"When Doves Cry" Music superstar Prince dies at his home

Transcription

1 "When Doves Cry" Music superstar Prince dies at his home By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 754 In this Feb. 4, 2007 file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. Photo: AP/Chris O'Meara CHANHASSEN, Minn. On Thursday, pop superstar Prince was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57. Prince was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era. He sang hits including "Little Red Corvette," ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry." His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press that the music icon died at his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. No details were immediately released. The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist broke through in the late 1970s. He soared through the 1980s with such albums as "1999" and "Purple Rain." The title song from "1999" includes some of the most widely quoted song lyrics of popular culture: "Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999." An Original, Independent Artist Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, stood just 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and seemed to summon the most original and compelling sounds at will. He was known to play guitar in a flamboyant style that openly drew upon Jimi Hendrix. It was not uncommon for him to

2 switch his singing style from a nasal scream to a high-pitched falsetto. Prince turned out album after album of stunningly original material, including these notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album." Prince was also fiercely protective of his independence. He battled his record company over control of his material and even his name. Prince once wrote "slave" on his face in protest of not owning his work and famously battled and then left his label, Warner Bros., before returning a few years ago. "What's happening now is the position that I've always wanted to be in," Prince told the AP in "I was just trying to get here." In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "He rewrote the rulebook," said the Hall's dedication. He fused "black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the Eighties." It continues, saying, "Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone." Inspiration From Others, For Others Price effortlessly absorbed the music of others and made it sound like Prince. It didn't matter if it was the James Brown guitar riff on "Kiss" or the Beatle-esque, psychedelic pop of "Raspberry Beret." He also proved a source of hits for others, from Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine." He also wrote "Manic Monday" for the Bangles. Prince had been touring and recording right up until his death. In the last 18 months, he released four albums, including two on the Tidal streaming service last year. He performed in Atlanta last week as part of his "Piano and a Microphone" tour. It was a stripped-down show that featured a mix of his hits like "Purple Rain" or "Little Red Corvette" and some B- sides from his extensive library. Personal Performances And New Book Prince debuted the new show in January at the Paisley Park studio at his home. Fans were treated to a personal performance that was both playful and emotional. The musician had seemed to be shedding his reputation for being very private. He hosted several late-night music sessions with big stars. He sang to Madonna, celebrated the Minnesota Lynx's WNBA championship and showcased his latest protege, or follower, singer Judith Hill. Ever surprising, he announced onstage in New York City last month that he was writing his autobiography. "The Beautiful Ones" was expected to be released in the fall of The publishing house has not yet commented on the book, but a press release about it says:

3 "Prince will take readers on an unconventional and poetic journey through his life and creative work." It says the book will include stories about Prince's music and "the family that shaped him and the people, places, and ideas that fired his creative imagination." "He Brought People Together" A small group of fans quickly gathered in the rain Thursday outside his music studio, Paisley Park. Inside, Prince's gold records are on the walls and the purple motorcycle he rode in his 1984 breakout movie, "Purple Rain," is on display. The white building is in Chanhassen, about 20 miles from Minneapolis. Steven Scott, 32, of Eden Prairie, said he was at Paisley Park last Saturday for Prince's dance party. He called Prince "a beautiful person" whose message was that people should love one another. "He brought people together for the right reasons," Scott said.

4 Quiz 1 According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, what will Prince be MOST remembered for? creating entirely new types of music by blending and reinventing different styles creating a wide range of different songs for other artists that become pop hits being a productive musician who released album after album for more than three decades being fiercely protective of his independence and fighting for his rights to control his own music 2 What is the BEST way of expressing how Prince's music was related to the music of other people? Prince copied other musicians, like James Brown, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix. Prince was influenced by other musicians' styles and turned them into his own unique sound. Other people, like Sinead O'Connor, Cyndi Lauper, and the Bangles, copied Prince's style of music. Prince was so independent that he refused to acknowledge that he drew inspiration from other musicians.

5 3 Read the paragraph from the section "An Original, Independent Artist." Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, stood just 5 feet, 2 inches tall, and seemed to summon the most original and compelling sounds at will. He was known to play guitar in a flamboyant style that openly drew upon Jimi Hendrix. It was not uncommon for him to switch his singing style from a nasal scream to a high-pitched falsetto. Prince turned out album after album of stunningly original material, including these notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album." Which of the following BEST explains how this paragraph generates interest in Prince's extraordinary talent? by giving details about his unusual birthplace and unique physical qualities by listing the names of some of his notable releases like "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge," and "The Black Album" by giving an example of some of the unique ways that he used his voice and suggesting he borrowed parts his style from other performers by using language like "stunningly original," describing his unique vocal style, and comparing him to another famous musician 4 Why does the author include the section "Personal Performances And New Book"? to describe how Prince was entertaining the notion of a new career as an author to encourage reader interest in the subject by listing some of Prince's many famous friends to show that up until his death, Prince was very active and coming up with new projects to explain why his fans around the world were so devoted to him and found his music so inspiring