R.I.P. Prince: A Life and Death in the Studio

Usually a journalist has to dive into a lot of research when they write about an artist. Not this time.

My research for the hugely influential artist Prince, who passed away today, April 21, starts with my life. The early moments of my adolescence, that time when you’re becoming aware of music’s magic, coincided with the release of Purple Rain. As soon as “When Doves Cry” launched, my favorite radio station played it every hour ON THE HOUR. It was a lot, but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by this starkly remarkable track.

I was young, but I remember understanding that I had never heard anything like it before, and almost certainly never would again. So much of Prince’s music resonated with that utterly original essence. And he never took his foot off the gas pedal.

Take a look at the jaw-dropping Wiki page just devoted to his singles – it’s an absolutely massive list, and the hits just kept on coming: He recorded five US #1 singles, 15 worldwide #1’s, eight worldwide #1 albums, earning 50+ top 40 hits around the world since 1979. As a result, Prince was THE most successful artist on the Billboard charts for two entire decades, from 1980 to 2000.

“Purple Rain” burst Prince onto the global stage, and he never looked back.

Makes you feel small? It happens to us all. Prince was so prolific, appeared so supercharged, that no one compared to him.

A Studio Force

At the time of this writing, the cause of death for Prince is unknown. There’s a maelstrom of speculation surrounding his famed Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN. Did a simple case of the flu – fueled by his nonstop work ethic – bring him down? Was it an overdose of…something? At just 57, his demise is all too soon and completely unexpected by everyone outside his immediate circle.

According to reports, the studio complex itself is where Prince drew his last breath. For a man who sold over 150 million records worldwide, his personal audio facility would be a fitting place for this relentless recording artist to pass, doing what he was clearly born to do.

It’s estimated that Prince recorded anywhere between 500 to 1000 songs. Think about all of the man-hours he generated for engineers, producers, mixers, mastering engineers, studio support staff, and fellow musicians in the process.

A notorious perfectionist, you can bet that he was making everyone around him better with every session. Someone like that does more than just sell a ton of records – Prince raised the bar for audio quality, setting new standards for audio professionals and music listeners by sheer will.

Sine O’ the Times

The void left by Prince’s sudden departure feel sad, but it doesn’t have to stay that way for long. Prince’s life was so unusual, it stands to reason that his afterlife may be as well. So much of Prince is in modern music, it’s gathered a force of its own.

Something that could only arise in Prince’s wake is coming. Do you hear it? Will you help to make it happen? After the mourning, let’s make an impact in the studio that ripples far beyond. That was Prince’s way.

• David Weiss

Experience Prince’s epic performance of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” with an all-star cast at the 2012 Rock Hall of Fame inductions.

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