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The Words and Music of Prince
James E. Perone
ISBN: 0-275-99474-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99474-7
224 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 4/30/2008
List Price: $44.95 (UK Sterling Price: £31.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • Avid fans of Prince and collections catering to fans of rock music will find this a fine in-depth survey covering the basics of Prince's life works, blending an introductory biography of the artist with an in-depth analysis of all his musical pieces both individually and collectively. The author is a professor of music at the college level: his survey offers an outstanding analysis of Prince's purposes and directions and is a must for any in-depth appreciation of Prince's works.
    —California Bookwatch     September 2008
  • In this revealing study author James Perone highlights the complexities and ambiguities of Prince's life work, while at the same time clarifying why it is that Prince remains such a widely popular figure in American music. After a brief introductory biographical treatment, Perone goes on to analyze all of Prince's musical output-both as specific pieces, and as part of a larger body of work. Perone doesn't allow any of the elements of Prince's entertainment career (including his early contractual problems, his series of protegees, his name change, and his views on gender and race) to pass without reflection, and as a result The Words and Music of Prince operates as a sort of creative biography for both the man and the artist.
    —The Dawn Experience     February 8, 2008
Description: Prince's early albums Dirty Mind, 1999, and Purple Rain, established him as a major force in American pop music. His combination of rock and funk was unique, and drew both critical praise and commercial attention. The 1990s found Prince forming a new group, moving back in the direction of R&B, and eventually adopting an unpronounceable symbol as his moniker. By the end of the millennium, he was again exploring an eclectic collection of musical styles and enjoying a resurgence of interest in his well-known song 1999. Prince is one of the few artists of the entire rock era who successfully bridged the gap between traditional R&B and rock audiences with his musical eclecticism. He now stands among the best-selling pop musicians of the rock era. In this revealing study, author James Perone highlights the complexities and ambiguities of Prince's life work, while at the same time clarifying why it is that Prince remains such a widely popular figure in American music.

After a brief introductory biographical treatment, Perone goes on to analyze all of Prince's musical output-both as specific pieces, and as part of a larger body of work. Perone doesn't allow any of the elements of Prince's entertainment career (including his early contractual problems, his series of protégés, his name change, and his views on gender and race) to pass without reflection. As a result The Words and Music of Prince operates as a sort of creative biography for both the man and the artist. The work also includes six illustrations, a bibliography, a discography, and an index.
Table of Contents:
  • Series Foreword by James E. Perone
    Acknowledgments
    Introduction
    1. Becoming a Star
    2. Mixing Funk and Rock with the Revolution
    3. Film Scores and Contractual Problems
    4. The New Power Generation and a Name Change
    5. The Approach of 1999
    6. The New Millennium
    Conclusions: The Importance of Being Prince
    Selected Discography
    Notes
    Annotated Bibliography
    Index
About the Author: James E. Perone is Professor of Music at Mount Union College, where he teaches American music and music theory, and chairs the Department of Music. He is the series editor for The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection, for which he has also written three volumes: The Sound of Stevie Wonder (2006), The Words and Music of Carole King (2006), and The Words and Music of David Bowie (2007). He is also the author of several Greenwood Press books, including Music of the Counterculture Era (2004) and Woodstock: An Encyclopedia of the Music and Art Fair (2005).
PDF Catalogs:
Praeger Public Library Spring 2009.pdf
Praeger Public Library Spring 2008.pdf
Pop Culture Spring 2008.pdf
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