It’s so hard to believe Prince has been gone six years. And because it’s the sixth anniversary of his departure, I thought that instead of talking about bullies and bullying, I’d post my own tribute to one of the musicians who made the bullying I suffered easier to cope with.
I’ve been a huge Prince fan since I was eight years old and I have all his CDs. “1999,” “Purple Rain,” Around the World In A Day,” “Sign O’ the Times,” I have them all. Even CDs of his older albums like “Controversy,” and “Private Joy.”
I remember the first time I hear him sing and watched His Royal Badness perform on TV. While lying in the hospital after a horrific, near-fatal car wreck, I watched him perform, “I Wanna Be Your Lover” on Soul Train.
After that, I was hooked forever! I was smitten by not only the song but by him because he performed so well. His stage presence was amazing! Michael Jackson was another musician I took notice of on Soul Train also during my time in the hospital with his song, “I Wanna Rock with You (All Night). Michael Jackson was talented, don’t get me wrong, but Prince stole the spotlight from him, in my opinion.
Normally, anytime a celebrity passed away, it never affected me much. I would see it as just another dead celebrity. But when Prince passed away, I was pretty shocked and saddened.
One thing I liked about Prince was his mysteriousness. He often refused most media interviews and didn’t need all the media attention like celebrities of today. He didn’t care whether he stayed relevant or not and preferred to live a quiet and private life. I loved that about him!
Prince already knew his worth and didn’t need people clamoring over him. He wasn’t obsessed with attention like the self-absorbed celebrities of the present day. He was a quiet guy off stage and no doubt, these things were what made him so beguiling and alluring.
And, let’s face it, the man had to be uber-talented to have such protégés as Apollonia, Vanity, Sheila E., Morris Day and the Time, Jesse Johnson, The Family, Andre Cymone, TaMara and the Seen, and other famous artists he made famous.
Prince had many nicknames:
His Royal Badness
His Purple Majesty
The Kid
…whatever you wanted to call him, he was a musical genius and my favorite!
So, today, I will be blogging and listening to my Prince Playlist of over a hundred songs! And I will probably take several dance-breaks from the computer. His music definitely got me through some tough times!
Prince Roger Nelson
June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016
Prince’s Proteges:
Andre Cymone
Sheila E.
Apollonia
Well, I know him by two monikers: The “Love Symbol” and “TAFKAP” (The Artist Formerly Known As Prince).
For favorite tunes, mine’s “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World” and “Betcha By Golly Wow”. Prince’s take on it definitely puts a pop flair to the Stylistics tune.
I remember those too in his later music years! 😁 And I love those two songs too and yes, he did the Stylistics proud! 😍😍😍
Just to follow up on my earlier comment: I did hear his song “Cinnamon Girl”, which was released less than five years after 9/11.
Saw the music video too, and it was rather controversial that time.
I saw the video too and I can see why it was so controversial.
A really lovely and befitting tribute. He definitely was a legend. Thanks for sharing this, Cherie. 🙂
You’re most welcome, Terveen! 😊
I agree with you Cherie, Prince was a wonderful bad-ass performer, an extraordinary talent and I loved his music too. Just as I did Michael Jackson. We have similar taste in music it seems! Sending love and good vibes today. xx
Thank you so much, Miriam! And we sure do haven’t the same taste in music! Sending you love and good vibes as well! 💖🌺🌷
I really enjoyed this. Prince is one of my favorite musical performing artists. He was very authentic. Some of his material is rather lurid, but he wasn’t hiding. Enjoy your playlist. I had forgotten that he died on this day. I’m going to listen to mine. Especially like “Take Me With U.”
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Steven! And I love “Take Me With U.” Apollonia did an awesome job on the song as well. 😍😍😍
Prince is an amazing singer! I’m not one to keep up with celebrities but I love his music so much. Thanks for sharing!
You’re more than welcome, LaShelle. 😍😍😍
A wonderful tribute. I too LOVE Prince.💜💜💜
Thank you so much, Grace! 💖
My pleasure 💕
I agree that Prince was a musical genius. He could play all the instruments, sing, and dance. He was also quite mysterious and kept things always interesting. I may not have been his biggest fan, but recognized his talent, and loved some of his music. I was very sad when he died. I was sad a lot, that year. What a horrible year for celebrities, and a lot of great musicians died that year. Bowie, 2/3 of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Glenn Frey . . . The Great Celebrity Apocalypse.
Absolutely, Jeff! Just in the past 5 years, more greats have passed on- Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, etc. Musicians we grew up with! It’s almost scary!
I have to admit, I didn’t listen to Prince much because in the 1980s, he wasn’t metal. That’s down to my own narrowmindedness but these days I realise what a great talent he was.
I totally get that, Michael! I listened to metal too, But I considered Prince to have a lot of metal in his songs with his guitar talent. 😁😁😁
I once heard he wanted to play the lead role in a film about Jimi Hendrix. I think he would have played the role superbly.
I think he would have too, Michael. As a matter of fact, on one of the few interviews Prince did, he said that Jimi Hendrix was his inspiration and favorite musician!
That’s why “Let’s Go Crazy” is my favourite Prince song. He plays the guitar like Hendrix on that one.
You must have ESP because “Let’s Go Crazy” was the exact song I was thinking of when I made that comment! 😁😁😁
Great minds think alike ☺️
Don’t they though! 😁😁😁
Prince was my favorite artist as well. He captured my attention with his first single “wanna be your lover.” That track and many more he composed, played, and sang by himself. The purple one will always be missed.
