If you keep up with my Prince stuff, you also know that my very favorite era of his work is what’s known as his One Nite Alone time period which includes his albums The Rainbow Children and One Nite Alone… as its anchors. I’ve talked about why this is from a sonic standpoint (it aligns the most with my general music preferences outside of Prince), but I haven’t talked too much about the other reasons.
In the past, the commentary around this era of Prince’s career has generally been about his spiritual journey (and often that hasn’t been deep outside of people being dismissive of this journey)…but it is also about so much more.
This is when he spoke of the frustration in being marginalized and appropriated. This is when he spoke of what happens when we speak up for ourselves. This is when he spoke about corporations taking over the legacies of Black artists. This is when he spoke of the sanitation of American history and the erasure of her misdeeds. This is when he spoke (even lectured) about the importance of Black people owning our own bodies, our own business, our own institutions.
This is when he openly spoke of MY experience as a Black person in America…in a way that wasn’t always shrouded in metaphor to make people feel comfortable.
I joke about this era being “boyfriend”, but this is the fundamental reason why I am so “possessive” of this time. I challenge people to listen to these two albums again, especially now that we are in the midst of yet another upswing of awareness that Black Lives Matter.
Because they do. My life matters. Our experiences matter. Our stories matter.
Many people may not have been able to pick up what you were speaking about then Prince, but I hope more are open to hearing you…and us, now.
Oh and the thing that happened?
Erica Thompson and I got to lend our voices to an official podcast sanctioned by the Prince Estate, Sony Legacy Recordings, and Paisley Park, put together by Andrea Swensson and the team at The Current (Minnesota Public Radio). Thank you for inviting us to be part of this and to help challenge people to “go deep” just as Prince always did to us. 💜