Elvis

Beatles

Rolling Stones

Led Zeppelin

Micheal Jackson

Madonna

Bruce Springsteen

....is Prince considered part of this elite group???

EmmaMcG said:

Asking this question on a fansite dedicated to Prince? I think you know what the majority will say.

I mean... consider the source.

Yes and no.

Among musicians, definitely.

Among fans, obviously.

To the general public, sadly, the answer would be: "I think I've heard of him, refresh my memory".

[Edited 2/15/19 4:07am]

luvsexy4all said:

Elvis

Beatles

Rolling Stones

Led Zeppelin

Micheal Jackson

Madonna

Bruce Springsteen

....is Prince considered part of this elite group???

Um, this list/group is suspect at best.

1. This skews waaaaaaay towards a baby boomer demographic. 12 year olds today know jack squat about The Stones and Bruce, etc.

-

2. There are some MAJOR glaring OMISSIONS:

Stevie Wonder? Jimi Hendrix? James Brown? Pink Floyd? Frank Sinatra? Johnny Cash? Little Richard? Aretha? 2Pac? Kurt Cobain? Eminem? Surely, if Madonna and Bruce make the cut, these folks do too. U2 should probably be on this too.

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3. What is this list based on? ICON status? What does that really mean? Like, you see an image an instantly recognize them? Hit songs? Sold out tours? I mean, KISS is an iconic band...does that make them "elite"? Pro Sports teams in Minnesota often wear Prince themed gear? What sports franchise is routinely sporting Zeppelin themed uniforms?

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Bottom Line: Prince checks all the boxes for all time greats easily. Sales, accolades, cultural impact, impact on gender, race, fashion, artist rights, censorship issues, etc. Hell, I think he was the 1st artist since The Beatles to have the #1 song, album, and film simultaneously.

-

Now, if we are talking about how successfully Prince's "brand" is being marketed....that is a different topic.

[Edited 2/14/19 20:01pm]

teoalcantara said:

Yes and no.

Among musicians, definetly.

Among fans, obviously.

To the general public, sadly, the answer would be: "I think I've heard of him, refresh my memory".

[Edited 2/14/19 19:01pm]

What general public? The general public that watches The Superbowl by the millions and instantly recognizes Prince as (likely) the best halftime show they have ever seen? I mean, the masses are stupid. That said, even those who are too young, or too ignorant, know Purple Rain and ...bare minimum.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:26pm]

skywalker said:

teoalcantara said:

Yes and no.

Among musicians, definetly.

Among fans, obviously.

To the general public, sadly, the answer would be: "I think I've heard of him, refresh my memory".

[Edited 2/14/19 19:01pm]

What general public? The general public that watches The Superbowl by the millions and instantly recognizes Prince as (likely) the best halftime show they have ever seen? I mean, the masses are stupid. That said, even those who are too young, or too ignorant, know Purple Rain and ...bare minimum.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:24pm]

I don't know if the millions that watch the Superbowl "instantly recognizes Prince as (likely) the best halftime show they have ever seen". But ask around and see if people you know in general can name a Prince song other than (perhaps by name recognition/association only) "Purple Rain". As you said, most likely they know the bare minimum.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:42pm]

teoalcantara said:

skywalker said:

What general public? The general public that watches The Superbowl by the millions and instantly recognizes Prince as (likely) the best halftime show they have ever seen? I mean, the masses are stupid. That said, even those who are too young, or too ignorant, know Purple Rain and ...bare minimum.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:24pm]

I don't know if the millions that watch the Superbowl "instantly recognizes Prince as (likely) the best halftime show they have ever seen". But ask around and see if people you know in general can name a Prince song other than (perhaps by name recognition/association only) "Purple Rain". As you said, most likely they know the bare minimum.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:42pm]

What I mean is, every year every major site/publications put out the same lists come out ranking the halftime shows and Prince's cute little face is always near the top. That's one of the defining moments in pop culture and he's at the center of it.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:45pm]

skywalker said:

teoalcantara said:

I don't know if the millions that watch the Superbowl "instantly recognizes Prince as (likely) the best halftime show they have ever seen". But ask around and see if people you know in general can name a Prince song other than (perhaps by name recognition/association only) "Purple Rain". As you said, most likely they know the bare minimum.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:42pm]

What I mean is, every year every major site/publications put out the same lists come out ranking the halftime shows and Prince's cute little face is always near the top. That's one of the defining moments in pop culture and he's at the center of it.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:45pm]

Yes, but those lists are made by music critics, journalists, people usually more informed. Prince was a musical genius, but sadly he isn't popular.

teoalcantara said:

skywalker said:

What I mean is, every year every major site/publications put out the same lists come out ranking the halftime shows and Prince's cute little face is always near the top. That's one of the defining moments in pop culture and he's at the center of it.

