... that Prince had a top ten hit with the song Sign `O' the Times, which is, in my opinion, one of the great all time Prince songs, from Prince's greatest LP, of the same name.
I remember the release of this, as if it were yesterday. A coworker, Jay R., taped me a copy of this record, and with appreciation, I took it home and gave it a listen. I was already a bit of a Prince fan, and enjoyed his music. But nothing I had listened to could possibly have prepared me for this epic double LP, with its serious expression of social concerns. As I listened to it for the first few times, I can remember thinking how powerful, substantive and deep it was. It represented a major artistic leap forward for an artist who had already demonstrated his originality. And the songs - Starfish and Coffee, Hot Thing, The Cross, U Got the Look, Forever in My life - these songs would just ring in one's ears for hours afterward.
So, this posting is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this classic record hitting the charts. Chart success is not always a sign of artistic achievement, though sometimes it is. It certainly was in the case of this record. I also have long wondered about who Prince's audience is. I gather that his audiences (and I use the plural intentionally) were multiple and diverse, and transcended color. In fact, I can still recall the first time I became aware of Prince; I was in a record shop in Boston in 1979, and saw a large store poster for Prince's For You LP.
And then, along with music listeners everywhere, I took note of such hits as Controversy, Sexuality, 1999, Little Red Corvette, and of course, Purple Rain. And I remember such moments as Prince on Saturday Night Live, during the show's bad era of the early 80s, doing the song Partyup. Prince was certainly a force. But again, Sign `O' the Times was an artistic leap forward.
So, here's to an album and a song which twenty years later still holds up. And here, while it lasts on Youtube, is a video.
I remember the release of this, as if it were yesterday. A coworker, Jay R., taped me a copy of this record, and with appreciation, I took it home and gave it a listen. I was already a bit of a Prince fan, and enjoyed his music. But nothing I had listened to could possibly have prepared me for this epic double LP, with its serious expression of social concerns. As I listened to it for the first few times, I can remember thinking how powerful, substantive and deep it was. It represented a major artistic leap forward for an artist who had already demonstrated his originality. And the songs - Starfish and Coffee, Hot Thing, The Cross, U Got the Look, Forever in My life - these songs would just ring in one's ears for hours afterward.
So, this posting is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this classic record hitting the charts. Chart success is not always a sign of artistic achievement, though sometimes it is. It certainly was in the case of this record. I also have long wondered about who Prince's audience is. I gather that his audiences (and I use the plural intentionally) were multiple and diverse, and transcended color. In fact, I can still recall the first time I became aware of Prince; I was in a record shop in Boston in 1979, and saw a large store poster for Prince's For You LP.
And then, along with music listeners everywhere, I took note of such hits as Controversy, Sexuality, 1999, Little Red Corvette, and of course, Purple Rain. And I remember such moments as Prince on Saturday Night Live, during the show's bad era of the early 80s, doing the song Partyup. Prince was certainly a force. But again, Sign `O' the Times was an artistic leap forward.
So, here's to an album and a song which twenty years later still holds up. And here, while it lasts on Youtube, is a video.
1 comment:
I just read your diary at DailyKos in which you argue that the case of Spanish involvement in the Iraq War proves that non-violence doesn't work in the absence of force. Your example strongly supports your premise.
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