Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson; June 7, 1958) is a singer, songwriter, musician, and actor.
He has been known under an unpronounceable symbol, which he used between 1993 and 2000.
During that period he was frequently referred to in the media as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince,, often abbreviated to "TAFKAP," or simply "The Artist."
According to Robert Larsen in his book, History of Rock and Roll, Prince is "one of the most talented and commercially successful pop musicians of the last 20 years,, producing ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career.
Prince founded his own recording studio and label, writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings.
In addition, Prince has been a "talent promoter" for the careers of Sheila E., Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6, and has written songs for these artists and others (including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, and Sinéad O'Connor).
Prince also has several hundred unreleased songs in his "vault."
He has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe,[5] and an Academy Award.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year he was eligible.
Prince's music has been influenced by rock, R&B, soul, funk, rap, blues, New Wave, electronica, disco, psychedelia, folk, jazz, and hip hop.
His artistic influences include Sly & the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Duke Ellington, Curtis Mayfield, and Stevie Wonder.
Prince pioneered the "Minneapolis sound," a hybrid mixture of funk, rock, pop, R&B, and New Wave that has influenced many other musicians.
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Purple Rain is the sixth album by Prince and The Revolution, the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.
Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in rock music history. It placed 18th on VH1's Greatest Rock and Roll Albums of All Time countdown.
All songs composed and arranged by Prince; except Computer Blue, words by Prince, music by Prince, John L. Nelson, Wendy & Lisa, and Dr. Fink.
Side One
"Let's Go Crazy" – 4:39
"Take Me with U" – 3:54
"The Beautiful Ones" – 5:13
"Computer Blue" – 3:59
"Darling Nikki" – 4:14
Side Two
"When Doves Cry" – 5:54
"I Would Die 4 U" – 2:49
"Baby I'm a Star" – 4:24
"Purple Rain" – 8:41
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Darling Nikki is a song produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and originally released on his Grammy Award-winning 1984 album, Purple Rain. Though the song was not released as a single, it gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics. Partly because of the lyrical content of "Darling Nikki", Tipper Gore founded the Parents Music Resource Center, which eventually led to the use of "Parental Advisory" stickers and imprints on album covers.
The song tells the story of a "sex fiend" named Nikki who seduces the singer. In the film Purple Rain, the song is directed toward Apollonia Kotero's character when she decides to work with Prince's character's rival, played by Morris Day.
Near the end of the song, the music stops into the sound of rain and wind. There is singing, but played in reverse. The vocals, unreversed, are Prince singing,
"Hello, how are you?
I'm fine 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon
Coming, coming soon."
During the Purple Rain tour performances of Darling Nikki, the recording at the end was played forward. This can be heard in the live video Prince and the Revolution Live.
[1958 Madonna / 1958 Prince / 1958 Wold]