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100 Essential Prince Moments: From High School Basketball to His Final 'Purple Rain' Performance

By Billboard Staff
4/25/2016
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Jordan Strauss/WireImage
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Prince, 1958-2016

On April 21, 2016, Prince died at age 57 in his native Minnesota. The restlessly creative, immeasurably talented, genre-blurring artist was an icon of rock, pop, R&B, funk and dance.

Without a doubt, his influence will be felt on the world for decades to come. In honor of the Purple One's impact, we're remembering the many eclectic moments, songs, albums and anecdotes that constitute Prince's life, legend and legacy.

By Billboard Staff
4/25/2016
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Artist Mentioned
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Prince Makes His Billboard Chart Debut

Recorded in 1977, Prince released his debut album, For You, in the spring of 1978. While impressive in the respect that wrote, composed and played every instrument on the album, there wasn't anything about the 33-minute LP to indicate the breadth of his genius quite yet. Regardless, the single "Soft and Wet" gave him his first Billboard chart appearance on Nov. 4, 1978 at No. 96 on the Hot 100 (it peaked at No. 92 that same month).

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'Prince' Album Drops in 1979

With his second album, 1979's self-titled Prince, Prince earned his first No. 1 hit on a Billboard chart thanks to the effervescent, deceptively simple "I Wanna Be Your Lover." It hit No. 1 on the chart now known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on Dec. 1, 1979. Prince, the album, became his first platinum LP.

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Dave Chappelle Does Prince

Prince's longstanding love for basketball (and pancakes) became a matter of public record thanks to an immortal sketch on Chappelle's Show featuring Chappelle as the Purple One. Prince later returned the favor by putting Chappelle-as-Prince on the cover of his single "Breakfast Can Wait."
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Pranking Apollonia in 'Purple Rain'

The most memorable non-music moment of the Purple Rain film is undoubtedly when Prince pranks Apollonia. During the outdoor scene, he orders her to "purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka" as a matter of initiation. Naturally, she hops into the lake they're standing next to. The only problem, which she learns as he speeds away on his purple motorcycle, is that the freezing lake she jumped into naked wasn't Lake Minnetonka.

Another Prince-related clip from the Strib archives, looking back at his hooping days at Bryant Junior High. pic.twitter.com/LrIQZ3LhSg

— Libor Jany (@StribJany) March 3, 2015
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Prince's Basketball Past

This photo of Prince in his basketball uniform in high school is pure magic -- as are the testimonials of those who played with him back in the day.
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'1999' Drops in 1982

While Dirty Mind was his first masterpiece, 1999 demonstrated the staggering breadth of his musical abilities. From hard funk to party pop to sensual R&B to sexual metaphor-laden balladry to mechanical synths to dancefloor anthems, 1999 found Prince doing -- and excelling at -- practically every musical style pertaining to after-hour pleasures.

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'Sign O' the Times' Drops in 1987

Whether he's daring to address AIDS before it was a safe topic for pop stars to tackle or experimenting with the then-nascent genre of hip-hop or confirming his peerless ability to write a heart-melting, pant-dropping ballad (see: "Adore"), Prince's 1987 double album Sign O' the Times confirmed he was one of pop, rock and R&B's all-time greats.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
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Prince & Beyonce

Almost as if christening Beyonce's ascendant solo career, Prince took the stage with her at the 2004 Grammys to perform "Purple Rain," "Baby I'm a Star," "Crazy in Love" and "Let's Go Crazy." Recalling the experience in a 2011 interview, even the almighty Beyonce admitted she was "terrified" to work with Prince.
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'Dirty Mind' Drops in 1980

With Prince's third album, Dirty Mind, he came into his own as a creative genius, solidified the Minneapolis sound (which would have a massive impact on the '80s) and delivered his first start-to-finish classic with a unified sonic vision. “Uptown,” “Head,” “When You Were Mine” and the title track are all immortal.

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Prince Addresses "Baltimore"

Politics were never the focus of Prince's music, but they regularly crop up throughout his catalog. Most recently, Prince -- inspired partly by the Black Lives Matter movement -- released "Baltimore," the rare protest song that doesn't shy away from the harsh truth (he mentions Michael Brown and Freddie Gray by name) but still attempts to maintain a hopeful tone for the future. 

