Good Questions: Prince's Symbol, Favorite Color & Biggest Hit
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – In honor of the Purple One, John Lauritsen's Good Questions are all about Prince this week.
If you're a Prince fan, you've seen this symbol.
So what does it mean?
Prince introduced us to this symbol during a contract feud with Warner Bros.
Dr. Elliot Powell, who teaches a class on Prince at the U of M, says the record company owned the name Prince.
So as a way to show his displeasure, Prince started going by this symbol instead.
Powell says it's a mix of gender symbols and it encourages people to think in new ways.
Prince was often decked out in purple, so why was purple his favorite color?
There are several theories to this, but some music experts believe Prince was interested in the apocalypse.
One interpretation is that "Purple Rain" symbolizes the end of the world: Red blood in a blue sky mixed together.
Prince referred to being with your lover at the end of the world and letting your faith guide you through the "Purple Rain."
Some also think Prince just liked purple because it means royalty.
Prince had hit after hit, but what was his biggest single?
1984's "When Doves Cry" was the top song on the Hot 100 for five weeks.
It was his longest-running number one hit.
That song was on the "Purple Rain" album, which has sold more than 22 million copies worldwide, with many more sales still ahead.
