I grew up in the 80s. I was a kid. Coming out of the 70s, I was still too young to understand music. Pre-teens was an interesting time for me. I was very shy and reserved. I played with my barbies while my brothers were constantly beating each other up.
Eventually, I got into music with the help of MTV. Beforehand, my family would watch Solid Gold and American Bandstand religiously. That's how we grew our love for music by watching artists perform. Yet music videos was another way to visualize lyrics, and that's what drew people in. Hearing a song on the radio and then anxiously waiting for the video release.
Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, The Police, Duran Duran all had top albums in the 80s. Everyone loved pop music. I can remember my aunt going out to the clubs and secretly wishing I was her. I couldn't wait to grow up.
But why was that? Looking back into the 70s disco era, there was some suggestive sexual music playing, but with the 80s music video era, we can actually see artist do things we couldn't imagine doing before. Everyone oozed sexual appeal, and for me, a young girl playing with her barbies, I knew something naughty was going on. I just didn't understand it yet.
Prince was an artist that people tried to figure out, but couldn't quite get at first. He was petite, but held such a strong presence. If he walked in a room, he owned it. The music was another story. Not many artists sang and played multiple instruments. He was incredibly talented and ahead of his own time. Those who followed him went under his spell immediately. He had a huge fan base and I was one of them.
I am so saddened by his death. I looked up to him as a fellow Gemini. I understood his creativity. Most Geminis have a hard time expressing all of our thoughts, but Prince managed to express it with his music. As different as it was at the time, he made it work. I will miss him dearly as I missed my other idols. They were one of a kind in their own unique way.
His lyrics carried so much emotion in a world full of "pop" music...
My brother trying to console me...
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