Let’s go crazy!

Prince“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people …” (1 Peter 2:9)

“And if the elevator tries to break you down, go crazy!” Purple Rain soundtrack

This is one of the first images, my early recollections of the Artist who would be known as Prince. Little did I know then that he would become embedded, intertwined in the fabric of my life. I consider myself somewhat of a fan, though not a fanatic. I would find myself singing a Prince tune frequently, mostly when I was happy. For some reason, more often than not, it was Raspberry Beret … the kind you find in a second hand store, LOL! And nothing can get me stoked like the first bars of Glamorous Life (to this day, I am fascinated with female musicians, especially drummers), Nasty Girl (Don’t judge me!) and When Doves Cry. I was your typical young girl; if it had a great beat, catchy refrain and made me want to dance, count me in. And on a particularly morose first day of my work week, you could hear me singing Manic Monday. But the love for his songs continued past my youth. After my divorce, I found and fell in love with his rendition of, I can’t make you love me if you don’t. But even that was more because of his arrangement and vocal style than because of the depressing subject matter. So many great songs and wonderful memories. A childhood friend remarked, after meeting him, that he was tiny. Smaller than her and she was pretty petite. But his stage presence was larger than life.

Purple Rain was a huge hit, it even received a ringing endorsement from Roger Ebert (which was pretty cool at that time). I remember our excitement and fever at the prospect of going. And it was a movie for grown ups. Unlike a lot of musical talent today, he didn’t try to appeal to the tween generation of his time. He made his music, racy lyrics and all, unapologetically. I give him points for living his life on his terms. Even to changing his name when it suited him and refusing to be owned by the powers that be. It takes courage and a great sense of self to do that in a world that’s always pushing us to conform. His musical genius is, was undeniable.

One song which arose from that movie, I could count on to pick me up most times when I was feeling down: Let’s Go Crazy! For some reason the lyrics to this particular song resonated with me. “Not gonna let the elevator BREAK US DOWN!” That elevator was life. That elevator was The Man, people in authority, your boss or anyone that tried to oppress you, to put you down and keep you down. The circumstances and situations that arose to test your resolve to excel, to challenge your determination to succeed. That elevator, man, you couldn’t let it get to you. This appealed to the rebellious streak in me. My manager used to always ask this question after a training session to ensure that it had been helpful: What are your take aways? I took this message from the life of Prince: when faced with obstacles, get radical. Be so good at what you do, you can’t be ignored. Smile in the face of your haters, perpetrators and instigators, knowing that you can’t be stopped from reaching your goal. That way of thinking could require some arrogance on your part (or so it may seem to an onlooker) or, great faith in God who bestowed upon you unimaginable gifts that could propel you.

When I was a little girl, my family lived in an apartment building on the eighth floor. Frequently the elevator would break down. Which meant for us, a manual trip up and down those eight flights of stairs. No mean feat, I can assure you, after a visit to our local grocery store where my mother would shop for her family of, coincidentally, eight people. So of course, she could not let a malfunctioning elevator stop her, it could only slow her down. Did I also mention, she didn’t have a car? Nor did she drive. So a trek on foot to and from the store was followed by a long haul up and down the stairs until everything was safely ensconced in our little kitchen. Lack of car or elevator just forced her to choose another way to get things done. That other way often forces us to be more creative, to think outside to box or to construct another box altogether. Can’t find a job? Make one! Looking for your piece of the pie? Fuggedaboutit! Make your OWN pie. Throw all of those preconceived notions, those conventional barriers to success out the window.

Being creative can make you appear unusual to other folks. Peculiar, even. You’ll look downright crazy at times. What? You don’t want to work a regular job until you die? Something must be wrong with you! It goes against the norm. But I revel in being different. It’s so stifling to me to be otherwise. So when I hear that song it is actually empowering to me. It has become symbolic of my struggle. It says to me, it’s ok to be you. Be original. Be true to who you are. And whatever happens, don’t let life get you down. Persevere. Push through it, get back up – no matter how many times you have to do it or how many tries it takes. Don’t give up. GO CRAZY.

Be blessed,

Loria

4 Replies to “Let’s go crazy!”

  1. I, too, am glad that he didn’t conform. Stifling that kind of creativity would’ve been a shame. The greatest impression that he made upon me was not in a lyric but in the way he lived his life. Vertically challenged, he was never seen as disadvantaged or less than because he didn’t try to just blend in. He boldly chose to blend out. Many memories and life lesson will be cherished thanks to our Prince and his purple reign. I don’t know if I can ever look at that hue again without being reminded of his life, music career, and the glowing example of just how legends are made. Though still in disbelief, I find myself extremely grateful to have witnessed all that he was and the legacy he has left behind. #Prince #PurpleReign

    1. So true, Norvella! Even though I knew, in truth, that he was “a pocket-sized man,” he never came across that way. Small in stature but not in station, he was an example of all that can be accomplished when you choose to not only color outside the lines, but also live outside them.

  2. Let me start by saying to know me is to love Prince. You would have sworn we lost a family member yesterday. We did because after all, the word clearly tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (which includes all of mankind). Genius, special, unique, radical, focused, visionary and generous are just a few terms used to describe “his royal badness.” I loved his music and was occasionally embarassed (yet intrigued) by the blatant sexuality. One of my favorites is I Would Die For U. The line that sticks out in my mind is “I am something that you’ll never comprehend.” What? and why is it that when Ray Charles, Michael Jackson and Prince gained control of their catalogs, they died shortly thereafter? I’m just sayin. Hmmm.
    In addition to the musical legacy, he was a quiet humanitarian. Be sure to check out the Don Lemon interview with Van Jones, one of Prince’s good friends. It moved me to tears. So I’m thinking (once again) what is your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? Royally or smally?

    1. Definitely royally, Annette! I was pondering on that very question earlier today. All that I put my hand to these days is geared toward that end, to leave something for my family and generations to come. Norvella and I were just talking about how Prince had been a sponsor for Marva Collins’ school back when we were still in high school. And how he sang, Baby I’m a star, and spoke that into existence, lol! And I was just singing this morning, I would die 4 u, and relating it to Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Prince has definitely left his imprint on us all.

Comments are closed.