Prince – the enigmatic, chart-topping and perpetually youthful revolutionist of rock – blows into the Tacoma Dome on Monday after a seven-year absence.
There’s no doubt Prince will bring the hits that have punctuated a career that began in the ’70s. He’s influenced music and pop culture in so many ways, it would be impossible to list them here. If you’re a real fan, you probably know it all already.
Or do you?
We’ve developed this quiz to test your knowledge of Prince. Use it to see if you’re worthy of soaking up the purple rain Monday night.
1. Who was president when Prince was born?
A) Dwight D. Eisenhower
B) John F. Kennedy
C) Lyndon B. Johnson
D) Richard M. Nixon
2. What is Prince’s last name?
A) William
B) Nelson
C) Charming
D) Duh! He doesn’t have one
3. Where did his name come from?
A) His mother’s favorite terrier
B) Prince Charles
C) His father’s stage name
D) Prince Albert tobacco
4. What show did Prince perform on in January 1980?
A) “American Bandstand”
B) “Soul Train”
C) “Sanford and Son”
D) “The Muppets”
5. Which bald singer covered a Prince song and made it a worldwide hit?
A) Cee Lo Green
B) Chris Daughtry
C) Moby
D) Sinead O’Connor
6. Which award has Prince not won?
A) The Grammy
B) The Tony
C) The Oscar
D) The Golden Globe
7. What side project did he create in 1981?
A) The Watch
B) The Clock
C) The Time
D) The Hour
8. Purple (Rain) and Red (Corvette) are synonymous with Prince. Which one of these colorful names is not a Prince album?
A) The Black Album
B) The Gold Experience
C) The Pink Machine
D) The Rainbow Children
9. What song did Tipper Gore hear her 12-year-old daughter listening to that prompted her to create the Parents Music Resource Center and label the song one of the “Filthy Fifteen?”
A) “Gett Off”
B) “Let’s Go Crazy”
C) “Rocky Mountain High”
D) “Darling Nikki”
10. What song did Prince write under the pseudonym “Christopher?”
A) “Friday I’m in Love” for The Cure
B) “Manic Monday” for The Bangles
C) “Monday Monday” for The Mamas And The Papas
D) “Friday” for Rebecca Black
11. “Purple Rain” the album and “Purple Rain” the movie put Prince on top of the pop music world. Which two singles from that album hit number one?
A) “When Doves Cry” and “I Would Die 4 U”
B) “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry”
C) “Purple Rain” and “Let’s Go Crazy”
D) “Purple Rain” and “I Would Die 4 U”
12. After catching the attention of Prince in 1983, the drummer Sheila E became his protege and opened for his Purple Rain tour. What does the E stand for?
A) Espinoza
B) Ebanez
C) Easton
D) Escovedo
13. What Tim Burton- directed film featured a soundtrack written and recorded by Prince?
A) “Batman”
B) “Edward Scissorshands”
C) “Sweeney Todd”
D) “Corpse Bride”
14. Why was Prince temporarily referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince?”
A) Walmart copyrighted “Prince”
B) He changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol
C) Queen Elizabeth promised him knighthood if he dropped “Prince”
D) No one wanted to call him by his new name, “Princess”
15. In which year did Prince implore us to party like it’s 1999?
A) 1979
B) 1981
C) 1983
D) 1998
16. Prince’s two main bands were the New Power Generation and what other?
A) The Revolution
B) The Uprising
C) The Revolt
D) Occupy Minnesota
17. During the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards show, Prince performed in a costume that exposed what body part?
A) His firm buttocks
B) His tightly sculpted abs
C) His hairy chest
D) His muscular thighs
18. What is the song “7” about?
A) The deadly sins
B) His favorite convenience store
C) The rating a girlfriend once gave him (on a scale of 1 to 10)
D) Prince has refused to say
19. How many instruments is Prince credited with playing on his debut album, For You?
A) One. He’s a guitarist.
B) Three. He dabbled in piano and harmonica, like Dylan.
C) 27
D) 53
20. Prince is known for writing about the libido. What other issue that touches us all has he written about?
A) Acid rain
B) Nuclear proliferation
C) The danger of apes evolving into advanced beings that will one day enslave us all
D) Saving the whales
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