Because he is one of the musical genuises, thats why.
Who do you think we are talking about here?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 4 6:51:42 PST 2004 by CherrieMoonKisses]
[This message was edited Wed Feb 4 6:52:04 PST 2004 by CherrieMoonKisses]
[This message was edited Wed Feb 4 6:53:03 PST 2004 by CherrieMoonKisses]

I actually do consider Prince to be a genius. His creative ability astounds me.. or in the words of Stevie "knocks me off my feet".

Just because i think he's a genius, doesn't mean that he can't be guilty of stupidity etc at times. Most geniuses you read about are greatly troubled individuals.

I definitely don't idolise him.

Sly said:

I can see your point, as I used to feel that way before I discovered my own creative abilities. I guess when you discover that you have some shared abilities or talents, you stop seeing the "stars" as these larger than life characters.

I mean, yes, he made alot of good songs. How does that make him a genius?

It's not that hard to make songs if you have the resources around you, you know...

I just don't get the "idol" thing some of you have with him.

You really freak out when someone says something negative about the man, almost like you're afraid he won't make anymore music after reading these threads.

And I'm sure he does read them. Not everyday, but I bet you he pops in on occasion to keep up with what's being said about him.

the3rddoctor said:

Well you guys are missing the point, everyone says “Well he can play a dozen
Instruments” everyone says that. You have to understand the actual construction of a song. Thinking how the makeup of a song is going to be developed, understanding time signatures, melodies, rhythm patterns, key changes, when and where to insert a bridge in a song. Having the ability to write each instrument part and layering those parts to make the song come to life. The engineering of the song, the production, and of course the theme and lyrics of the song, Prince plays all the instruments but his skill level and abilities is what so impressive. The hours and hours of practice that Prince has put in honing his skills.

Most people don’t think of what is involved in producing, writing, performing a song and all this is being done by one little man. Prince’s melodies and rhytm patterns and arrangements are very complicated and it takes great skill and abilities to do what he can do. That is why people who REALLY understands music and not just what sounds good calls Prince a genious. That is why I admire Prince, the Brutha is brilliant.

Because he is insane

gman1966 said:

the3rddoctor said:

Well you guys are missing the point, everyone says “Well he can play a dozen
Instruments” everyone says that. You have to understand the actual construction of a song. Thinking how the makeup of a song is going to be developed, understanding time signatures, melodies, rhythm patterns, key changes, when and where to insert a bridge in a song. Having the ability to write each instrument part and layering those parts to make the song come to life. The engineering of the song, the production, and of course the theme and lyrics of the song, Prince plays all the instruments but his skill level and abilities is what so impressive. The hours and hours of practice that Prince has put in honing his skills.

Most people don’t think of what is involved in producing, writing, performing a song and all this is being done by one little man. Prince’s melodies and rhytm patterns and arrangements are very complicated and it takes great skill and abilities to do what he can do. That is why people who REALLY understands music and not just what sounds good calls Prince a genious. That is why I admire Prince, the Brutha is brilliant.

gman1966 said:

But he doesn't "write" the music. He doesn't read sheet music, so he can't "write" it. He does what alot of musicians do. He plays around and comes up with something and builds upon it.

With the exception of playing a shitload of instruments, I can do the things he can. And I do it all at home by myself. I do not consider myself to be a musical genius. I just like to make music.

gman1966 said:

But he doesn't "write" the music. He doesn't read sheet music, so he can't "write" it. He does what alot of musicians do. He plays around and comes up with something and builds upon it.

With the exception of playing a shitload of instruments, I can do the things he can. And I do it all at home by myself. I do not consider myself to be a musical genius. I just like to make music.

the3rddoctor said:

You are sooo tripping! You can do it too, huh? I was just reading an old fabulous thread where people posted their favorite lyrics. Even if he never sang a note, never played key, just his writing skills alone could qualify him as a genius.

Check it out:
http://www.prince.org/msg/7/68785

Please, post some of your genius lyrics here for us, doctor.

AdoreDaBang1 said:

Obviously, you can't read. I didn't say I was a genius. Yes, I wrote lyrics. But the smartassed manner in which you are posting says no matter what I posted, you would mock it and say how great Prince's are.

Simple, really...

AdoreDaBang1 said:

Obviously, you can't read. I didn't say I was a genius. Yes, I wrote lyrics. But the smartassed manner in which you are posting says no matter what I posted, you would mock it and say how great Prince's are.

Simple, really...

AdoreDaBang1 said:

Obviously, you can't read. I didn't say I was a genius. Yes, I wrote lyrics. But the smartassed manner in which you are posting says no matter what I posted, you would mock it and say how great Prince's are.

Simple, really...

the3rddoctor said:

well, like someone said before, it depends on what you consider genius. what is your criteria? prince does read sheet music. i don't believe that he composes by it. at least, definitely not on a regular basis. i consider prince a genius because he displays an above average skill at production, performance, and composition. if you consider the ease at which he displays his skill, that is impressive.

i don't mean this to be condescending, but have you considered the difficulty that it takes to play the music that prince plays, to be dancing around on the stage, directing the band and singing as well? any of these things might be praiseworthy alone, but when you pile them all on top of each other, you begin to see that what he does is practically effortless. there are several pieces that he has written that several other musicians have praised as well. take the bass line for 777.9311, many bass players have explained how difficult that line is to play. the rate at which he complete songs is stellar. he was one of the first artists to start incorporating synthesizers and drum machines and doing it effectively while blending organic sounds as well.

though he may not be respected by everyone as a person, he is respected by most within music for his abilities. just out of curiosity, have you ever seen him perform?
[This message was edited Wed Feb 4 15:17:05 PST 2004 by dealodelandron]

Genius only applies to God-- and still the word is inadequate. What Prince has is a gift from God. They're all over this world and we all have them-- not necessarily in one of the arts. He's just found his. Artists are no different than anyone else except that they/we are very introspective and thus find the talents within. God gives these gifts to each of us and it's up to us to recognize them and nurture/polish/hone them.

the3rddoctor said:

Well you guys are missing the point, everyone says “Well he can play a dozen
Instruments” everyone says that. You have to understand the actual construction of a song. Thinking how the makeup of a song is going to be developed, understanding time signatures, melodies, rhythm patterns, key changes, when and where to insert a bridge in a song. Having the ability to write each instrument part and layering those parts to make the song come to life. The engineering of the song, the production, and of course the theme and lyrics of the song, Prince plays all the instruments but his skill level and abilities is what so impressive. The hours and hours of practice that Prince has put in honing his skills.

Most people don’t think of what is involved in producing, writing, performing a song and all this is being done by one little man. Prince’s melodies and rhytm patterns and arrangements are very complicated and it takes great skill and abilities to do what he can do. That is why people who REALLY understands music and not just what sounds good calls Prince a genious. That is why I admire Prince, the Brutha is brilliant.