• • •
In a classroom—with full recording studio capabilities—at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, two dozen students gather on a Friday morning for a class titled “Topics in Recorded Music: Prince.” According to the syllabus, the course will “explore the joys and contradictions of Prince’s music and business practices.” The instructors are Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (who has to hustle each week from the classroom to his gig as bandleader on the Tonight Show) and Harry Weinger, a Grammy-winning reissue producer who serves as vice president of A&R for UMe, the catalogue division of Universal Music Group (Weinger has long overseen the reissue projects for such soul treasure troves as the vaults of James Brown and Motown Records). Today’s subject is “ ‘Baby I’m a Star’: Prince Goes Mainstream in the 1980s,” and the students are greeted with a pop quiz (sample questions: “Who was the female guitarist and female keyboard player in Purple Rain?” and “What’s the name of the dance performed by the Time in Purple Rain?”)
The class watches video of the Time performing on Soul Train, and Questlove demonstrates the progression of drum machine technology during these few years. Footage of James Brown during his incomparable performance on The TAMI Show in 1964 is compared with unreleased clips of Prince leading the Revolution on the Purple Rain tour. Of course, it’s difficult to show even the official music videos, since Prince has them removed from YouTube as soon as they get put up; at the last minute, Weinger had to order a VHS copy of The Hits video collection just to screen the “1999” clip.
The students, all aspiring musicians or music professionals, giggle while watching sultry clips of Vanity 6 onstage and make comments both sophisticated (“How did Prince’s business arrangements work with his protégé groups like the Time?”) and more innocent (no one in the class can identify a song by the Police). Still, they watch, rapt, when Questlove puts on that very first performance of “Purple Rain” from First Avenue—which, in fact, is pulled down the following week in the ongoing cat-and-mouse game Prince plays with the web.
Purple Rain entered history long ago. Questlove and Weinger’s class grants the project the respect that it’s due. It is in no way demeaning to the rest of a glorious career to say that it will forever stand as the pinnacle of Prince’s achievements. It represents the confluence of so many strands of his own creativity and ambition and of so many cultural trends that it could never have happened before or since. And given the splintering of the music audience that followed its colossal success, it seems likely that we will never again agree on anything the way we agreed on Purple Rain.
However often he says or acts otherwise, there is clearly a part of Prince that is aware of his contributions to history. Back in the Rocketown dressing room in 2004, in the early morning hours, he grew a bit more reflective. He was about to pack it in—to pass out some Jehovah’s Witness literature to the fans still gathered outside and then jump into his limo and speed off into the Nashville night. But he had one final thought to offer.
“When you’re a young man, you think you’re the center of the universe,” he told me. “Later you see you’re just part of it. The world is only going to get harder. Me and my crew, we love having conversations about music, but when we get deep, we talk about the future, about what we’re leaving for the kids.”
But this side will always be at war with the part of Prince that insists, in the words of the legendary baseball pitcher Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back—something might be gaining on you.” Even as he shocked and delighted his fans with the news that he had mended fences with his longtime nemeses at Warner Bros. and would finally be revisiting his catalogue, he celebrated in the only way he knows: that night he put out a new song, a devastating ballad called “The Breakdown” that many listeners instantly called a return to form unlike anything he had released in years. The message was clear—the chance to regain control of his master tapes was something he had sought for decades, but the music always needed to keep moving forward. Always.
Or maybe it’s all part of the show. As in Purple Rain, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, creating a character that was larger than life but still mysterious, building a life in which nothing and no one could get in between the artist and his music, was all part of what it took for a kid from Minneapolis to conquer the world.
In 1994, at San Francisco’s Club DV8, he ordered us both a glass of port and offered me a lollipop because, he said, he didn’t think I smoked cigars. Leaning over and whispering conspiratorially, Prince lifted his glass and offered a toast.
“To Oz.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, thanks to Prince. Though his adamant, longtime resistance to looking back and talking about his past meant that I had no reason to even approach him about participating in this project, his music has brought me more joy than I can say. My dealings with him over the years—some of them recounted in these pages—have seldom been easy, but have always been a pleasure. And the guy is just so damn funky.
Thank you to everyone who spoke to me for this book, all of whom were generous, patient, and giving. Extra credit to Lisa Kanclerz Coleman for assistance above and beyond the call of duty. The glories of social media made it much easier to track everybody down, but thanks also to Renata Kanclerz, Sharrin Summers, Ebie McFarland, Olga Makrias, Lori Nafshun, and Devon Wambold for introductions and guidance. David Prince, David Brendel, and Roseann Warren passed along some invaluable links and files.
Love and gratitude to Alice Bezanson, who did all the dirty work as researcher, transcriber, fact-checker, and provider of whatever editorial services were needed. I’m so glad you are in my life, and you will remain so wherever your latest adventures take you.
Sarah Lazin, as always, is a wise agent, friend, and sounding board. Thanks also to Sarah’s associates Manuela Jessel and Anna Qu.