[Edited 2/14/19 19:45pm]

Yes, but those lists are made by music critics, journalists, people usually more informed. Prince was a musical genius, but sadly he isn't popular.

1. You have to be "popular" to play the superbowl halftime show. Especially without supporting/guest acts. They don't book acts for that gig that aren't MASSIVELY known.

-

2. What is popular? What are you using to compare/contrast? I am a fan a Queen. Suddenly, they are "popular" again. Why? A marketing machine made them "popular" with a movie and related commercialism. It is marketing bullshit, really. Spoon feed the public a decent movie and suddenly "everyone is a Queen fan."

[Edited 2/14/19 20:06pm]

skywalker said:

teoalcantara said:

Yes, but those lists are made by music critics, journalists, people usually more informed. Prince was a musical genius, but sadly he isn't popular.

1. You have to be "popular" to play the superbowl halftime show. Especially without supporting/guest acts. They don't book acts for that gig that aren't MASSIVELY known.

-

2. What is popular? What are you using to compare/contrast? I am a fan a Queen. Suddenly, they are "popular" again. Why? A marketing machine made them "popular" with a movie and related commercialism. It is marketing bullshit, really. Spoon feed the public a decent movie and suddenly "everyone is a Queen fan."

[Edited 2/14/19 20:06pm]

I think they've banked more on his prestige with the media and his capacity to electrify live audiences than on his popularity per se. The producers knew he would put on a great show and also attract the headlines.

Queen has songs still immensely popular. "We Will Rock You" is so much of an anthem that Prince himself used it on the opening of his Super Bowl performance.


Popular is something widely known and enjoyed by the masses. Prince was popular in 1984 (35 years ago!).


Prince is second to none for me, but I recognize that the great majority don't know him well.

[Edited 2/14/19 20:56pm]

teoalcantara said:

Yes, but those lists are made by music critics, journalists, people usually more informed.

Informed of what? Critics don't sell records. From what I've noticed, critics often don't like what is really popular with mainstream audiences such the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, New Kids On The Block, Whitney Houston, Wham!, MC Hammer, Barry Manilow, Kenny G, Garth Brooks, Journey, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, Eagles, etc. Same with TV shows, movies, or anything else. Were Jackie Collins books popular with critics? Probably not, but they sold well. What about popular movie series like Ma & Pa Kettle, Police Academy, Ernest P. Worrell or Madea?

MickyDolenz said:

teoalcantara said:

Yes, but those lists are made by music critics, journalists, people usually more informed.

Informed of what? Critics don't sell records. From what I've noticed, critics often don't like what is really popular with mainstream audiences such the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, New Kids On The Block, Whitney Houston, Wham!, MC Hammer, Barry Manilow, Kenny G, Garth Brooks, Journey, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, Eagles, etc. Same with TV shows, movies, or anything else. Were Jackie Collins books popular with critics? Probably not, but they sold well. What about popular movie series like Ma & Pa Kettle, Police Academy, Ernest P. Worrell or Madea?

You are just basically corroborating what I've said. Critics don't necessarily go by what's popular or not, and popularity doesn't always equate to quality.

[Edited 2/14/19 22:54pm]

teoalcantara said:

Critics don't necessarily go by what's popular or not, and popularity doesn't always equate to quality.

Quality is an opinion of the listener. People don't buy stuff they don't like, so whatever sold a lot is quality to the people who bought it or listened to it. Just because a critic likes something does not make it good to someone else. Rock magazines say Sgt Pepper is the best album in history, but my mom doesn't listen to The Beatles or rock music at all, so that is not an opinion valid to her. She'll probably say a Temptations, Johnnie Taylor, or Al Green album is better. I have other relatives that don't listen to secular music, only gospel/spirituals. So no one in the OP list is an icon to them, but Shirley Caesar or The Clark Sisters might be. A person might say they don't like new age, country, smooth jazz, or hip hop, but that doesn't mean anything to fans of those genres.