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Prince Wins an Academy Award

When Prince won the best original song score Oscar (a now defunct category) in 1984 for Purple Rain, he was brief but memorable in his acceptance speech, thanking the Academy and God from beneath a shimmering purple hood, like some sort of musical Jedi master.
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The Love Symbol

Jokes about "the artist formerly known as Prince" followed him the rest of his life after he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable Love Symbol (created by melding the symbols for male and female gender) in 1993. Still, you have to give him props for the sheer brassiness of that move; you also have to give him credit for wisely abandoning that whim and returning to "Prince" later on.
Warner Bros./PhotoFest
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Working With Morris Day & The Time

Prince worked with a number of other acts throughout his life, fostering careers and outright creating new bands. His greatest creative success as a mentor was with Morris Day and The Time. While they appeared opposite Prince in Purple Rain (and later Graffiti Bridge) as his villainous, ridiculous rivals, in real life, they delivered multiple '80s funk classics, from their 1981 eponymous debut to 1982's What Time Is It? to 1984's Ice Cream Castles. While the Time were a ferocious live band -- Prince once called them “the only [opening act] that scared me” -- most of the instruments on their albums were played by Prince and Morris Day.

Courtesy of Warner
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'The Black Album' Debacle

The story behind Prince's legendary 1987 LP The Black Album is as good as the music itself. Confounding his record company by insisting on releasing the album while the Sign O’ the Times LP was still being promoted, Prince abruptly changed his mind and found himself repelled by the album’s negativity -- and ordered Warner Bros. to recall and destroy all copies of the album as it was about to be shipped to stores. (He agreed to shoulder the cost.) The label complied and Prince embarked on the far more positive Lovesexy project. 

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Prince Apologizes

In the music video for “Alphabet St.” from LoveSexy, his first album after The Black Album kerfuffle, the video can be paused at 0:27 right after Prince is shown holding a cane. You can see the words, "Don't buy The Black Album. I'm sorry" running vertically across the screen.

Warner/AP Images
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Prince Teams With Madonna

On her 1989 album Like a Prayer, Madonna teamed with Prince for the slow-grinding funk jam "Love Song" which, despite the title, "is not a long song" (according to the chorus). Rarely do two musical legends record together at the height of their powers.

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Prince's Less-Famous Contribution to 'Like a Prayer'

Fans of both artists know that Madonna and Prince duetted on "Love Song" from her 1989 classic Like a Prayer, but his additional contributions to the LP are less famous -- but no less essential. The fuzzy, chaotic guitar that opens "Like a Prayer" (and thus the album) just before the noise of a slamming door comes courtesy Prince. There is also, according to legend, a Prince-produced version of the song.

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Prince Stays Enigmatic on "Controversy"

The title track to his 1981 album Controversy found Prince teasing, embracing and laughing off the rumors his breakout album Dirty Mind started. As with all things Prince (and anyone who knows how to court public curiosity), Prince asks more questions than he answers on this semi-autobiographical song. But when the result is arguably the most perfect marriage of synthpop and funk ever, who needs answers?

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
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Prince Owns the Super Bowl

We're not saying Prince had the greatest Super Bowl halftime performance of all-time simply because he recently died -- we're saying it because it's 100 percent true. After all, it was Prince playing "Purple Rain" in the rain. What could be better than that?
KMazur/WireImage
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Rock Hall Induction

Prince speaks as he is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at The 19th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2004.
Prince/Twitter
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Prince's Tweets

Prince had an awkward relationship with the Internet -- he said it was “over” in 2010, but later clarified his remark to say he meant it was “over for anyone who wants to get paid.” Regardless, his first few tweets were classic Prince. The second simply read "Prince's 2nd tweet," and the third was a photo of a plate blanketed in pepper with the caption, "Did eye add 2 much pepper?" It didn't really make that much sense, but then again, that was the appeal of Prince's offbeat sense of humor.

Craig Blankenhorn/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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Slave 4 Warner Bros.

