Purple Rain Research Paper

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The Unique Sound of Prince
Born Prince Rodgers Nelson, aka Prince, boldly declared, “I’ve got more hits than Madonna’s got kids” (Prince). ALLMUSIC described him as “During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock” (Erlewine, ALLMUSIC). The authors of American Popular Music, Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman, made a statement similar to ALLMUSIC’s suggesting that Prince can’t be defined as a specific genre or sound when they said, “In stylistic terms, Prince’s recorded output has encompassed a wide range of musical inspirations, from funk music and guitar-based rock’n’roll to urban folk songs, new wave, jazz, and psychedelic rock” (p. …show more content…

The "Purple Rain" is a place to be free” (Songfacts). Years later Prince released “Diamonds and Pearls” which also addresses deep personal relationships. Although these two songs sound very different they have many similarities. Both songs feature electric guitars, drums, the piano and keyboard. In both songs, his ability to stretch each syllable over many notes (or melisma) evokes emotion and encourages the listener to sing along. By addressing romantic relationships both songs have a universal appeal across genres. In both songs fans across genres can easily recognize Prince’s unique timbre or “tone color.” “Purple Rain” and “Diamonds and Pearls” are both polyrhythmic. This is the combination of different rhythms being played together and is a defining characteristic in African American music. In “Purple Rain” the piano and guitar play at different rhythms and come together to complement Prince’s voice. “Diamond and Pearls” uses polyrhythm with the variety of background sounds and instrumentation as well as the call and response singing style between Prince and the female

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