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One of a kind: How Prince broke all of pop's rules and became an icon

He died today, aged just 57.

Prince death PA Wire / Press Association Images PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

YOU’VE DANCED TO to Let’s Go Crazy. You’ve swooned to Purple Rain. You’ve shed a quiet tear to Nothing Compares 2U. And you’ve probably cocked a curious young eyebrow to the lyrics in songs like Erotic City and Darling Nikki.

Even if you don’t have a shelf of his albums at home, you know many of Prince’s songs. You know them, you just know them, because the music made by musicians like Prince becomes bigger than themselves.

It becomes like air, something you breathe in when you’re born, something whose essence becomes part of you. You pop out of the womb and there you are, singing Raspberry Beret to your parents.

Prince death Yui Mok Yui Mok

You know, too, how megastar Prince was the kind of musician who was totally himself, while managing – like the sadly also deceased David Bowie – to explore many different sides to his own personality without apology.

Prince wrote pop songs that we still treasure decades years on, songs that have soundtracked the last 40 years.

But he’s also been the type of contrarian who refused to participate in the streaming-first culture of modern music. He’s left a mark on popular culture, but he at many times refused to let it leave a mark on him.

(He also, as it happens, could do a pretty amazing cover of Radiohead’s song Creep):

Miles Hartl / YouTube

Born in June 1958 in Minnesota – the same state where his Paisley Park studios were later built – he was just 57 when he died today, after a rumoured period of ill-health.

One of the times he performed on a grand scale was at the below Super Bowl halftime show.

In true Prince style, they made it rain in the stadium. His vocals, his swagger, his guitar-playing and his outfit were all – of course – on point:

That a song like Purple Rain still maintains its freshness 32 years on from its release is testament to Prince’s musical ability and versatility.

A master guitarist, he was able to make musicians like Tom Petty and Steve Winwood look like amateurs when he started soloing:

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame / YouTube

He did it his way

Prince started making music young, and was 20 when his first record was released.

He was a man who did things his own way – he was protective of his music, and a multi-instrumentalist who composed and produced most of his work. He was a record-breaker, an award-winner, and one of the most influential popular musicians in the world.

It’s hard to imagine the world of music without him, without his brash sexuality, his guitar solos, his confident swagger, the quiff, that eyebrow raise.

It’s hard not to compare him to David Bowie here – and to Madonna, whose Like a Prayer album he worked on (and who he feuded with) too.

That sense of being comfortable in their sexuality, of taking risks with their image, risks that would leave an indelible mark on the pop music world. Sex and sexuality were ever-present in Prince’s work, from his look, to his stage shows, to his videos, to his lyrics. His name was Prince, and he was sexy.

Given all of this, it’s no surprise that he was a figure of fascination to the press, who wanted to know everything about who his lovers were, and what exactly went on in his private life.

In later years, his conversion to the Jehovah’s Witness religion would change a lot of his public comments on sexuality, but when people think of Prince and sex, they think of songs like Controversy, which asks:

Am I black or white? Am I straight or gay?

Causing controversy

Prince - Do Me, Baby - 01/30/82 - Capitol Theatre (OFFICIAL) Music Vault Music Vault

Prince played with gender – he was androgynous, he toyed with sexuality and wasn’t bound by society’s rules. He was sylphlike, resplendent in tight, bright clothes the colour of royalty.

Looking at music now, it can be hard to imagine the controversy that he caused with the release of albums like Dirty Mind and Controversy (the latter of which addressed on its title track the controversy around his own self).

Famously, the daughter of Tipper Gore was caught listening to the Prince song Darling Nikki (which contains a reference to masturbation). That led her appalled mother to found the Parents Music Resource Centre, which is behind the Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics warning labels.

Prince’s battle with the label Warner Bros in the mid 1990s again showed how little he wanted to be bound by convention – he changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph (later called the Love Symbol), in a two-fingers to the man.

 

He told the NME at the time:

I want to help young musicians. I don’t want people to be in the same position. I’ve been doing this for 16 years now, I know how it works. A manager knows thinks when you start out that he ain’t gonna tell you because it isn’t in his interests. He’s only gonna tell you the things he wants you to know. You understand what I’m saying?

He appeared in 1995 at the Brit Awards with Slave written on his cheek (which in turn was aped by Dave Rowntree of Blur, who wrote ‘Dave’ on his face).

You won’t find Prince’s back catalogue on Spotify. YouTube has been scrubbed of his original videos. He’s a musician who didn’t make music for streaming, and wanted to sue YouTube and eBay for not sufficiently filtering out the use of his songs.

Prince is gone, and though it’s a cliché to say his music will live forever, that’s exactly what we want.

He’s lucky, that way. He’s a legend, and musical legends never really leave us. They live on in our ears, our hearts, and feet (and, were the younger Prince writing this, he’d probably say they live on somewhere not very family-friendly too). 

RIP, Prince.

Read: Legendary musician Prince dead at 57>

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38 Comments
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    Mute Lisa O Connor
    Favourite Lisa O Connor
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    Apr 21st 2016, 7:57 PM

    Amazing he was, Songwriter, Singer, Musician, Dancer a complete Legend in true sense of the word. Honoured to have seen him live R.I.P Prince Rogers Nelson am devastated at this news xxx

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    Mute Tom Collins
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:06 PM

    Read a story that recently his jet was landed due to a medical emergency with him. Then the next day they said it was flu. I’d say just taking a guess that it was not the hospital that said it was flu but his own entourage

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:22 PM

    Raspberry Beret is a timeless tune. A very creative artist and a unique talent in that he copied no-one is uncopyable. Lot of talent gone to Heaven recently. Some gig above.

