by Amanda Flinner

"I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do," the singer's father, John Nelson, said in a 1991 interview. He was the leader of The Prince Rogers Trio, a Jazz group that gained some notoriety playing gigs around the Midwest but soon felt his dream slipping way under the responsibilities of family life. But the young Prince would prove more than capable of taking over the throne.

Starting with his debut album For You in 1978, Prince made a career out of spinning daringly sexual lyrics with a unique blend of Funk, Rock, Pop, R&B and New Wave, dubbed the "Minneapolis sound" after his hometown. To date, he has released over 30 albums and four films, including his 1984 classic Purple Rain.

The flamboyant artist known for his penchant for purple and disdain for the media was hailed as both a musical genius and a bizarre sideshow performer. Can you separate fact from the fiction?

Prince Songfacts

---

More Fact or Fiction

Comments: 17

• Scoid from Here.We booed him off the stage because he sucked and his band sucked too. It wasn’t anything else. We didn’t care what people wore, what race they were, their sexual orientation, or anything else. We just loved good music and hated bad music. He was horrible. If you weren’t there, you don’t know. Cheap licks, poor tone and lyrics a 10 year old could write. He sucked.
• Jaye from Georgiagot them all right, the "the artist" question didn't fool me, it wasn't prince's favorite tag by a long shot, and a giraffe in minn, lmao, i remember very well the MTV period when they wouldn't play black artists, jackson's record company threatened to pull every single one of their companies artists vids if they didn't play michae,
• Bob Phillips from Stratford, CtFact: Prince was one of the great guitarists of the rock era.
• Sainvol from Aurora, CoI would love to know which 10+ instruments he played on that album. First off, keyboards and synths are the same thing, finger cymbals are not an instrument, even still 10+..? I am calling BS
• Beeul from EarthA real "artiste" wacko and unpredictable. Huge ego, introvert, but exhibitionist. I don't think Prince ever really figured out who or what he really wanted to be, he was an experimenter.
• Jt from LouisianaThanks for letting me go back to some great memories.
• Jo! from Chicago, IlI didn't think the Symbol/Artist question was a trick at all. PEOPLE in general named him The Artist because there was no pronunciation for the name HE CHANGE TO, which was O(+>. He even showed everyone how to type it when he appeared on Oprah.
• Jo! from Chicago, IlThis quiz was 2 EASY 4 hardcore Prince fans like me! Love4OneAnother!!
• Dusty from Akron, OhioCool
• Rockman from YonkersMusic for the Batman film: Danny Elfman did the orchestral soundtrack, Prince did any songs that appear in the movie. So your question is kind of vague.
• Lb from MinnesotaI got the "artist" question wrong too... I also think it was a trick question!!
• Pat from St. Paul, Mn12 out of 13 (I didn't think he wrote most of the "Batman" music). Of course it helps that I live in the Twin Cities and I'm a fan. The local media talks about Prince frequently so I hear all the minute details of his life.
• Aisling from Moody, AlI guessed "Fiction" for the Scientology question because I thought Prince would never worship anyone other than himself. And I agree with James; the one about "The Artist" was a trick question.
• Ag Wicker from Montreal, CanadaWas not a major fan of Prince, until I took a trip to New Jersey in 2004 to catch the MUSICOLOGY TOUR. Every thing stopped when he went solo & acoustic on his big hit songs. Prince didn't need the big production on his best stuff. BLEW MY MIND.
• Karen from Manchester, NhI only got 3 wrong (and one was because I misread it). I knew the last question because my husband was actually THERE & told me about it. He said that he felt so bad for Prince, because he WAS good (my husband did not "boo", incidentally), and wonders how many of those boo-ers, after "Purple Rain" hit it so big, went around saying how they've "always been fans".
• Suzanne Hall from Menifeefact....prince is short
• James from Vidalia, Ga7 out of 13. With more thought I would have gotten about 2 more right. The symbol/"The Artist" question was a trick question dadgumit!

Editor's Picks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

More Songfacts:

ContagiousThe Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers became the first group to score a Top 50 hit in six consecutive decades when their song "Contagious" peaked at #19 in 2001. Their first entry was their song "Shout" in 1959.

Can I Kick It?A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest sampled the mellow groove of Lou Reed's 1972 classic "Walk On The Wild Side" on "Can I Kick It?" It fit their vibe, with Q-Tip and Phife Dawg trading lines about hanging out and having fun, the definition of "kickin' it."

Jessie's GirlRick Springfield

"Jessie's Girl" tells the true story of a girl Rick Springfield was crushing on, but her boyfriend's name was really Gary and he was more of an acquaintance than a friend.

MotherDanzig

"Mother" by Danzig is about censorship, specifically the Parents Music Resource Center, which pushed record labels to put warning stickers on albums with explicit lyrics.

November RainGuns N' Roses

"November Rain" by Guns N' Roses has a literary influence: The lyric is based on a story called Without You by Del James.

(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The BayOtis Redding

Otis Redding often ad-libbed vocals at the end of songs, but for "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" he just whistled instead - it became some of the most famous whistling in song history.