Prince (1958-2016): 'Magnetic, indelible, incendiary'
Prince, the genre-defying, multi-Grammy-winning musician, has died at the age of 57.
Here, Vivek Venkatesh, an associate professor in Concordia’s Department of Education, and Joshua Rager, an assistant professor in the Department of Music, discuss the artist’s transcendent impact and legacy.
‘An indelible and unique sound'
Vivek Venkatesh: One of the things that always stood out for me was his songwriting and the virtuosity of his playing — the fact that he could compose in such a variety of genres of rock and pop music and create some really memorable songs.
As a youngster who was really into punk and then metal — someone who was into the dirty side of music — I would always go back to Prince, especially the Purple Rain soundtrack — just to understand how songwriting can be so effective.
Josh Rager: I first heard Prince (along with everyone else my age) when Purple Rain was released. Another record of his that I listened to quite a bit was his soundtrack for Batman.
Unbeknownst to many of us in the 80s, we were all listening to songs by Prince that he wrote for other bands under the pseudonym "Christopher." For example, "Manic Monday" by the Bangles was also a Prince song.
VV: It's deceptively simple, the way he writes. And yet he commands this particular energy in his songs that I think is unparalleled. The closest person I can think of is David Bowie.
His guitar work is absolutely incendiary. I know that's what's drawn a lot of metalheads to him. A number of metal bands have been flooding their Facebook pages with messages about Prince being an influence. You know you're not going to be as good as him, but you want to be able to follow that kind of ethos.
JR: It's very difficult to put your finger on Prince. He wrote prolifically and his music had an indelible and unique sound. One can easily identify a song penned by Prince even if it isn't being performed by him. And yet it's really difficult to know why.
The roots of Black American music, including R&B are apparent in some of his grooves, but his melodies and harmonies are all pop and rock.
‘He helped me discover new genres’
VV: Later on, it was his experimentation. Prince is someone who helped me discover new genres of music, and so that was a big deal for me.
As somebody who flips between electronic music, extreme metal and Latin salsa, there's such a gamut of things I can learn about how those kinds of music are put together from listening to him.
'A point of reflection'
VV: The third and most important thing for me is what Prince did to expose issues of diversity in the music scene, whether it was around race, or sexual and gender identities.
As much as he was mocked for changing his name to a symbol, this was a person who could get people to converse about social and political issues of import.
Sex is still considered a taboo topic in a lot of cultures. But Prince just brought that to the fore, without being vulgar about it. He could be so classy and be so filthy at the same time.
Prince was a point of reflection for a lot of us. It's rare to have such a magnetic personality in the entertainment world that followed his own rules.
JR: I think we're going to be left trying to figure him out for a while. He's definitively going to be remembered for his entirely unique way of blending American culture and music. He also stood up to a major record label at a time when artists were especially poorly treated.
Josh's favourite three Prince songs:
- "Purple Rain" for the groove and pop hooks
- "Manic Monday" (performed by the Bangles), an example of songwriting for others
- "The Arms of Orion" (from Batman), a beautiful forgotten 80s ballad
The year the music died? Read what Concordia expert Craig Morrison had to say about the legacy of David Bowie.
