As the stories tumble out about the multi-faceted sides of Prince that we never saw (like picking up the $80,000 medical bill for a man he'd never met...but a man that was the progenitor of the beat behind James Brown and countless other R&B acts), this one is my second favorite:
In 1984, Journey was one of the biggest stadium acts on the planet. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain was basking in the success of "Faithfully." And, the Purple One was on the phone...asking Jonathan to listen to a track he had just completed. He was concerned that his song borrowed too heavily from Jonathan's and didn't want to go forward with it if Jonathan didn't approve.
After listening to the song, Jonathan said, "Man, I'm just super-flattered that you even called. It shows you're that classy of a guy. Good luck with the song. I know it's gonna be a hit."
It was "Purple Rain."
I was in radio at that time and, frankly, I never made the connection, despite hearing both songs every day and, very likely, sometimes playing them back to back. That Prince did, shows an amazing awareness and deference to artists around him whom he respected.
On this Music Friday, we offer them both in a mash-up cover.
Make fun of the '80s all you like. It was pretty cool, from time to time.
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