Of all the rock stars in the universe, Prince isn’t one I would have pegged as a football fanatic. But, he’s a Minnesota native and apparently a loyal Vikings fan, especially after seeing them trounce the Dallas Cowboys last week. So moved was he by their victory that he sat down and wrote a song about them. It’s called “Purple and Gold” (you know he’s a fan of their color scheme too) and definitely finds Prince exploring some new musical territory. More fight song than funk groove, it’s an anthemic ode to the Vikings’ sportsmanship and athletic fortitude. He does manage to sneak a little attitude in there though, with lyrics like “eyes say ready 4 battle / no need 4 sword in hand / we r all amped up like a rock n roll band. “ It’s no “Super Bowl Shuffle,” but I don’t think Prince shuffles. He’s more of a strutter. Check out the clip below and see what it inspires.
Prince has released a new song about the Minnesota Vikings, inspired by a big win over the Dallas Cowboys and days ahead of the NFC Championship game in New Orleans.
“I saw the future,” Prince told FOX 9’s Robyne Robinson, who was given an exclusive copy of “Purple and Gold” on Thursday.
Prince was in attendance for the Vikings 34-3 win. He said he went home night after the Cowboys game and wrote “Purple and Gold,” which he says came easy and fast.
“While he was standing like a statue in the booth last week, he must have been inspired somehow to write this Vikings song,” KDWB DJ Dave Ryan said. “So how cool is that, that Prince wrote a song about the Vikings?”
Over his illustrious 30-year career, Prince has many muses, but his newest is the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Brett Favre. When asked what it’s like to be in the same company as Apollonia and Vanity, Favre said, “It just doesn’t seem right.”
At Friday’s Vikings press conference, Favre tried to play down his role in the pantheon of music history.
“If (Prince) saw my rendition of Pants on the Ground, I don’t think I have a shot,” Favre said. “I don’t think he’ll be calling any time soon. As my career goes, I better stick to this job.”
It’s unlikely you’ll be hearing “Purple and Gold” on the radio anytime soon, at least not by request. But while the song has received less than favorable reviews, Prince has long been an artist who could care less about mainstream acceptance.
One music critic who spoke with FOX 9 on Friday interprets the song’s unusual style not as a rallying cry, but a funeral dirge for the death of the New Orleans Saints –a high concept even for The Purple One.
