A Tribute to Prince

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. 

Electric word life, it means forever, and that's a mighty long time. But i'm here to tell you, there's something else: the after world. 

A world of never-ending happiness. You can always see the sun, day or night.

As most of you know, I am a huge Prince fan. He is something of an idol to me, because he was always so, unapologetically, Prince. When I heard today that he had died, it hit me really hard. I've never been one to take celebrity deaths to heart, but I spent a good part of today sobbing over the loss of a genius.

Because thats exactly what Prince was, a genius. He was an artist in the purest sense, and he inspired millions of people around the world. He completely changed music, and he pushed boundaries farther than most other artists would have ever dared.

Don't believe me? Think about this: Before Prince, how many young men would walk around in tight pants and lifted shoes? How many other men would dare to wear eyeliner, and hit high notes? Before Prince, R&B was mostly love songs and "baby making music." Prince incorporated raw sexuality into his songs, like Darling Nikki and Little Red Corvette. His explicit lyrics didn't just promote a healthy sex life. For example, in P***y Control, he praised a woman who was independent and made money for herself, one who didn't fall in love with a man just because he had money. It's because of Prince's suggestive lyrics that we even have a parental advisory warning on albums now. 

Prince also played multiple instruments. In fact, he played every instrument on his debut album, 27 total. He played guitar on Madonna's album, Like a Prayer, and even taught himself how to play different instruments, like the harp, if it could be used in a song. He wrote his own songs, and wrote for multiple other artists (Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U?" Alicia Keys's "How Come You Don't Call Me?" Stevie Nicks's "Stand Back?" All written by Prince) Plus, have you ever heard the guitar solo in Purple Rain? Pure art.

Prince used his fame to speak about the things that bothered him, such as the meat industry, and the death of Freddie Grey in Baltimore last year. When Warner Bro's fought for artistic control (and Prince's name), Prince changed his name to an unpronoucable symbol (often reffered to as "the purple rain symbol", or "the love symbol"), like the sassmaster he is. 

The world will never know another quite like Prince. He was an inspiration. Rest easy, Purple One. The doves are crying for you.