During his very public legal battle with Warner Bros., Prince appeared in public with the word "slave" written across his face to protest what he felt was the label holding him artistically hostage. Some thought it was genius commentary, others thought it was ridiculous, but everyone in 1993 was talking about it.
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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2008

Performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Prince wows the audience in a flowing white tunic featuring a beaded trim on April 26, 2008 in Indio, California.
FOX
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Prince Goes 'New Girl'

Prince’s love for Fox's New Girl landed him his very own episode. For Season 3’s 14th episode, simply titled “Prince,” actress Zooey Deschanel came face to face with the musical enigma and had the same freak-out reaction any mortal being would.

Kevin Winter/WireImage
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Prince

Prince speaks onstage during The 57th Annual Grammy Awards at the STAPLES Center on Feb. 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. 
Richie Aaron/Redferns.
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Prince & Sheila E.

Thanks to the quality of the Purple Rain album, Prince’s North American Purple Rain Tour was already set to be his best tour ever. But with protege (and lover) Sheila E. as his opener on the trek, and contributions from members of the Time and Apollonia 6, it became the stuff of legends.

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When He Sued His Fans

Prince & 3rd Eye Girl's "Fixurlifeup" music video.
Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock
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'Pretty Woman,' Ugly Vocals

In her breakout role in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts hilariously (and terribly) sang Prince’s “Kiss” in the bathtub while Richard Gere attempted to have a phone conversation.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for NPG Records 2011
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All the Moments He Scrapped In-the-Works Albums

While we know there will never be another new Prince album, fans can at least hold out hope that some of the genius' shelved albums (Dream Factory and the Camille project, for instance) will see official release. [Here's our detailed breakdown of some of his most legendary unreleased material.]

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Prince on 'The Arsenio Hall Show'

When the revamped Arsenio Hall Show made its return to small screens in 2013 for one season, Prince linked up with Arsenio Hall to book what would be his final talk show appearance. The afro’d rock star got candid about not having a cell phone, wanting to be a teacher and his pet peeves during a Q&A session with the audience. He also brought down the house with several performances alongside 3rdEyeGirl.
Courtesy Photo
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'LoveSexy' Drops in 1988

Prince had a habit of following flawless albums with mixed-bag affairs. Controversy succeeded Dirty Mind, Around the World in a Day came after Purple Rain, and LoveSexy trailed Sign O' The Times. Regardless, LoveSexy featured the classics "Alphabet St." and "Glam Slam" and gave us Prince's most memorable album cover ever.

Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
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Prince Gets Off Everyone at 1991 VMAs

Prince performs at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards held in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sept. 5, 1991. 
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"When Doves Cry" Is Prince's First No. 1

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That Time Prince, James Brown and Michael Jackson Jammed Together

Three musical greats came together in 1983 when James Brown, Michael Jackson and Prince took the stage together. While all three icons are probably having a jam session in the afterworld now, the trio stormed the stage during James Brown and B.B. King’s One Special Night event at Los Angeles’ Beverly Center. MJ, who was flying high off the release of Thriller, insisted James Brown bring Prince on stage. The young star grabbed a guitar, took his shirt off, did some fancy footwork and stole the show.
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Let's Go No. 1

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"Kiss" Goes No. 1

It's a testament to Prince's powers that for as familiar as "Kiss" is on the radio (and on dancefloors), it's never quite lost the punch contained within that one sprightly funk riff. It helps that his screamed-to-the-ceiling falsetto on the chorus is exactly the kind of Little Richard-esque insanity that few rockers can nail, though many have tried. In April 1986, "Kiss" became his third Hot 100 No. 1 hit.
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'Purple Rain' Goes No. 1 on Billboard 200

What can you say about Purple Rain that hasn't been said before? Not only was it one of the most flawless, rewarding and impressive albums of the '80s, it was also one of the decade's biggest. The soundtrack to his film reigned at No. 1 for 24 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Courtesy Photo
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'Around the World In a Day' Drops in 1985

While hardly as strong as predecessor Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day features two of his most immaculate pop compositions: "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life," both of which demand obsessive listening. The psychedelic-inflected pop album was his second No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

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Prince Meets Batman

After Adam West's camp king Batman but before Christopher Nolan's brooding Dark Knight, Tim Burton split the difference between the two extremes with his 1989 film. For the accompanying soundtrack, Prince created music that helped underline the menace of Gotham with the inherent absurdity of a man in a bat costume. In addition to the soundtrack topping the Billboard 200, “Batdance” was an improbable No. 1 hit.

