I was just as shocked as the rest of the world when hearing about the untimely demise of 'His Purple Highness' Prince. As a full fledged member of the MTV generation, countless memories and soundtracks of my youth seemed to disappear in an instant.

In seventh grade, the passengers in the back of 'The Gonic Bus' (Bus 7) would sing the lyrics to 'Darling Nikki', quiet enough to not be heard by the driver (Mrs. Keller) but loud enough that I still remember every word.

Getty Images - Education Images
Getty Images - Education Images
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It was this song that inspired Tipper Gore to institute The Parent Music Resource Center which introduced The Parental Advisory Explicit Content sticker that you see in the image above.

Many have stated that these stickers greatly improved the sales of the records that were deemed 'explicit'. Regardless of their effect, this historic censorship battle would have never happened without Prince.

Prince was always very mysterious and private and very protective of his music when it came to royalties and digital distribution. Even though it's difficult to find sanctioned video versions of his music on the internet, it's not that tough to find incredibly popular songs that he wrote for other artists.

Prince wrote 'Manic Monday' under the pseudonym 'Christopher' and offered it to 'The Bangles'. It was their highest charting song reaching #2 on Billboard in 1986.

The impact of this the tune above cannot be overstated. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' dominated the charts like no other song I've ever researched. Number One in OVER FIFTEEN different countries! I've added the German version above in an effort to prove my point.

For years, you could win a bar bet by telling people that Prince wrote that song. Still to this day people are amazed to find out that he was it's composer and author. It's just another great way to remember how profound his talent was, and how secretive he was.

A wonderful contrast to the flamboyant ultra-performer that wowed millions. His life's work will never be forgotten. RIP Prince 1958-2016

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