MickyDolenz said:

teoalcantara said:

Critics don't necessarily go by what's popular or not, and popularity doesn't always equate to quality.

Quality is an opinion of the listener. People don't buy stuff they don't like, so whatever sold a lot is quality to the people who bought it or listened to it. Just because a critic likes something does not make it good to someone else. Rock magazines say Sgt Pepper is the best album in history, but my mom doesn't listen to The Beatles or rock music at all, so that is not an opinion valid to her. She'll probably say a Temptations, Johnnie Taylor, or Al Green album is better. I have other relatives that don't listen to secular music, only gospel/spirituals. So no one in the OP list is an icon to them, but Shirley Caesar or The Clark Sisters might be. A person might say they don't like new age, country, smooth jazz, or hip hop, but that doesn't mean anything to fans of those genres.

I'd argue that taste is an opinion of the listener, not quality.

luvsexy4all said:

Elvis

Beatles

Rolling Stones

Led Zeppelin

Micheal Jackson

Madonna

Bruce Springsteen

....is Prince considered part of this elite group???

unfortunately not. Even in our part of Europe, he's always been overlooked. Luckily for me there's this newer radio station that really knows music, and i dare say that our man is spinned the most of all artists. But that's really exceptional.
They even spin things like entire maxi's of The Time Don't think you find that anywhere else in Europe (internetradio not included).
But save to say that people under 25 mostly won't know even who P is. Hell, i even spoke with under-25's who never heard of Madonna, go figure!

[Edited 2/15/19 4:56am]

Elvis

Beatles

Rolling Stones

Queen

Michael Jackson

I guess that's your top 5 of the biggest icons. Personally i wouldn't put Queen in that list, but somehow they managed to make that step up from megastars to immortals. I think that Freddie's death plays big part in that.

TheFman said:

I think they've banked more on his prestige with the media and his capacity to electrify live audiences than on his popularity per se. The producers knew he would put on a great show and also attract the headlines.

Queen has songs still immensely popular. "We Will Rock You" is so much of an anthem that Prince himself used it on the opening of his Super Bowl performance.


Popular is something widely known and enjoyed by the masses. Prince was popular in 1984 (35 years ago!).


Prince is second to none for me, but I recognize that the great majority don't know him well.

[Edited 2/14/19 20:56pm]

Your reasoning is missing the mark for me. Prestige. Is that not the same as popularity? You said, "Prestige with the media"....Prince was often at odds (and downright combative) with the media.

-

Again, your logic is off to me. Much of what you are saying can easily be applied to Prince. Prince has songs that are still immensely popular. "I would Die 4 U" was used by Justin Timberlake in his Superbowl performance...furthermore, it was completely centered around Prince and his image. Whereas, Prince's use of "We will Rock You" was a much more brief intro, rather than showcasing Queen or Freddie Mercury.

-

Don't be silly, you know Prince was widely known and enjoyed by the masses after 1984. Some of Prince's biggest successes came AFTER 1984.This is like saying that Queen went into obscurity after the 1970's. It's simply not true. Every career has peaks and valleys.

-

Prince is one of the most famous musicians that ever lived. It's just a fact. Just because people you talk to are unaware or not fans....doesn't change the fact.

-

Listen, most people I talk to under the age of 45 are vaguely aware of Led Zeppelin. That doesn't change or diminish their impact or popularity. Again, I teach middle school students. They have no idea who Mick Jagger is. Does that make The Stones "unpopular" or "unknown"?

-

After reading this thread again, I feel like you may be using the term "popular" to mean "trendy."

[Edited 2/15/19 6:46am]

MotownSubdivision said:

As for the topic, Prince is an icon and is very popular but there is a hierarchy here and at the absolute top will always be Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson (arguably in that order). Everyone else falls underneath those 3 entities to varying degrees; P himself, would probably rank somewhere on the latter half of the Top 10.