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'Batman' Spurs "Partyman"

Prince also created "Partyman” for Batman, a single that gave us 1) that scene in the movie where Jack Nicholson awkwardly attempts to dance to a Prince song and 2) a music video featuring Prince in Joker makeup. In hindsight, it's hard to say which was weirder.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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Prince at the 2013 BBMAs

Prince performs onstage during the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nev.  
Courtesy Photo
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songs-written-by-other-artists-manic-monday-billboard-500x500

Beyond his own smashes, Prince wrote the pure-pop "Manic Monday," which became the Bangles' debut Hot 100 hit, reaching No. 2 on April 19, 1986 (30 years and two days before his passing). Prince recorded the song in 1984 as a duet for the band Apollonia 6's self-titled set; after pulling it, he offered it to the Bangles under the pseudonym "Christopher," aka, a character he played in the 1986 movie Under the Cherry Moon. That year, Prince played the song live twice: Once during a guest spot in L.A. with the Bangles, and in Europe on his final tour with the Revolution -- with Wendy singing lead.

Michel Linssen/Redferns
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"Nothing Compares 2 U"

"Nothing Compares 2 U" was originally written for The Family, one of many Prince svengali acts, featuring former Time members Paul Peterson and Jellybean Johnson, along with future Prince bandmembers Eric Leeds and Mico Weaver, as well as Wendy Melvoin’s twin sister (and Prince paramour) Susannah. Their 1985 album went nowhere and the group split up after one show, but the song became a global smash when revived five years later by Sinead O’Connor. The song did even better than "Manic," crowning the Hot 100 for four weeks in 1990, beginning its reign (in a sad coincidence) on April 21, 1990, exactly 26 years before Prince died. Prince soon reclaimed the song, performing it on his 1990 Nude tour and frequently throughout the following years -- a 1992 live version, featuring singer/keyboardist Rosie Gaines, was released as a single from his Hits collection (and rose to No. 62 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1994).

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The "Cream" Video

Whether he's humping his guitar, fleeing rabid fans a la A Hard Day's Night or licking whipped cream off a babe's finger, Prince is in top form in the video for "Cream," his final Hot 100 No. 1 on Nov. 9, 1991. The best moment, however, is the opening segment, where a model complains to her dumpy businessman boyfriend, "I just want to go to Minneapolis," to which he responds, "What is that, a Greek restaurant?"
Leni Sinclair/Getty Images
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When Prince Met Bob Marley

According to Gavin Edwards' book Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?, Bob Marley's manager Don Taylor attempted to get the reggae icon and Prince to work together, but Prince's fashion offended Marley's machismo: '"When we called on Prince, he met us in this skimpy leopard g-string undergarment, which immediately aroused Bob’s Jamaican macho feelings, and so our stay was as brief as Prince’s g-string and Bob’s discomfort was shown all over his face," Taylor explained.

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'Musicology' Drops in 2004

After a few years of hit-and-miss material, Prince returned to the music that inspired him -- party-starting funk -- for his 2004 LP Musicology, arguably his finest 21st century album. The title track finds him looking back on his catalog while extolling the virtues of live bands over DJs, singing atop one of the most irresistible funk riffs of his entire career. Another stunner is "Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance," the hilarious story of a sugar mama who "knew which fork to use, but she couldn't dance," and the hired arm candy who "hipped her to the funk in exchange for the finance."

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'3121' Drops in 2006

Another late career gem is his album 3121. Not only did it become his first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but it gave him his final appearance on the Hot 100 within his lifetime (the funky "Black Sweat" reached No. 60).

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Prince's Assets

Men embracing sensuality on camera has become the norm in pop music these days, but back in the '80s, it was a huge risk in a culture obsessed with strict adherence to masculine, heterosexual norms. It started with Dirty Mind, but when Prince posed stomach-down on a bed for his 1999 album art, his eyes smoldering while his ass curved suggestively upward from beneath silky sheets, it was fearless and shocking. Nearly two decades later, Missy Elliott was still talking about its unequaled power on her 2002 album Under Construction.

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Prince Explains Yanking Prince From the Internet

Virginia Turbett/Redferns
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"Sister," Prince

Prince photographed in Amsterdam in 1981. 
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Shutting Down Maroon 5

Like David Bowie, who wasn’t afraid to turn down collaborations, Prince wasn’t afraid to tell artists when they did wrong by his songs. Maroon 5 covered “Kiss” as a bonus track on Overexposed, but removed it from the deluxe edition when Prince didn’t approve.

