R.I.P. Prince (1958 - 2016)
Woke up Friday morning here in Singapore and read about the passing of Prince ... And featured above was the first song that popped into mind.
There were of course others - my first eye-popping experience with "1999" on MTV, the whirlwind that was "Purple Rain" (album and movie), the charm that had been "Rasberry Beret" from the album "Around the World in a Day" (which I remembered trying to track down the cassette tape for in the mid-80s), distinct memory of shopping at Tower Records (in Pacific Plaza) for "Sign o' the Times"…
Prince, to me, was the embodiment of "an artist" - not just a performing artiste, but also a painter of the soundscape, an illustrator of songs, a "creator" of a world in which he sang, danced, played guitar, funked-out, and entertained. Constantly re-inventing himself, evolving as an artist and the creation of his art.
From artiste known as a symbol and back, I remember Prince also for his collaborations which led to my wonderful musical journeys with "Wendy and Lisa" (formerly from his band "The Revolutions") and Sheila E. - whose musical mark was always distinct, and loved by extension.
On April 21, 2016, he died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota (Source: bbc.com). "No cause of death has been stated. A post-mortem investigation will take place on Friday."
Truthfully, it doesn't matter much "how" he had passed (to me anyway), but rather he left us at the age of 57, and the world has lost yet another musical genius. R.I.P. Prince Rogers Nelson.
Not a whole lot of embeddable music videos could be had on youtube, as Prince was excruciatingly stringent on copyright of his works, but here are some select choices and additions since featured on #TunesTalk and/or #Flashback80s.
