More days of Happy: Prince

Being grateful for Prince:

He had me from the moment I first heard the guitar riff intro to When Doves Cry.

My 12 year old self was blown away as Prince exploded into the UK music charts and into the hearts of a generation.

I was absolutely besotted with him throughout my teens and it’s safe to say he’s had a place my heart ever since.

Everyone has their personal musical icon and Prince was mine: he was my dearly beloved.

Like so many of my generation, Prince’s music was the soundtrack of my adolescence and early adulthood.

I played his albums on continual loop: Sign O The Times, Parade, Purple Rain, LoveSexy and learnt a lot about love, sex, passion, race, gender, social consciousness and so much more through his honest, uncensored, and often downright dirty lyrics.

He also shaped my musical tastes for my lifetime, I’m still drawn to a sprinkling of blues, a big splash of funk, and a whole lot of soul.

As discussions pop up all over the globe about favourite Prince songs, off the top of my head, mine is When Doves Cry, oh and Forever In My Life, and not forgetting Adore, and 7… I really can’t pick just one.

And of course, I have to mention Purple Rain, Pop Life, Little Red Corvette, Anotherloverholenyohead, Kiss, If I was Your Girlfriend, Let’s Go Crazy, Girls & Boys, U Got The Look, – ummmm, ok, I think I better stop before I name every single track!! And then there’s all the incredible songs he wrote for others: Nothing Compares 2 U, Manic Monday, I Feel for You

If I could wind back time, I’d be there, front row at his Sign O the Times concerts… I cherished the video (and now the DVD) of the live performance and watched it over and over again.

I dug it out as soon as I heard of his death to enjoy it all over again. What a show, with so many iconic moments to love. But Forever in My Life always stands out for me: those drums…

I soooooooo badly wanted to be Sheila E – who inspired my (still unfulfilled) desire to play the drums – but would’ve happily settled for Sheena Easton, Cat, or anyone on the Sign O’ The Times tour really…

A few years later, I finally got my first chance to see my idol perform live.

It was the summer of 1992, and my sister and I went up to Manchester City Football Ground to see the Diamonds and Pearls tour – not my favourite album, but he still completely rocked it.

diamonds and pearls tour

I remember it was a blazing hot summer’s day and we sat outside the ground for hours waiting for the gates to open. When they finally did, we were ecstatic to grab a spot near the front and sat down on the grass to mark our territory. But as he show began, everyone surged to the front and there was a huge crush.

With the stifling heat and all the excitement, girls all around us started passing out and having to be hauled over the front barriers to safety by the burly security guards. Worried for my younger sister, we left our prime spot after a few songs  to watch from the sideline, where it was less crowded and much safer.

I clearly remember the moment Prince came on stage and he literally took my breath away.

And I was over the (cherry) moon [sorry!] to see him perform live again twenty years later.

He came to Sydney on his ‘Welcome to Australia’ tour. His incredible 3 hour set, performed on his ‘Love Symbol’ stage, filled with all the favourites and so many more.

prince sydney tour

The atmosphere was electric, our excitement palpable, and he didn’t disappoint (I was foolish to wonder if he still ‘had it’!): it felt like an incredible party we were all invited to, all 20,000 of us.

In fat, I screamed like an hysterical teenager, despite having just turned 40!

In my opinion, his stage presence is unrivalled. He is surely one of the greatest performers of all time, if not the greatest.

I feel incredible blessed to have been able to have witnessed his magic: he was utterly mesmerising, incredibly hypnotic, and unbelievably sexy.

A true icon.

Thank you Prince: Nothing Compares 2 U

Let your purple light shine on.

♡ ♔ ♡

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