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Two Concurrent No. 1 Albums

In Oct. 2014, Prince earned two concurrent No. 1 debut albums when Art Official Age crowned Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and Prince & 3rdEyeGirl's Plectrumelectrum hit No. 1 on Top Rock Albums.

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Kicking Kim Kardashian Off the Stage

At a 2011 concert at Madison Square Garden, Prince invited Kim Kardashian onstage to dance with him. Not much of a dancer, Kim just sort of stood there for a half-minute before Prince finally barked, “Get off the stage.”
Tim Roney/Getty Images
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Paisley Park

While most musicians and stars move away from their hometown when they hit it big, Prince never abandoned his beloved Minneapolis. Building his Xanadu-esque complex Paisley Park in Chanhassen, MN, Prince stayed close to his roots and frequently hosted parties, concerts and movie screenings in his abode.
Disney
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Prince Fired Questlove

Questlove is basically the coolest musician DJ anyone can score for their party...unless you’re Prince. The Roots drummer revealed (via a hilarious animated clip) that the Purple One once fired him from a DJ gig at the last minute and replaced Questo’s music curation skills with a DVD of Pixar’s Finding Nemo.

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Hump Day

As if “Darling Nikki” wasn't dirty enough on its own merits, Prince compulsively humped a speaker to the song’s orgiastic synth climax in the 1984 film Purple Rain.

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Recording "Purple Rain"

Prince was so talented, and such an effective bandleader, that the iconic recording of "Purple Rain" we all know front-to-back is actually a live recording of the song. Even more impressive: It was the first time Prince and the Revolution had ever played the song on stage. Even more impressive: It was the Revolution's first show with Wendy Melvoin in the band. While Alan Light details some post-show edits they made to the song in his amazing book Let's Go Crazy, he says the LP version of the song is "98 percent" live.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
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Redecorating a Rental House

At one point, Prince rented a house from Chicago Bulls’ player Carlos Boozer and redecorated it to his particular tastes. Allow Boozer’s friend and former teammate Jay Williams to tell the story (as told to ESPN): "Supposedly, Prince changed the front gate to the Prince sign, he changed the master bedroom to a hair salon, he changed the streaming blue waters that led to the front door to purple water, he knocked out walls, he changed the molding on top of the ceiling. Booz was livid. So pissed off, so angry ... He put his Purple Rain stamp on it ... Booz was like, 'I was getting ready to go over there and beat this little man down.' And dude was just like 'Here, Boozer, here is a little check for about a million, it'll take care of everything, get it back the way you want it.' And Booz was like, 'This little man is cool as hell.'"

Courtesy Photo
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prince-2014-press-billboard-650

After a very public battle with former label Warner Bros. in the ‘90s, Prince returned to the label in 2014, regaining ownership over classic titles like Dirty Mind and Purple Rain in the process. Warner Bros. and Prince’s NPG label teamed up to release Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age on Sept. 30, 2014.

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Creating the Camille Character

In the mid ‘80s, Prince created his “Camille” character by speeding up his vocals. He even recorded an album he intended to release under his alter ego’s name, but as with so many Prince albums, the project was cancelled before it was released. Some of the reworked tracks would end up on Sign O' the Times.

Courtesy of ABC
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Revealing His Real Hair

After years of perms, Prince went natural and revealed his unadorned afro on The View.

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
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Minnesota Twins' Target Field

A memorial for Prince on the video board outside Target Field on April 21, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minn.
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Prince the Ventriloquist

In one beautifully bizarre scene from Purple Rain, Prince acted out a petulant disagreement with real-life Revolution bandmates Wendy & Lisa. Instead of arguing with them, he demonstrated his (fairly impressive) ventriloquism skills by ignoring Wendy & Lisa and talking to a weird little puppet instead. 