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    Mute peigymac
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:48 PM

    And this matters why???

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    Mute noel smullen
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 12:47 AM

    I agree Jamie I love that using was just singing it in the car yesterday! R.I.P prince.

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 1:10 AM

    I believe he’s up there jamming and chilling, and preparing possibly for his or perhaps her next escapade. It’s all wonderful.

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    Mute Laura Grimes
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 12:26 AM

    Prince opened up with ‘Gold’ in Malahide Castle & the crowd went mental, he joked saying “I guess I just have too many hits” . Virtuoso musician, supreme bandleader & amazing song writer. Party on your Majesty & thank you for the music. You were very special.

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    Mute Alan Morrissey
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    Apr 21st 2016, 10:56 PM

    Massive loss. They just don’t make them like prince no more… I hope it snows in April.

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    Mute UndieGrundy
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    Apr 21st 2016, 7:47 PM

    The artist formerly known as Alive.

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    Mute UndieGrundy
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    Apr 21st 2016, 7:49 PM

    Talented guy, though I never liked his music, that doesn’t stop one appreciating a talent just the same.

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    Mute Alan b
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    Apr 21st 2016, 8:03 PM

    Never liked his music in my younger days it’s only as you get on in years that you appreciate what musical talent is all about I suppose

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    Mute Alan b
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    Apr 21st 2016, 8:03 PM

    And that’s what he was

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    Mute UndieGrundy
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    Apr 21st 2016, 8:05 PM

    Musical taste is subjective but the ability to create it and create it well, not so much.

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    Mute Shane Terry
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    Apr 21st 2016, 8:00 PM

    What a shame another incredibly talented and unique artist bites the dust. Rumour has it he had AIDS and stopped taking his meds as he was a Jehovah’s Witness.

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    Mute Welshhibby
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    Apr 21st 2016, 8:14 PM

    Evidence ?!

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    Mute Shane Terry
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    Apr 21st 2016, 8:51 PM

    I said rumors. !! I am not trying to dis the guy I am a major fan and in awe of his guitar playing. I am just trying to offer an explanation to his early demise. http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/04/18/news/ap-confirms-prince-dead-our-sources-say-aids/1258.html

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    Mute Jamie McCormack
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:24 PM

    Leave him be for a day or two, have some respect man.

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    Mute peigymac
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:45 PM

    And this matters why??? To satisfy some some tabloid style longing?? For goodness sake – this man was a genius

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    Mute peigymac
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:40 PM

    What an artist, what a legend. Lost a lot of big names in ’16 – this is simply the greatest loss – #1ofakind

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    Mute Tony Canning
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    Apr 21st 2016, 9:32 PM

    That tipper gore thing isn’t exactly right. Gore wanted age certs on music. Zappa, Denver and Snider fought against it which resulted in the parental advisory rather than certs.

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    Mute Sean Kelly
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 12:41 AM

    Always found him to be an enigmatic, somewhat reclusive genius.. certainly not bound by society’s conventional rules and was completely unique.. amazing guy, amazing musician..

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    Mute Ken Pepper
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 12:39 AM

    Great tribute with some of the lesser seen photos.

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    Mute Matthew Fitzpatrick
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    Apr 21st 2016, 10:28 PM

    I think Sister was his most risque song tbh.

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    Mute Nicola Moran
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 4:22 AM

    Prince was in a different league, incredibly hardworking and super talented and influential, so sad he has died so young, small audience with him one day was on my bucket list, not anymore in this world anyway, as long as we have his music he’ll never die, sad sad day for a lot of us.

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    Mute Stephen murphy
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    Apr 21st 2016, 9:51 PM

    How many articles will we have on his passing, by the time he is buried and isn’t one enough?

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    Mute That's Bo!!ox
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:03 PM

    One of you is enough!

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    Mute Alan Morrissey
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:06 PM

    Don’t like don’t read.. Much less bother to comment..

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    Mute Cal McLaughlin
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:26 PM

    Not really a fan of his music but whenever I noticed one of his videos on a TV somewhere there was always lots of hot chicks dancing in the background.

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    Mute peigymac
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:51 PM

    Heard that he purposely avoided having you as a fan – knew his music was beyond the normal

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    Mute Cal McLaughlin
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 12:00 AM

    Not into that cabaret thing. Feather boas and pink hats. Too Elton John for my liking.
    Prefer musicians who are themselves keep it low key and let the music do the talking.

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    Mute Alan Morrissey
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 12:13 AM

    Prince and Elton John, victims of their own flambouyance in some narrow minds…

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    Mute Brendan Colfer
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    Apr 21st 2016, 11:46 PM

    I taught he was shite Kagagogo where better

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    Mute Brian Byrne
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    Apr 21st 2016, 9:57 PM

    Check out your main article. The SuperBowl show was in 2007, nine years ago

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    Mute Chris Martin
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 1:53 PM

    Heartbroken. Soundtrack to my childhood..have my older brothers to thank for that. RIP Prince x

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    Mute john culhane
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 9:59 AM

    Unfathomable loss to music

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    Mute jeremy❤️Stephanie
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    Apr 22nd 2016, 11:17 AM

    An amazing legend RIP prince❤️

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