He sure did! I read somewhere that he could play over 20 different musical instruments! Now that’s talent!
Absolutely!!
He sure will, Darnell. His death marked the end of an era. And he had a vault of many songs he hadn’t released. I’d sure love to take a listen to the vault songs!
I would too!!!
Great tribute Cherie! I was sooo close to seeing Prince and then well 😢
Oh, wow! I completely understand, Cindy! I’d always wanted to see Prince in concert and never got to! I was too young (13 yo) when he did his Purple Rain tour. But you can bet that if I’d been old enough, I’d been one of the first ones there! 😍😍😍
I love it Cherie!!💕I loved Prince and I loooved me some Soul Train!! I think you’ve been hiding your ‘black girl’ roots😂🤣
🤣😂🤣😂 I love your comment, Tam! 😍😍😍 We used to watch Soul Train all the time during the 70s amd 80s. And I’ve loved all kinds of music, from rock N roll, to Disco, to New Jack Swing! I love any oldskool song with a good beat and that makes you get up and dance!
I’ve always had some Soul in me and I got it from my Mom. She likes the Stylistics, Donna Summer, Al Green…and she looooves Disco and post-disco!
My mother was an Al Green fanatic and my husband adores Donna Summer. I could sense you were a ‘soul sista’ from your writing style💕
Awww! Thank you, girl! 💖💖💖
Wonderful performer and artist who left us way too soon. I feel very fortunate to have seen him live on a number of occasions.
Oh, wow! You’re blessed! I never got to see him in concert. I was too young to go when he did his Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day, and Signs tours. But had I been old enough, I would’ve been one of the first ones there!😍😍😍
I was very fortunate
Indeed, sweetie! 💯🤗
I am fully agreed with you.many celebrities had suffered from bulling bitterly.a beautiful tribute to my favourite Mickal Jackson.🙏❤🙏
Thank you so much!
Most welcome,my dear!🌺❤🌺!
Most welcome,Dear!🌺❤️🌺
My favorite artist
Ah! A fellow Prince fan! 😍
Oh my gosh Cherie, thank you so much for sharing this beautiful and amazing tribute with us. How refreshing! 🎶🎤🎸🥁🎵🎹🎧🔮🎼💎 You know, Prince and I are the same age and when “I Wanna Be Your Lover” came out when I was in college, one of our college bands, Midnight Blue, would tear that song up. The base guitar singer sang falsetto just like Prince and sounded like him too. 💖
🏍 Prince did not allow anyone to define him because they thought he was weird. People wondered whether he was gay when he first arrived on the scene because of his hair and high heels. But of course, James Brown donned the high platforms back in his day too. The day Prince and Michael Jackson passed away shocked me to my core. 😥😥😥 It was like I lost two brothers. I was completely blindsided by both untimely deaths who were geniuses with music theory.
The one thing about the seriousness or how far out there he was with his music, there was always a method to his so called madness. There are many artists out there who people often try to imitate but can never duplicate. Prince was one of those artists…my Purple Majesty! 💜💜💜👑💜💜💜 By the way, there is one of my favorite tear-dropping songs I love:
https://youtu.be/ms86DXkrNHI
Have a FANtabulous day DJ Cherie! 🎧🎤📀
Oooo, I love that scene too, girl! I have the movie and it never gets old. He and Apollonia were awesome! Prince and Michael Jackson were awesome! They each had their own styles and that’s what made them special! And you’re spot on when you mentioned that people thought Prince was weird- I read that he was bullied horribly when he was in high school and that he was a loner. This makes me love him that much more! And Michael Jackson was bullied by the media! I mean, they tried to take him down, Kym! And that made me feel terrible for him. No wonder he battled depression like he did!
Oh Cherie, isn’t it so ironic that you write about the very topic that they dealt with most of their lives? It’s so heartbreaking, and there is so much we will never know about the amount of stuff they dealt with on a day-to-day basis. These days, it seems like we’ve made a bully’s access to victims easier, and we see so much evidence of this through social media.
Once again ladybug, I am elated by your tribute to His Royal Badness. We really miss him so much! 😞😥😟 But guuurrrrllllll, his music lives on! 🎸🤜🏼🤛🏼🎶
Absolutely his music lives on, and I couldn’t be more grateful! I’m always happy to see the bullied become famous stars! And you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned that through social media, bullies have easier access to their targets. You’re so right, girl!
Honey, but there’s more than one way to skin a cat as they say, and if bullies don’t know, they better ask somebody! Social media or not! Just sayin’. 🎯🥊🎯
Girl, you got that right! 🎯💯👍
Meant to add this, “Pink Cashmere” is the shhhh!
Alright now girlfriend! 🧥💋🧣 You KNOW the deal!!! 😍💞😎
You betcha! 🎶🎸🎹🎧💃
I certainly spent a lot of time on the dance floor grooving to Princes music. He was very much part of the music scene and I think sadly many didn’t realise his brilliance until after his death.
Sadly, yes! He was a genius when it came to music! 😍
He was a legend. Thank you for sharing.
You’re most welcome! 😊
Do well to like and comment on my blog.
I surely will.
💜💜💜
I still think the world needs to add the Love Symbol to most major fonts…
We’ll definitely see if they do in the future, Greg. 💯🎯
My dad and I still watch Purple Rain, the man was an artistic genius. 💜
Oooh, girl! You bet he was! 💯💯💯