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'Creep' at Coachella

Playing Coachella in 2008, Prince did versions of hits from the Beatles, Sarah McLachlan and the B-52’s. But no one remembers those moments, because his 8-minute reimagining of Radiohead’s “Creep” stands as one of his finest covers ever. While Prince’s music remains mainly offline, Thom Yorke made sure this cover is where it belongs: On YouTube for the entire world to see.
Allen Beaulieu
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This Poster

The pull-out-poster included in Prince’s Controversy album shows the lithe young star posing nearly naked (he’s just wearing a Speedo) in the shower, dripping in water with a crucifix randomly affixed to the wall behind him. It’s Pure Prince: Sex, God and… well, those were pretty much his two big concerns in life. 

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Starfish & Muppets

In 1997, Prince teamed up with The Muppets to pay homage to his favorite meal -- breakfast -- by singing the Sign O’ the Times classic “Starfish & Coffee” on Muppets Tonight.
Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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Item 68 of 100

Bob Seger Inspires "Purple Rain"

In Alan Light's wonderful book Let's Go Crazy, he details how Bob Seger inadvertently inspired Prince to write "Purple Rain." Prince was somewhat confounded by the success of Seger, leading his keyboardist, Matt Fink, to opine that Seger's success relied on his sing-along power ballads. Perhaps seeing that as a challenge, Prince wrote "Purple Rain" in that vein.

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Item 69 of 100

That Scream

His ability to scream, demonstrated by this compilation track of Prince's yelps and wails, was second only to Little Richard.
Sherry Rayn Barnett /Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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Item 70 of 100

Joni Mitchell's Prince Story

This story from Joni Mitchell about her history with a pre-fame Prince, as told to New York Magazine, is priceless: "Prince attended one of my concerts in Minnesota. I remember seeing him sitting in the front row when he was very young. He must have been about 15. He was in an aisle seat and he had unusually big eyes. He watched the whole show with his collar up, looking side to side. You couldn’t miss him -- he was a little Prince-ling. Prince used to write me fan mail with all of the U’s and hearts that way that he writes."

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Item 71 of 100

Fred Armisen Does Prince on 'Saturday Night Live'

On Saturday Night Live’s recurring sketch “Prince Show,” Fred Armisen’s Prince demonstrated what would happen if the Purple One had a talk show. Here, watch Prince have an allergy attack (it involves a lot of singing and purple tissues).
Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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Item 72 of 100

Change of Faith

After friend and fellow funk legend Larry Graham helped bring Prince to identify as a Jehovah's Witness, Prince decided some material he'd written in the past -- including the iconic "Darling Nikki" -- was too dirty to perform in good conscience. Similarly, Prince kept a swear jar later in life and would fine those around him for taking the Lord's name in vain.

Prince totally clowning Fred Armisen is perfect. pic.twitter.com/0lXXXty0la

— Zach Kelly (@ZachWKelly) April 22, 2016
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Item 73 of 100

Prince Trolls Fred Armisen

Years later, Armisen shared the tale of his brief interaction with Prince on Howard Stern's radio show. Armisen said he approached Prince -- who was eating -- at an SNL after party to tell him how great his music was. Prince replied, “You know what I think is great? This mac n’ cheese.”
Michael Putland/Getty Images
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Item 74 of 100

Helping Out Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks revealed that Prince showed up in the studio while she was recording her No. 5 Hot 100 hit "Stand Back" in the early '80s, put down about 25 minutes of "brilliant" work on synthesizer, and then walked out. According to Nicks, the song "belongs" to Prince.

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Item 75 of 100

Using a Golden Globe to Cover Up a Burn Mark

Prince earned a Golden Globe for his musical contribution to the CGI penguins movie Happy Feet, which he put to good use in the ensuing years. According to a former butler, Prince later placed the award strategically in a room to cover up "a burn mark from a candle." That's Midwest ingenuity.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
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Item 76 of 100

The Prince & Kendrick Collab That Almost Was

As much as he stayed out of the public eye, Prince never stopped paying attention to music that mattered. A Kendrick Lamar fan, Prince almost sang on the studio version of To Pimp a Butterfly's “Complexion (A Zulu Love),” but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. “We just ran out of time, it's as simple as that,” Lamar explained.

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Item 77 of 100

“Gotta Stop (Messin’ About)" Drops in 1981

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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Item 78 of 100

"Erotic City" Drops in 1984

Prince performs live at the Fabulous Forum on Feb. 19, 1985 in Inglewood, Calif. 