At Atria, once again, Peter Borland took a leap of faith and then offered support, enthusiasm, and direction. It’s great to have you in my corner on these oddball ideas, as well as Judith Curr, Daniel Loedel, Daniella Wexler, David Brown, and freelance copy editor Polly Watson.
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to write about Prince for such outlets as Rolling Stone, Spin, Vibe, Tracks, Amazon, and msn.com. Thank you to my colleagues at all of these publications for the opportunities, and for making my writing better.
Thanks to my classmates in the CCDS class of 1984 and the Yale class of 1988 for sharing the Purple Rain obsession in real time.
For so very many things: Hal Brooks, Mike Errico, Keith Hammond, Mike Paranzino, Dick Schumacher, Dan Carey, Jennifer Goldsmith Adams, Sia Michel, Emily Zemler, Rob Johnson, Charlene Benson, Brant Louck, Johanna Schlegel, Anji Chandra, Sam Kramer, Elysa Gardner, Anthony DeCurtis, and Joe Angio.
Irwin, Janet, and Sharon Light are the most loving, encouraging family on earth.
Suzanne McElfresh and Adam Light, I love you more each day. And you, too, are just so damn funky.
May U Live 2 See the Dawn.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo credit: Mary Ellen Matthews
Alan Light has been one of America’s leading music journalists for the past twenty years. Light was a senior editor at Rolling Stone, founding music editor and editor in chief of Vibe, and editor in chief of Spin magazine. He has been a contributor for The New Yorker, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, Elle, Mother Jones, and the Oxford American,and is the author of The Skills to Pay the Bills, an oral history of the Beastie Boys; The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah”; and cowriter of the New York Times bestselling memoir by Greg Allman, My Cross to Bear.
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INDEX
A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.
A
A&M Records, 29, 213, 228, 229
Academy Award Oscars, 7, 62, 226
Ali, Muhammad, 43, 246
Amendolia, Don, 83, 85
“America,” 222, 237
American Bandstand (television show), 33
American Music Awards, 227–29
Amos, Tori, 16, 36, 183, 272
Anderson, Linda, 27
Anderson family, 26–27
“Annie Christian,” 40
“Another Lonely Christmas,” 218, 220
Ansen, David, 160
Apollonia 6; 84, 110, 112, 122, 123, 131, 132, 146, 148, 150, 163, 212
Apple Computer, 208–09
“Around the World in a Day,” 221
Around the World in a Day
Fink on, 221, 253
inspiration for, 221
Leeds on, 244
Prince on making of, 222
Purple Rain album compared with, 253–54
reception for, 242
release of, 164, 242–43, 247, 249, 254
solo focus of, 222
songs on, 221, 231, 241
success of, 249, 253
Warner Bros. and, 242
Arsenio Hall Show (television show), 15, 28
Ayeroff, Jeff, 243
B
“Baby,” 30
“Baby I’m a Star,” 6, 75, 76, 137, 140, 151, 157, 214, 219, 226, 227, 237, 242, 274
Baker, Hayward (stepfather), 26, 174
Baker, Mattie Shaw Nelson (mother), 24–26, 56, 147, 174, 220
Beals, Jennifer, 107
Beastie Boys, 138, 207
Beatles, 8, 18, 39, 56, 57, 137, 146, 155, 159, 163, 189, 202, 205, 206, 218, 221, 246
“Beautiful Ones, The,” 96, 102, 137, 150, 151
Bennett, LeRoy, 116–17, 140, 196, 219
Benton, Jerome, 86, 123, 125, 130–31, 132, 143, 180, 213, 224, 239, 258
Beyoncé, 12, 270
Bilal, 35
Billboard magazine, 7, 44–45, 48, 195, 217
“Bird, The” (the Time), 16, 212, 259
Black Album, The, 217
black community
black directors and movies in, 269
candidates in elections from, 199
cultural context of 1984 and changes in, 21, 195–96, 198, 210
exploitation movies in, 180
Madonna’s targeting of, 205
Minneapolis and, 24–25, 138
pop music in, 36
Prince’s background in, 24–25
Prince’s vision of, 37, 51, 65
Purple Rain album and, 170–71
Purple Rain movie and, 9, 155–56, 176–77, 183–84, 210
radio stations in, 39, 41, 42, 205
reaction to Prince’s work in, 39, 72, 183–84, 217
sexual behavior and, 36, 122
black identity
characters in Purple Rain and, 177, 180
Coleman on, 61, 64
“Controversy” lyrics on, 40, 41
