The spirit formerly known as the human formerly known as the symbol formerly known as the artist formerly known as Prince was revolutionary. He was ahead of his time, trailblazing trends in fashion, music, gender roles, and sexuality. He reached full potential as a sexual icon for men and women at the height of his career, all the while, performing as an incendiary musician. He was a true artist, someone who not only invented and transcended genres, but encompassed them. He was The "Willy Wonka" of Paisley Park, an unstoppable force, a conductor of his own vision and he did it all with savoir faire.
With his passing, we realized that Prince left minimal traces of his presence. He was one of the most prominent artists to not let his work get played for free or streamed on YouTube and Spotify. He was aggressive in fighting pirated copies of his music and videos, repeatedly removing them from the internet while threatening lawsuits. Phones were banned from Paisley Park where he occasionally performed smaller shows. He was also one of the first to release his album directly to his fans through his website. He was on the cutting edge of experimentation with technology and the "Information Revolution", aka the internet. So, we've searched high and low to compile a collection of goodies that we think capture some of his best and most unforgettable moments throughout the years. Enjoy.
1. The Chappelle Show - Game: Blouses. Prince was so tickled by Dave Chappelle that he invited him to be on the cover for his 2013 single, Breakfast Can Wait. For real.
2. "When Doves Cry" was one of Prince's most iconic songs and his first number one single in America. The music video is equally as iconic and everything you'd expect from Prince, including smoke machines, leather pants, big hair and ruffled collars. What more could you want from an early 80s music video? Maybe a naked Prince emerging from a smoky bathtub? Well, it's got that too.
3. MTV VMAs - This video of Prince and The New Power Generation performing "Gett Off" at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1991 is true art. Prince is wearing a tailored yellow crop-jacket and bustier suit with ass-less pants. Ass-less pants. The performance captures the very essence of the 90s and Prince's bold fashion choices that kept his fans in love with his majesty. One of his most memorable performances, as he took over MTV's stage as his throne and made it purple reign.
4. Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Induction - Alicia Keys said, "There are many kings. King Henry VIII, King Solomon, King Tut, King James, King Kong, the three kings, but there is only one Prince," at the 2004 Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame before his induction. Prince's performance in this video is the one that he gave after receiving this honor. We're guessing there were probably 3 standing ovations.
5. Prince's Guitar Solo - In a tribute to George Harrison that same night, Prince stood alongside Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others to play "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and outplays them all! This video made the rounds when news broke of his passing, but shouldn't be news to anyone who calls themselves a musician. This performance is legendary and showcases his versatile talent. If anyone could be inducted twice in the Hall of Fame, it's this guy.
6. Purple Rain at the Super Bowl - Let's not forget the time Prince performed "Purple Rain" at the 2007 Super Bowl Half-time show when it started to rain. All hail his majesty.
7. Surprise Performances - Prince was known for jumping on stage with bands to do a sneaky guitar solo or finish up the song. In this video, Prince joins a surprised Nikki Leonti on "A Little Help From My Friends" playing an incredible guitar solo in the back, completely stealing the show. When the song was over, he handed the guitar back, waved and peace-signed his way through the crowd, leaving them and the band to pick their jaws up off of the ground.
8. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" - We can't help but put this one in here, the music video that started it all. Try not to dance to this.
9. Prince on New Girl - And lastly, let's not forget one of Prince's most recent debuts when he made an appearance on the TV show New Girl. It was so random, yet so typical Prince. During the episode, he sings a duet of his most recent single "FALLINLOVE2NITE" with Zooey Deschanel. Prince has always stolen the show, but who's complaining?
Hey Girl.
Contributed by Savannah Coursey, Original Fuzz marketing intern and current student at Flagler College. Follow her @savannahcoursey to see what she's up to.