Nothing Compares 2 U: An Oral History of Prince

by Touré, Susannah Melvoin (Foreword by)

Overview

The real Prince in the words of those who knew him best—from award-winning author Touré.

“...one of the rare oral histories I’d recommend as an introduction to its subject. The author’s interview skills and his trusted status in the Prince orbit mean that his book—based on decades of interviews—is full of revealing insights into Prince’s life and work.”—Jay Gabler, The Current

Nothing Compares 2 U is an oral history built from years of interviews with dozens of people who were in Prince’s inner circle—from childhood friends to band members to girlfriends to managers to engineers to photographers, and more—all providing unique insights into the man and the musician.

This revelatory book is a deeply personal and candid discussion of who Prince really was emotionally, professionally, and romantically. It tackles subjects never-before-discussed, including Prince’s multiple personalities, his romantic relationships, his traumatic childhood and how it propelled him into his music career, and how he found the inspiration for some of his most important songs, including “Purple Rain,” “Starfish and Coffee,” and the unheard “Wally.”

Nothing Compares 2 U paints the most complete picture yet written of the most important and most mysterious artist of his time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642939187
Publisher:	Permuted Press
Publication date:	08/24/2021
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	323,140
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Touré is an author who has published six books, including I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon and Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now, a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book. He was a TV host at MSNBC, MTV, and BET, and a correspondent at CNN. He hosts the podcast Touré Show. He has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Nation, Vogue, and many other publications. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children. Follow his Instagram @Toure.

Table of Contents

Foreword xiii

Introduction xvii

Chapter 1 Nothing Compares 2U

The Greatest Musician Ever 1

Chapter 2 When Doves Cry

Prince's Crazy Teens (1958-1977) 19

Chapter 3 Onedayi'mgonnabesomebody

He Never Said If I Make It, He Always Said When (1977-1979) 48

Chapter 4 Lady Cab Driver

Prince's Relationship with Jill and with Jesus (1980-1981) 63

Chapter 5 Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?

The Worst Show Ever (1981-1982) 76

Chapter 6 Papa

Dad Returns as a New Best Friend (1982-1983) 90

Chapter 7 Baby I'm A Star

Wendy Enters and Purple Rain Explodes (1983-1984) 103

Chapter 8 Forever in My Life

The Love of His Life 123

Chapter 9 Anotherloverholeinyohead

What It Was Like to Be with Him 131

Chapter 10 Let's Work

His Work Ethic Was Superhuman 135

Chapter 11 Let's Pretend We're Married

Prince Pops the Question (1984-1985) 152

Chapter 12 Manic Monday

He Could Be Amazing, He Could Be a Terror 165

Chapter 13 Old Friends 4 Sale

The End of the Revolution (1986) 194

Chapter 14 Moonbeam Levels

Addiction (1985-1988) 205

Chapter 15 Let's Have a Baby

The Birth and Death of Prince's Son and the End of His Marriages (1996-2006) 213

Chapter 16 Sometimes It Snows in April

The Death of Prince (2016) 228

Endnotes 241

Acknowledgments 249

About the Author 250