You’re never ready for news like this. I mean, no one expects anyone to live forever. But with all of his ongoing involvement in music and with other musicians, no one thought we’d be saying goodbye to Prince at age 57. Yet here we are. It’s an incredible loss. However, what a musical legacy: 39 studio albums, 100 million albums sold, 7 Grammy Awards, an Oscar, a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and 27 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. More via Prince’s wikipedia page here.
Everyone has their favorite Prince songs. Here are ours in no particular order:
- “Joy In Repetition” (Graffiti Bridge)
- “She’s Always In My Hair”
- “Computer Blue” (Purple Rain”)
- “Do Me, Baby” (Controversy)
- “DMSR” (1999)
- “When Doves Cry” (Purple Rain)
- “Gett Off” (Diamonds and Pearls)
- “Anna Stesia” (Lovesexy)
In fact, here’s a live recording of him doing “Anna Stesia” at a concert in Los Angeles:
There’s plenty of great coverage out there that assesses his career and impact. Here’s a sample:
- The Harvard Gazette: Back in 2012, author, journalist and former MSNBC host Toure wrote I Would Die 4U: How Prince Became An Icon and, as part of his book tour, did a lecture at Harvard.
- The New York Times: Jon Pareles takes an accounting of his life and music.
- The New Yorker: Sasha Frere-Jones, of course.
- The Guardian: The British newspaper announced his passing.
- Essence: 10 Things We Can Thank Prince For (photos)
- Wall Street Journal: 5 live Prince performances
Of course, it seems fitting to go out to his most iconic song, “Purple Rain”.
Rest in peace, dear Prince.
