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

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.

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

TheDenverPost’s4-columntreatmentofPrince’sdeathborrowedfromthetraditionalblackandwhiteschemeassociatedwithdeathnoticesbutsubvertedsolemnitybyfeaturingthebare-chestedperformer,armsextendedinaposethatmirroredthesmallcrosshangingfromhisneck.Prince,whowasaJehovah’sWitness,evokedthesacredandthesexualinhisrecordingsandinhisstageshows,whichdelightedsome,puzzledsomeandenragedothers.Thesizeofthedisplay– mostofthefrontpage– wastypicalamongthepapersreviewed.

TheKentuckyEnquirer ~whichispartoftheGannettchain,whichincludesUSAToday~featuredahighlyprocessed,purple-tintedgraphicthatwasusedbyotherGannettproperties.ItfeaturedportraitsofPrincefromdifferenterassurroundedbyclouds,starryskiesandwhitedoves.Thedoveswereusedmanytimesinnewspapertributestothewriterandperformerofthechart-toppingsingle“WhenDovesCry”fromtheGrammy-winningsoundtrackforhisfilmPurpleRain– hismostpopularsongonhisbest-sellingalbum.Theburstinglightandstarsevokesnotonlytheartist’sspectacularstageshowsbuttheafterlife,aswell.

TheClarksville,Tennessee,Leaf-Chronicle placesaphotographofPrincewithinastylizedimageofacryingdove.Thiswasoneofthemoresentimental(ratherthancelebratory)treatmentsofthemusician’spassingfoundinthisstudy.Ineachcasewheretheimageryand/ortitle/lyricwereused,thedesignerappearedconfidentreaderswouldsuccessfullydecodethemessage(s)theycontained,indicativeofthedesigners’beliefthattheperformerwassowell-knownthatsuchobliquereferencesinaheadlinewouldbeunderstood,ifnotappreciated.Suchchoicesarenotoftenseeninmediathatpridesthemselvesonmessageclarity.

ThefrontpageoftheprivatelyownedVictoriaAdvocate ofVictoria,Texas,didnotfeatureastoryonPrince’sdeathbutdidincludeapromotionalbannerforaUSAToday storyinsidethepaper,B1.Interestingly,whilethetitleofhisbiggesthitisdisplayed,thereaderseesonlytheperformer’sback,presumablyinaconcertsetting.Thephotograph~Princefacingawayfromthecameraintoabrightlight,shroudedinsmokeormist~mightbereadastheartistmovingintotheafterlife.Thatinterpretationissupportedbytheuseof“WhenDovesCry”andtheperformer’sbirthanddeathdates.

Hawaii’sStar-Advertiser blendedclassicalandpopularcultureinastarklydramaticpromotionalbannerthatfeaturesPrincetakingabowonstageduringaconcertperformance.Theheadline“Goodnight,sweetPrince”borrowsfromthelastsceneofHamlettolendthegraphicelementastrikingdistinctionandsophisticationabitremovedfromdoves,purpleandsexualprovocativeness andintoarealmmoreoftenassociatedwithjazzperformersoradultcontemporarysongstylists.BecausePrincewassuchatirelessandelectrifyingliveperformermanyofthephotographsofhimusedinfrontpagedisplaysweretakenduringconcerts.

Prince’shometownnewspaper,theMinneapolisStarTribune, devotedtheentirefrontpagetonewsoftheartist’sdeath.ThebannerheadlinePurpleMajestyalongwiththemainphotooftheperformerbedeckedinpurple~presumablyduringthePurpleRainera~andwincingasheplayshisguitarandthesecondaryphotoofaconcertcrowdreflectthenewspaper’sdesiretoaffirmboththesizeoftheperformer’spublicimpactandthesizeofthelosstohisfans.Curiously,thoughPrince’sconcertswerehighlyprofitable~hisconcertscontributedgreatlytobuildinghis$300millionestate~crowdshotswerenotusedofteninfrontpagedisplays.

Alabama’sDailySentinel usedthesamephotographastheStarTribune butincorporatedpurpleraindropsintothedesign,areferencetotheartist’sbest-sellingalbum.Theincorporationofthiselementshowsanunderstandingandappreciationoftheartist’smostimportantworkandwouldcertainlybeeasilyread(decoded)byfans.Unlikethecryingdovesonotherpages,however,theraindropsdonotincorporateasneatlythethemeofloss,mourningorgrief.Thesongitselfisaboutromanticregret,whichisnotwhollyconsistentwiththesentimentintheheadline“LosingALegend.”

TheTampaBayTimesmadeanevenmoreobliquereferenceinitsheadlineSymbolofaGeneration:Prince’sfamoustransformationintoanunpronounceableglyphin1993inacontractualdisagreementwithWarnerBros.From‘93to2000,hewasreferredtointhepressas“theArtistFormerlyKnownasPrince,”andtheglyph,acombinationofmaleandfemalesymbols,washisgraphicrepresentation,calledtheLoveSymbol.Hispublicbattlesforcontrolofhiscatalogcapturedtheimaginationsofotherartistsandinspiredagenerationofself-published/self-managedperformers.Thoughthemoremanifestmeaningofthereference~hisiconicsignificanceasapopularmusicartist~wouldbeeasilydecoded,thelatentreferencetotheglyphmighteludemanyreaders.

TheChicagoSun-Times’decisiontodisplayastrikingphotooftheunidentifiedperformerplayingguitarduringaconcertandhisbirthanddeathdatesreflectstheeditors’confidencethatPrincewassuchaniconicfigurethathisimagewouldbesufficient,especiallyamongculturallysavvyChicagoans.Theartistisdressedinretro-Victoriangarb,andbathedinlightandhaze,whichlendhisfigureatranscendentquality,reflectingnotonlytheimpactofhiscreativitybuthintsathispassageintoanotherrealm.

Itisnotsurprisingthatsomanysawanopportunitytoconnectwithreadersthroughelaboratedesignanddisplayofthenewsregardingtheiconicperformer’sdeath.NoothercelebritydeathsinceMichaelJackson’sin2009,receivedthistreatment.Thoughemblemsandsymbols– gloves,referencesto“kingofpop”-- wereintegratedintopagedesignsforJackson,thepackageswerenotaselaborateorasfancifulasthoseannouncingPrince’sdeath.MycontentionisitwasPrince’sownseeminglyendlesscreativity,cross-genreoutputandcollaborativespiritandthedepthofhistalentthatinspiredthehauntingandoftenbeautifulcommemorationsthatwererunindailynewspapers.