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Purple Passion and the Press:An analysis of front page coverage in selected U.S. dailies
of the death of Prince Rogers Nelson
Ernest L. WigginsUniversity of South Carolina
School of Journalism and Mass Communications
Popular Culture in the South &American Culture in the South
Nashville, TennesseeOct. 13-15, 2016
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The sudden death of Prince Rogers Nelson on April 21inspired American newspapers to create front pagesthat not only marked the musician’s cultural significanceas an innovative songwriter and performer but reflectedhis unique style and sensibility. For this paper, I analyzedthe display of news stories announcing his death on thefront pages of a dozen U.S. daily newspapers for April 22and found an abundance of purple, the performer’ssignature color, in both graphic presentation and in prose and other treatment that reflected the diminutive musician’soutsized persona.
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WhenPrincediedonApril21attheageof57,themediausedlanguagelike“legendary,”“iconic,”“innovative,”“genius,”“controversial,”and“prolific”todescribetheperformer.*Hiscareer,whichspannedthe40yearsfrom1976to2016,wasmarkedbyhighproductivity(39releasesandnearlyyearlynationalandinternationaltouring),fiercecreativeindependence(hewagedwaragainstWarnerBros.andotherindustrygiantsforcontrolofhismusic),genre-busting(hissongsincorporatedR&B,rock,electronica,dancemusic,jazzandpop)andgender-bending(hepresentedahighlysexualized,androgynouspublicpersona).At57,PrincewasafamiliarandenormouslypopularpartofthemusicalhistoryoftheBabyBoomergeneration– manyofwhomwerewriting,editinganddesigningnewspapersacrossthecountry.Prince’sidiosyncraticboldnessasapublicfigure– hewassmallofstature(5-2)buthisregalnamesuggestedalargerpresence– pushednewspapersnearlytothebrinkofexcessintheirtributestohim.Theirvisualdisplayswereoftencaptivatingand,insomeinstances,uncharactertisticallyornamental.Thenewspapersreviewedforthisstudyreflectedtheartist’scolorpalette,songwritingandjoiedevivretostrikingeffect,asevidencedintheetherealfrontpageoftheRichmondTimesDispatch.Thisghostly,otherworldlyaurawasacommonelementamongthepagesreviewed.Inmanyinstances,thestorieswerebothcelebrationsandsend-offs,notunlikeawake.
*Rolling Stone, Associated Press
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TheDenverPost’s4-columntreatmentofPrince’sdeathborrowedfromthetraditionalblackandwhiteschemeassociatedwithdeathnoticesbutsubvertedsolemnitybyfeaturingthebare-chestedperformer,armsextendedinaposethatmirroredthesmallcrosshangingfromhisneck.Prince,whowasaJehovah’sWitness,evokedthesacredandthesexualinhisrecordingsandinhisstageshows,whichdelightedsome,puzzledsomeandenragedothers.Thesizeofthedisplay– mostofthefrontpage– wastypicalamongthepapersreviewed.
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TheKentuckyEnquirer ~whichispartoftheGannettchain,whichincludesUSAToday~featuredahighlyprocessed,purple-tintedgraphicthatwasusedbyotherGannettproperties.ItfeaturedportraitsofPrincefromdifferenterassurroundedbyclouds,starryskiesandwhitedoves.Thedoveswereusedmanytimesinnewspapertributestothewriterandperformerofthechart-toppingsingle“WhenDovesCry”fromtheGrammy-winningsoundtrackforhisfilmPurpleRain– hismostpopularsongonhisbest-sellingalbum.Theburstinglightandstarsevokesnotonlytheartist’sspectacularstageshowsbuttheafterlife,aswell.
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TheClarksville,Tennessee,Leaf-Chronicle placesaphotographofPrincewithinastylizedimageofacryingdove.Thiswasoneofthemoresentimental(ratherthancelebratory)treatmentsofthemusician’spassingfoundinthisstudy.Ineachcasewheretheimageryand/ortitle/lyricwereused,thedesignerappearedconfidentreaderswouldsuccessfullydecodethemessage(s)theycontained,indicativeofthedesigners’beliefthattheperformerwassowell-knownthatsuchobliquereferencesinaheadlinewouldbeunderstood,ifnotappreciated.Suchchoicesarenotoftenseeninmediathatpridesthemselvesonmessageclarity.