The man behind the music: @VanJones68 talks #Prince + his inspired vision for #YesWeCode https://t.co/gnT9ntihNr pic.twitter.com/SF1T7NajjU

— yeswecode (@yeswecode) April 22, 2016
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Item 79 of 100

Van Jones Details Prince's Philanthropic Efforts

While his religion and natural shyness prevented Prince from publicizing his philanthropic works, friend and social justice collaborator Van Jones made a revelatory appearance on CNN following Prince's death. Jones, who went from working with Obama to working with Prince, explains that Prince helped start the #YesWeCode initiative that got "15 major tech companies working with kids in the hood, getting them ready for Silicon Valley jobs." Prince was also the silent financial backer of Green for All; according to Jones, "There are people that have solar panels on their house right now that they don’t know Prince paid for."
Courtesy of Tidal
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Item 80 of 100

Switching to Tidal

Never content to let his contentious relationship with the Internet cool off, Prince yanked his material from every streaming service, except from the artist-centric Tidal, in the summer of 2015.
Ron Wolfson/WireImage
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Item 81 of 100

Writing "Nasty Girl" for Vanity 6

In 1982, Prince gave one of his filthiest songs to Vanity 6, the girl group trio he formed in 1981 (the "6" refers to the number of breasts in the group. So...yeah). "Nasty Girl" features some of his most explicit songwriting: "It’s been a long time since I had a man that did it real good / If you ain’t scared, take it out / I’ll do it like a real live nasty girl should." Much like Prince and "Darling Nikki," vocalist Vanity would later distance herself from the song for religious reasons.

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Item 82 of 100

Prince Plays With Amy Winehouse

In 2007, Prince joined Amy Winehouse on stage during “Love Is a Losing Game” to pair his peerless guitar skills with her soulful voice.
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Item 83 of 100

His Purple Motorcycle

The motorcycle, a recurrent symbol of masculine rebellion, was an essential part of the Purple Rain film. Whether he’s picking up his paramour and leaving his rival flailing in an alley or speeding down the highway while “Take Me With U” plays, its presence in the film is indelible.


Mary J. Blige & Prince - Nothing Compares 2 U... by FerrellSouza
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Item 84 of 100

Prince Duets With Mary J. Blige

At the 2012 iHeart Radio Music Festival, two giants took the stage together to trade vocals on one of the most heartbreaking songs of all time when Prince and Mary J. Blige duetted on "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Robert Whitman
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Item 85 of 100

His First Photoshoot

In 1977, 19-year-old Prince Rogers Nelson met with 26-year-old photographer Robert Whitman for his first photoshoot. This shot was taken outside the Schmitt Music Company in downtown Minneapolis. 

 

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Item 86 of 100

Cyndi Lauper Sings "When You Were Mine"

After Sinead O’Connor, no one’s Prince cover compares to Cyndi Lauper’s full-bodied take on “When You Were Mine” from her iconic debut She’s So Unusual. Her piercing scream at 2:40 made her version of the song as essential to the pop music canon as his original.
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Item 87 of 100

Prince as Bryant Gumbel

Let us never forget the time Prince appeared on the Today show dressed up like Bryant Gumbel, as per his oblique sense of humor.

Jimmy with Prince!!!!!! @jimmyfallon @nbcsnl #SNL40 pic.twitter.com/GG8vpt0x8Q

— Jessie Fant ?? (@fessiejant) February 16, 2015
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Item 88 of 100

"Dearly Inebriated"

At the SNL 40 after party, Prince made a surprise appearance onstage with Este Haim, Maya Rudolph (who has a Prince cover band Princess), Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock for an impromptu jam session on "Let's Go Crazy." 

