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Growing up, my BFFs and I were huge fans of PRINCE. My Dad was not. No matter how I tried to change Dad’s mind about PRINCE with impressive facts like: PRINCE composes, produces, and plays every instrument on his albums; has a five octave range; riffs guitar like Jimi Hendrix; dances like James Brown and even has women in his band. Dad, a fine southern gentleman, could not get past PRINCE’S penchant for erotic lyrics, ass-revealing pants or his hi-cut speedos worn with thigh-high boots. PRINCE was too sexual for all our Dads which made him even more appealing to us. In fact, PRINCE’S music was the soundtrack of our teenage lives.

Our local $ theater showed Purple Rain for weeks and weeks one summer and every weekend we’d pack the house speaking the dialogue and singing every song. Purple Rain became our Rocky Horror Picture Show.

How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world that’s so cold
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father too bold

Our cheerleading squad won a UCA Championship performing to an old school remix of Little Red Corvette.

Believe it or not
I started to worry
I wondered if I had enough class
But it was Saturday night
I guess that makes it all right
And you say, Baby, have you got enough gas?

In a Lip Sync Battle for charity, I dressed as PRINCE and performed Let’s Go Crazy!

‘Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the after world
In this life
You’re on your own

My high school BFF and I often blasted Computer Blue while driving around town imagining we were members of the Revolution.

Wendy?
Yes Lisa
Is the water warm enough?
Yes Lisa
Shall we begin?
Yes Lisa

My friend, Sean, pop-locker extraordinaire, taught me the fluke (aka the prep) up in da club to Erotic City.

If we cannot make babies
Maybe we can make some time
Thoughts of pretty u and me
Erotic City come alive

There was always a packed dance floor at college parties when the DJ played Adore.

If God one day struck me blind
Your beauty I’d still see
Love is to weak to define
Just what you mean to me

And I don’t think my BFFs and I will ever forget the often weird debates we had with my Mom on just what the true definition of Purple Rain was…

Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only wanted to see you
Bathing in the purple rain

I was in a meeting when I heard the news that PRINCE had passed away. One of my oldest friends and a fellow PRINCE enthusiast called to tell me. I can’t remember much of anything that happened after that because I was in a purple haze but she sent me this photo of PRINCE she took last week at his concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. And because she’s cool like that she also sent me the MP3 of that concert, PRINCE’S last, which I will blast all weekend.

Rest in Peace, your Royal Highness, Rest in Peace.
PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016

Concert Photo courtesy of @aka487