that song and he always delivered. The song has emotive lyrics and he was always able to invoke emotion from himself and the audience whilst singing it. I don't think Prince went through the motions with that song, if he did, you could never tell. Concert goers are not stupid, we can tell when an artist is being disingenuous. Baby, you're a star.
Meet me in another world, space and joy | |
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. One of my favourite 'Purple Rain' memories is from the Hop Farm Festival concert back in 2011. . Being a festival date the crowd was a mix of fans and casuals. Prince turned in a beautiful version of PR as the sun was dimming. Towards the end of the song the sky filled with purple confetti and a number of people around me were visibly moved by his performance. There were a number of comments of 'I never realised how good he was'. . Having seen P live a number of times over the years it was really nice to experience his showmanship/musicianship, and Purple Rain in particular, through the eyes of people who were seeing him play for the first time. . | |
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. What a beautiful memory! Prince was a class-act and he cared about his performances and what he was putting out there. He was incredible.
"With love, honor, and respect for every living thing in the universe, separation ceases, and we all become one being, singing one song." - Prince Roger Nelson (1958-2016) | |
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