We weren't supposed to use phones at Prince in ATL last week, but I couldn't resist. Last performance of Purple Rain pic.twitter.com/6FjkJTksJO

— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) April 21, 2016
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Item 89 of 100

His Final Concert

On April 14, 2016 in Atlanta, Prince played his final concert, and performed "Purple Rain" publicly for the final time. Even with a bare-bones set-up (the tour was appropriately titled Piano & a Microphone), fans -- including Janelle Monae -- reported Prince was as knockout as ever on stage.
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Item 90 of 100

The Lyrics to "Little Red Corvette"

“Little Red Corvette” boasts one of the best sexual metaphors of all time: “I guess I must be dumb / 'Cause you had a pocket full of horses / Trojan, and some of them used.”
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Item 91 of 100

LL Cool J Samples Prince

LL Cool J’s 1985 debut Radio hosted one of hip-hop’s earliest Prince samples via the Rick Rubin-produced “Dangerous,” which weaved in the Purple One’s “Irresistible Bitch,” the B-side to “Let’s Pretend We’re Married."
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Item 92 of 100

Beyonce Sings Prince on "03 Bonnie & Clyde"

Before Beyonce and Jay Z ran the world as a power couple, the Carters delivered their first duet with “03 Bonnie & Clyde,” which not only sampled the late Tupac’s “Me and My Girlfriend,” but featured Queen Bey paying homage to Prince by singing “If I Was Your Girlfriend."
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Item 93 of 100

"Donald Trump (Black Version)"

Prince co-wrote (and contributed vocals to) a Morris Day & the Time sex jam in 1990. This historical curiosity postulated that the ultimate man any woman could want would be Donald Trump, but black, with "Donald Trump (Black Version)." Whether it's meant as satire or in earnest (or somewhere in between) is for the listener to decide, but the fact that the chorus is simply "Donald Trump – black version" should give you a clue.

Prince - Raspberry Beret (Video Ufficiale - 1985) by marcovnp
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Item 94 of 100

Pat Smear's Prince Music Video Cameo

Rock legend Pat Smear -- formerly of Germs and Nirvana and currently in Foo Fighters -- was an enormous Prince fan, so much that he auditioned to be an extra in the "Raspberry Beret" video. As Dave Grohl tells the story, "He gets there, and everyone has to do a synchronized dance. Pat can’t dance. So he got cut. They sent him home. He starts walking down the hallway and hears, 'Hey you!' He turns around and there’s a big bodyguard standing next to Prince. And Prince whispers in the bodyguard’s ear. The bodyguard says, 'You can stay. He likes your hair.'"

Prince covers Bowie: Heroes.
Via: https://t.co/MZYALPxJVa pic.twitter.com/Zj41J4h4Gh

— Housequake (@housequakecom) March 27, 2016
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Item 95 of 100

Prince Plays Bowie in Tribute

Following David Bowie’s death, Prince covered “Heroes” for the fallen rock hero.
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Item 96 of 100

Alicia Keys Covers Prince

Alicia Keys covered “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” on her debut album Songs In A Minor. Immediately following his death, she played the song in homage to him in concert.
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Item 97 of 100

Prince Gets Lit on 'Saturday Night Live'

Despite performing a set of mostly unknown songs on the notoriously difficult Saturday Night Live stage in 2014, Prince's scorching 8-minute performance (with 3rdEyeGirl and Lianne la Havas) was easily one of the best SNL musical appearances of the 21st century.
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Item 98 of 100

Recording With Miles Davis

The extremely hard to please Miles Davis was an avowed Prince fan, and Prince composed several songs for the jazz giant in the later years of his career. The Purple One and the Kind of Blue mastermind even teamed up on the unreleased ‘80s track “Can I Play With U?” It’s not a lost masterpiece, but it is a fascinating document of two iconoclasts working in tandem.
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Item 99 of 100

When Prince Met Dick Clark

Prince, 21 at the time but claiming to be 19, made an appearance on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand to perform his breakthrough hit “I Wanna Be Your Lover” in 1980. Although he lip-synched it (a common practice for TV performances at the time), it’s still impossibly compelling and sexy. Additional hilarity: When Dick Clark interviewed him after the song, Prince responded to one question by holding up four fingers like a shy child instead of simply saying the word “four.”

"Long reign the purple and gold."

Thanks for everything, Prince. You'll be missed.

LISTEN: https://t.co/pl1G0i8orw pic.twitter.com/yDYcgjQgeo

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 22, 2016
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Item 100 of 100

Writing an Anthem for the Minnesota Vikings

He was a monster on the basketball court and “Little Red Corvette” was a staple for the Minnesota Twins, but Prince left his mark on the football field, too. In 2010, he penned the fight song “Purple and Gold” for his hometown team -- an inevitable collaboration, considering the importance of purple to both the NFL team and the musical genius.
By Billboard Staff
4/25/2016
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