Prince’s parents and, 24
Prince’s interview responses on, 24–25
Prince’s multiracial vision of, 65, 138, 171, 206
Prince’s performance in Purple Rain and, 177
Purple Rain’s multiracial approach to, 138
rap and, 207
rise of black artists with, 199, 269–70
black music
Bloom on, 57
cultural context of 1984 and, 195–96, 198, 210
difficulties of promoting, 44
impact of Jackson work in, 196, 200
MTV’s resistance to airtime for, 48, 195
popularity of, 44–45, 57, 195–96
Prince seen as black artist in, 24, 29, 39, 42, 156, 189
Prince’s vision of mixing race and genders in, 51, 65, 138, 171, 206
Purple Rain album as, 170–71, 200
rap and hip-hop in, 207, 269
Revolution band and, 4
rise of black artists in, 199, 269–70
white audiences’ acceptance of, 43, 49, 170–71, 195, 210, 217
Blinn, William
on Prince, 66, 67
as writer for Purple Rain, 66–67, 70, 106
Bloom, Howard
genesis of Purple Rain and, 57–58
on Prince’s personality, 25, 27, 28, 241
on Prince’s relationship with Jackson, 196–97
on Prince’s success and teamwork, 257
publicity for Purple Rain by, 134, 154–55, 159–60, 165, 178, 182
Bobby Z (Rivkin), 4, 29, 33, 50, 54, 63–64, 77, 138, 167, 215, 260, 261, 262
Bogle, Donald, 177
Bon Jovi, 201
Born in the USA (Springsteen), 167, 171, 189, 193, 202–04, 248, 254
Bowie, David, 186, 204
Branca, John, 197–98
“Breakdown, The,” 276
Brown, James, 5, 26, 48, 56, 170, 205, 218, 224, 274–75
Brown, Jim, 103
Brown, Mark, 42, 63, 77, 129, 174, 240, 248, 260, 261, 262
C
Cabaret (film), 140
Calder, Clive, 161
Callahan, Maureen, 47
Camille, 255
Canby, Vincent, 175–76
Canton, Mark, 104, 105, 160
Cardenas, Mark, 213
Carey, Mariah, 269
“Case of You, A,” 4
Cavallo, Bob
Blinn as writer for Purple Rain and, 66, 67
bringing on Magnoli as director of Purple Rain, 67–71, 72, 73
editing Purple Rain and, 152–53, 153–54
end of work with Prince, 256
filming Purple Rain and, 90, 92, 113, 117, 139, 141, 143
funding for Purple Rain and, 66, 73–74, 102–06, 145
genesis of Purple Rain and, 52, 58–59, 66, 86
later career of, 263–64
on legacy of Purple Rain, 269
marketing and release planning and, 155–56, 159–60
1999 and, 44
Prince’s film work after Purple Rain and, 244–45, 255
as Prince’s manager, 31–32, 44, 52
Purple Rain tour and, 215–16
rough cut screening for Warner Bros. and, 145
script for Purple Rain and, 106, 114
success of Purple Rain and, 182, 188
Warner Bros. and, 158–59
on “We Are the World” fiasco, 233
work after Purple Rain tour and, 247
Champagne (band), 27–28
Chapman, Gayle, 33, 37–38
Cholodenko, Lisa, 62
Christgau, Robert, 31, 33–3
4
Clinton, Bill, 192
Clinton, George, 82
Coleman, David, 221
Coleman, Lisa
Around the World in a Day album and, 221, 222
background of, 38
“Computer Blue” and, 77
on filming Purple Rain, 21, 75, 84, 85, 91–92, 113, 129, 139
genesis of Purple Rain and, 54–55
later career of, 62, 255, 256, 260–61
Melvoin’s joining Revolution and, 61–63, 64, 65
Melvoin’s relationship with, 50, 62–63, 91, 95
musical influence on Prince from, 38
music for Purple Rain and, 78, 80, 81, 100–01, 226
on Prince, 45–46, 61, 79, 84, 223, 226, 227, 231, 238–39, 252
Prince’s relationship with, 226, 227, 255
on Prince’s relationship with his father, 87
on Prince’s relationship with Susannah, 94–95
promotional interviews for Purple Rain album with, 210–11
Purple Rain album and, 146, 163, 210
on Purple Rain movie release, 172, 173–74
Purple Rain role of, 86, 93, 112, 125, 127–28, 180
Purple Rain tour and, 216–17, 223, 242
as Revolution band member, 6, 38, 50, 261–62
on treatment of women in Purple Rain, 126
on “We Are the World,” 228, 231
work after Purple Rain tour and, 248, 252
Collins, Marva, 217–18, 231
Command, John, 4
“Computer Blue,” 4, 77, 95, 102, 120, 151, 169, 187
Connelly, Christopher, 212, 217
“Controversy,” 44, 61
Controversy, 10, 40–41, 42, 43, 54, 75, 196
Cooke, Sam, 36
“Cool” (the Time), 54
Coppola, Francis Ford, 66, 71
Crystal, Billy, 234
Crystal Ball, 255
Culture Club, 96
Cymone, André, 26–27, 35, 42
D
Daly, Bob, 105, 145, 155, 159
“Dance Electric” (Cymone), 42