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ThefrontpageoftheprivatelyownedVictoriaAdvocate ofVictoria,Texas,didnotfeatureastoryonPrince’sdeathbutdidincludeapromotionalbannerforaUSAToday storyinsidethepaper,B1.Interestingly,whilethetitleofhisbiggesthitisdisplayed,thereaderseesonlytheperformer’sback,presumablyinaconcertsetting.Thephotograph~Princefacingawayfromthecameraintoabrightlight,shroudedinsmokeormist~mightbereadastheartistmovingintotheafterlife.Thatinterpretationissupportedbytheuseof“WhenDovesCry”andtheperformer’sbirthanddeathdates.
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Hawaii’sStar-Advertiser blendedclassicalandpopularcultureinastarklydramaticpromotionalbannerthatfeaturesPrincetakingabowonstageduringaconcertperformance.Theheadline“Goodnight,sweetPrince”borrowsfromthelastsceneofHamlettolendthegraphicelementastrikingdistinctionandsophisticationabitremovedfromdoves,purpleandsexualprovocativeness andintoarealmmoreoftenassociatedwithjazzperformersoradultcontemporarysongstylists.BecausePrincewassuchatirelessandelectrifyingliveperformermanyofthephotographsofhimusedinfrontpagedisplaysweretakenduringconcerts.
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Prince’shometownnewspaper,theMinneapolisStarTribune, devotedtheentirefrontpagetonewsoftheartist’sdeath.ThebannerheadlinePurpleMajestyalongwiththemainphotooftheperformerbedeckedinpurple~presumablyduringthePurpleRainera~andwincingasheplayshisguitarandthesecondaryphotoofaconcertcrowdreflectthenewspaper’sdesiretoaffirmboththesizeoftheperformer’spublicimpactandthesizeofthelosstohisfans.Curiously,thoughPrince’sconcertswerehighlyprofitable~hisconcertscontributedgreatlytobuildinghis$300millionestate~crowdshotswerenotusedofteninfrontpagedisplays.
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Alabama’sDailySentinel usedthesamephotographastheStarTribune butincorporatedpurpleraindropsintothedesign,areferencetotheartist’sbest-sellingalbum.Theincorporationofthiselementshowsanunderstandingandappreciationoftheartist’smostimportantworkandwouldcertainlybeeasilyread(decoded)byfans.Unlikethecryingdovesonotherpages,however,theraindropsdonotincorporateasneatlythethemeofloss,mourningorgrief.Thesongitselfisaboutromanticregret,whichisnotwhollyconsistentwiththesentimentintheheadline“LosingALegend.”
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TheTampaBayTimesmadeanevenmoreobliquereferenceinitsheadlineSymbolofaGeneration:Prince’sfamoustransformationintoanunpronounceableglyphin1993inacontractualdisagreementwithWarnerBros.From‘93to2000,hewasreferredtointhepressas“theArtistFormerlyKnownasPrince,”andtheglyph,acombinationofmaleandfemalesymbols,washisgraphicrepresentation,calledtheLoveSymbol.Hispublicbattlesforcontrolofhiscatalogcapturedtheimaginationsofotherartistsandinspiredagenerationofself-published/self-managedperformers.Thoughthemoremanifestmeaningofthereference~hisiconicsignificanceasapopularmusicartist~wouldbeeasilydecoded,thelatentreferencetotheglyphmighteludemanyreaders.
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TheChicagoSun-Times’decisiontodisplayastrikingphotooftheunidentifiedperformerplayingguitarduringaconcertandhisbirthanddeathdatesreflectstheeditors’confidencethatPrincewassuchaniconicfigurethathisimagewouldbesufficient,especiallyamongculturallysavvyChicagoans.Theartistisdressedinretro-Victoriangarb,andbathedinlightandhaze,whichlendhisfigureatranscendentquality,reflectingnotonlytheimpactofhiscreativitybuthintsathispassageintoanotherrealm.
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Itisnotsurprisingthatsomanysawanopportunitytoconnectwithreadersthroughelaboratedesignanddisplayofthenewsregardingtheiconicperformer’sdeath.NoothercelebritydeathsinceMichaelJackson’sin2009,receivedthistreatment.Thoughemblemsandsymbols– gloves,referencesto“kingofpop”-- wereintegratedintopagedesignsforJackson,thepackageswerenotaselaborateorasfancifulasthoseannouncingPrince’sdeath.MycontentionisitwasPrince’sownseeminglyendlesscreativity,cross-genreoutputandcollaborativespiritandthedepthofhistalentthatinspiredthehauntingandoftenbeautifulcommemorationsthatwererunindailynewspapers.