The e-mail notification popped up in the lower corner of my screen: “Rock Royal Prince Dead at 57.”
Oh no. Not another one.
This comes in a year when we have already lost more talented musicians than I can count on two hands. Some better known than others; some too soon (though is it ever late enough to lose a beautiful voice?); others after what we describe as “a full life.”
Sometimes a song is worth a thousand words. Listen up.
Many of these musicians—Prince, Bowie, Earth Wind and Fire, The Eagles, and of course The Beatles—provided the soundtrack for significant events in my life. Listening to their songs made me cry, but listening is the best shield against the Great Silence.
To those who tell stories and twang our heartstrings through music, I salute you.
AUDREY KALMAN 
Purple Rain got me through my first couple weeks in Paris as an au pair girl. I was away for the first time in a different culture, not knowing anyone. I had that CD with me (pre-MP3 player days) and played it so much I’m surprised it didn’t spontaneously combust.
Nice tribute.
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I’m sure everyone has similar musical memories. For me it was Talking Heads ’77, which I played for about 6 hours straight as I drove the Mass Pike to Boston in a blinding snowstorm. Kept me awake and kept me from sliding off the road. Oh, and this was pre-CD: it was a cassette tape.
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I had plenty of those too. 😉
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Prince’s death really hit me. He really epitomized individuality and broke down a lot of walls in music.
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He absolutely did.
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