I tend to agree with this. Do you think we will have another musician/group that has the impact of these 3?

teoalcantara said:

I'd argue that taste is an opinion of the listener, not quality.

You can't prove that one performer's record is better than another. It's an opinion, not a fact. Just because a music snob or critic thinks something is better does not make it so. Just because someone plays an instrument or writes their own songs does not make his or her music better than someone who doesn't. Somebody like Yngwie Malmsteen might play faster than B. B. King, but that does not make his music better or appealing. Music is not like sports where there is a winner or loser by running faster or getting the most points or a bodybuilding competition where the biggest person wins.

teoalcantara said:

skywalker said:

MickyDolenz said:

Prince called himself an Icon......but i dont think others put him in the regard as the list i mentioned

luvsexy4all said:

Prince called himself an Icon.

Wouldn't that be considered idolatry by the Jehovah's Witnesses?

luvsexy4all said:

Prince called himself an Icon......but i dont think others put him in the regard as the list i mentioned

You are ignorant. Others* clearly do. Do you actually need evidence of this? Can you just, you know, use google? Dig this, when Prince died, national monuments all over the world were lit up with purple lights. How much more evidence do you need?

_

*AKA the rest of the civilized world

[Edited 2/15/19 15:00pm]

skywalker said:

I think they've banked more on his prestige with the media and his capacity to electrify live audiences than on his popularity per se. The producers knew he would put on a great show and also attract the headlines.

Queen has songs still immensely popular. "We Will Rock You" is so much of an anthem that Prince himself used it on the opening of his Super Bowl performance.


Popular is something widely known and enjoyed by the masses. Prince was popular in 1984 (35 years ago!).


Prince is second to none for me, but I recognize that the great majority don't know him well.

[Edited 2/14/19 20:56pm]

Your reasoning is missing the mark for me. Prestige. Is that not the same as popularity? You said, "Prestige with the media"....Prince was often at odds (and downright combative) with the media.

-

Again, your logic is off to me. Much of what you are saying can easily be applied to Prince. Prince has songs that are still immensely popular. "I would Die 4 U" was used by Justin Timberlake in his Superbowl performance...furthermore, it was completely centered around Prince and his image. Whereas, Prince's use of "We will Rock You" was a much more brief intro, rather than showcasing Queen or Freddie Mercury.

-

Don't be silly, you know Prince was widely known and enjoyed by the masses after 1984. Some of Prince's biggest successes came AFTER 1984.This is like saying that Queen went into obscurity after the 1970's. It's simply not true. Every career has peaks and valleys.

-

Prince is one of the most famous musicians that ever lived. It's just a fact. Just because people you talk to are unaware or not fans....doesn't change the fact.

-

Listen, most people I talk to under the age of 45 are vaguely aware of Led Zeppelin. That doesn't change or diminish their impact or popularity. Again, I teach middle school students. They have no idea who Mick Jagger is. Does that make The Stones "unpopular" or "unknown"?

-

After reading this thread again, I feel like you may be using the term "popular" to mean "trendy."

[Edited 2/15/19 6:46am]

Prestige does not mean popularity. One can have prestige without being popular. A PHD for example. He may enjoy prestige among his peers, but is he popular? Not necessarily.

Prince was often at odds (and downright combative) with the media, but the media was not at odds with him. He was respected, but also elusive. And this is one of the reasons his popularity dwindled over the years.

"I Would Die 4 U" was beautifully used by Justin Timberlake in his Super Bowl performance because of its lyrics (IMHO) not because of its popularity. He centered the performance around his image so to appear as a direct message from Prince himself to his fans and hometown: he had died for his fans, for his city (the game was being held in Minneapolis). It's a shame so many people didn't get the significance and criticized the tribute. Justin avoided being obvious and got lambasted.

I'm not being silly. Prince's last single to hit the top 10 charts was in 1994, when "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", reached #3. After that, "I Hate U" reached #12 (1995), "Greatest Romance" #63 (2000) and "Call My Name" #75 (2004) (https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/483652/princes-40-biggest-billboard-hits).


I think you've nailed down our difference in perspective: semantics. There's fame, popularity and trend. Prince is famous, was popular for a long period (most of the 80's and 90's) and also "trendy" in 1984.

[Edited 2/15/19 20:17pm]