"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 afterworld.
A world of never ending happiness.
You can always see the sun, day or night."
-Prince (Let's Go Crazy)
Purple Rain was the first record (yes, vinyl) that I owned, and I played it incessantly. From that album to Hit n Run Phase Two, the last of his released within his lifetime, Prince's music has been a soundtrack for much of my life. As such, I was beyond excited to visit his 65,000 square foot residence, Paisley Park, during my trip to Minnesota.
Stage at Paisley Park
Paisley Park is located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, which is about 20 miles from Minneapolis. The former residence of Prince Rogers Nelson, who was born and raised in Minnesota, is now a museum, open to the public for tours.
Inside the estate, you will find everything you would in a normal residence (kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms etc), plus a state-of-the-art recording studio and a concert venue. Though not all rooms are open for touring, and photography is limited to very few spaces on the property, what I was able to photograph and will share, will hopefully give you a taste of Paisley Park and the musical genius, Prince.
My love for Prince is largely rooted in his multi-dimensional talent. The artist not only wrote almost all of his own music, he also wrote hits for other artists including Chaka Khan, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Stevie Nicks, The Bangles and Sinéad O'Connor. His music incorporated a breadth of styles including R&B, rock, funk, pop, soul, jazz, blues and hip hop.
Love Symbol #2
Prince was also an innovative, defiant, savvy, cunning and brilliant businessman. In fact, he was one of the greatest innovators of the music business in the last century. In 1993, when Prince changed his name to the unpronounceable symbol, photographed above, many derided the decision as crazy or ridiculous.
88 Keys to Emancipation (Custom Schimmel Pegasus Grand Piano)
Not so. Prince intentionally and cleverly changed his name as a way to undermine his contract with Warner Bros., comparing his contractual obligations to them with slavery and performing with the word "SLAVE" written on his face in protest. While Warner Bros. owned the name "Prince" and all the music marketed under that name, they did not own any rights to the new symbol he assumed as his name.
It was not until 2000, when his contract expired, that Prince went back to using his given name. This custom, fiberglass piano was used by Prince in his 1999 New Year's Eve milestone concert that marked the end of his contractual obligations with Warner Bros. The piano itself is a work of art. It was custom built as one continuous piece and has an electric, hydraulic pump that raises and lowers the lid.
Prince was gifted at playing the piano as well as 26 other instruments. He also had a vocal range spanning four octaves. You can hear his lower pitches in the song Beautiful, Loved and Blessed and his falsetto in one of my favorite Prince songs, Adore. If that isn't enough to convince you that he may just have been the greatest musical talent of his generation, during one week in 1984, Prince actually held the top spot for album, single and film.
Motorcycle Used By Prince in Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge
Speaking of film, here is an iconic article from two of Prince's films. The motorcycle pictured above was originally purple, as you may remember from Prince's first film, Purple Rain. It was later painted black for use in his second movie, Graffiti Bridge.
Over his career, Prince made at least 19 movies, with Purple Rain being his most famous. The movie was made with a rather paltry budget of about 7 million dollars, yet it grossed over 70 million dollars worldwide. His subsequent movies like Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge did not do quite as well. (Fun fact: Under the Cherry Moon was British actress, Kristen Scott Thomas' first role.)
2006 Bentley Continental GT
Prince's influence on culture was prolific. He not only impacted culture through his music but also through business. This Robin Egg Blue Continental was part of Prince's joint venture with Bentley.
Prince was also a fashion icon. One of my favorite parts of the Paisley Park tour was a peek into his closet, where photography wasn't allowed. In it, you could not only view Prince's clothing, but also over 300 pairs of his custom-made boots with a heel, worn and scuffed from hours of dancing.
Basketball Court at Paisley Park
Prince wore those shoes just about everywhere, but for when he played basketball on the courts at Paisley Park. Despite his smaller stature, I learned the Prince was quite the talented basketball player and an avid fan.
I Wanna Be Your Lover and Kiss
I could gush endlessly about this artist, but instead, I'll let you watch footage that I collected of private concerts that Prince performed at Paisley Park and public concerts elsewhere.
U Got the Look
2007 Super Bowl XLI Performance
Raspberry Beret and Paisley Park
Over the course of his career, Prince released "39 studio albums, four movie soundtrack albums, four live albums, six compilation albums, 136 music videos, 13 EPs, and 104 singles. According to the website for the Recording Industry of America, Prince has sold 20.5 million albums in the U.S. alone. He received seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for Purple Rain." (University of Minnesota, School of Music) His music touched my life and my visit to Paisley Park touched my heart.
That concludes this series on Minnesota. I hope to return to see more of the state sometime in the future. See you soon with more travel destinations.
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