Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to get through 120 questions. This Prince trivia round covers Minneapolis, Purple Rain, 1999, Sign o' the Times, “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss,” the Revolution, New Power Generation, Paisley Park, guitar solos, movie roles, the unpronounceable symbol, songwriting for other artists, and one very rainy Super Bowl.
Keep listening with our music trivia, 1980s trivia, and pop culture trivia.
Minneapolis, Early Prince & 1999
Q: What was Prince's full birth name?
A: Prince Rogers Nelson.
Q: When was Prince born?
A: June 7, 1958.
Q: What city was Prince born in?
A: Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Q: What U.S. state became inseparable from Prince's identity?
A: Minnesota.
Q: What instrument was Prince especially famous for playing?
A: Guitar.
Q: Could Prince play other instruments?
A: Yes, he was a highly skilled multi-instrumentalist.
Q: What was Prince's debut album?
A: For You.
Q: In what year was For You released?
A: 1978.
Q: What phrase on the album credits emphasized Prince's control?
A: Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince.
Q: What second album shared his name?
A: Prince.
Q: What early hit is titled “I Wanna Be Your Lover”?
A: “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”
Q: What 1980 album pushed Prince toward a provocative persona?
A: Dirty Mind.
Q: What 1981 album followed?
A: Controversy.
Q: What title track asks whether Prince is Black or white, straight or gay, and other identity questions?
A: “Controversy.”
Q: What 1982 double album made Prince a major crossover star?
A: 1999.
Q: What apocalyptic party anthem gives it its title?
A: “1999.”
Q: What song from 1999 begins with a spoken female voice asking about the world?
A: “1999.”
Q: What song features a little red car metaphor?
A: “Little Red Corvette.”
Q: What television network helped “Little Red Corvette” break racial barriers?
A: MTV.
Q: What song from 1999 has a title about insanity?
A: “Delirious.”
Q: What regional sound became known as the Minneapolis Sound?
A: A blend of funk, rock, pop, new wave, R&B, synths, and drum machines associated with Prince and related acts.
Q: What key sonic choice became common in Prince's funk?
A: Sparse bass, sharp guitar, synths, programmed drums, and layered vocals.
Q: Did Prince fit neatly into one genre?
A: No.
Q: What fashion colors are especially associated with Prince?
A: Purple, black, white, and bold jewel tones.
Q: What visual traits became part of his early image?
A: High heels, ruffles, lace, fitted suits, elaborate hair, and gender-fluid styling.
Q: What did Prince challenge through fashion?
A: Rigid expectations around masculinity, sexuality, race, and rock-star appearance.
Q: What city scene grew around Prince?
A: Minneapolis clubs, musicians, bands, and studio culture.
Q: What club became famous through Purple Rain?
A: First Avenue.
Q: Where is First Avenue?
A: Downtown Minneapolis.
Q: Why is Prince's Minnesota identity so strong?
A: He built much of his career, studio empire, visual mythology, and live legacy close to home.
Purple Rain & the Revolution
Q: What 1984 album made Prince a global superstar?
A: Purple Rain.
Q: What band is credited with Prince on the album?
A: The Revolution.
Q: What film shares the album's title?
A: Purple Rain.
Q: What character does Prince play?
A: The Kid.
Q: Is Purple Rain fully autobiographical?
A: No, though it uses elements associated with Prince's musical world.
Q: Who plays Apollonia?
A: Apollonia Kotero.
Q: What song became Prince's first U.S. No. 1 from the soundtrack?
A: “When Doves Cry.”
Q: What unusual instrument is largely absent from “When Doves Cry”?
A: Bass guitar.
Q: What second No. 1 hit came from the album?
A: “Let's Go Crazy.”
Q: What phrase opens “Let's Go Crazy”?
A: “Dearly beloved,” in the style of a sermon.
Q: What epic ballad closes the film's emotional arc?
A: “Purple Rain.”
Q: Where was much of the live recording for “Purple Rain” captured?
A: First Avenue in Minneapolis, later enhanced in the studio.
Q: What song asks whether listeners would die for the singer?
A: “I Would Die 4 U.”
Q: What song follows it in concert medleys and on the album?
A: “Baby I'm a Star.”
Q: What song is associated with a sexually suggestive shower and dance sequence?
A: “Darling Nikki.”
Q: What organization was partly inspired by a parent's reaction to “Darling Nikki”?
A: Parents Music Resource Center.
Q: Who was that parent?
A: Tipper Gore.
Q: What famous warning labels became associated with the PMRC debate?
A: Parental Advisory labels.
Q: What Academy Award did Prince win for Purple Rain?
A: Best Original Song Score.
Q: What color became permanently connected to Prince after the film?
A: Purple.
Q: Who were notable members of the Revolution?
A: Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, BrownMark, Bobby Z, and others.
Q: What duo within the Revolution became famous in their own right?
A: Wendy & Lisa.
Q: What role did Wendy Melvoin play?
A: Guitarist and vocalist.
Q: What role did Lisa Coleman play?
A: Keyboardist and vocalist.
Q: What was Purple Rain's cultural effect?
A: It fused film, album, touring, fashion, rock guitar, funk, pop, and Prince's mythology into one blockbuster era.
Q: Was every Purple Rain song a studio-only recording?
A: No. Live performances informed some tracks.
Q: What kind of motorcycle is strongly associated with the film?
A: Customized Honda CM400A.
Q: What venue becomes almost a character in the movie?
A: First Avenue.
Q: What does the Kid need to learn emotionally?
A: Collaboration, vulnerability, and breaking cycles of abuse.
Q: Why is Purple Rain the obvious Prince trivia centerpiece?
A: Its songs, film, costumes, band, venue, awards, and imagery became inseparable from his legend.
Kiss, Sign o' the Times, Paisley Park & the Symbol
Q: What 1985 album followed Purple Rain?
A: Around the World in a Day.
Q: What psychedelic hit appears on it?
A: “Raspberry Beret.”
Q: What 1986 album contains “Kiss”?
A: Parade.
Q: What film is Parade tied to?
A: Under the Cherry Moon.
Q: What is unusual about the “Kiss” arrangement?
A: It is extremely sparse, with falsetto vocals and clipped funk guitar.
Q: What 1987 double album is one of Prince's most acclaimed?
A: Sign o' the Times.
Q: What social problems does the title track mention?
A: AIDS, drugs, violence, poverty, and disasters.
Q: What playful song on the album turns the alphabet into flirtation?
A: “Alphabet St.” is actually on Lovesexy, while Sign o' the Times includes “Play in the Sunshine,” “U Got the Look,” and others.
Q: Who duets on “U Got the Look”?
A: Sheena Easton.
Q: What concert film shares the album title?
A: Sign o' the Times.
Q: What 1988 album has a nude Prince on the cover?
A: Lovesexy.
Q: What song from Lovesexy became a major hit?
A: “Alphabet St.”
Q: What 1989 soundtrack did Prince make for a superhero film?
A: Batman.
Q: Who directed that Batman film?
A: Tim Burton.
Q: What Prince song from the soundtrack reached No. 1?
A: “Batdance.”
Q: What studio complex did Prince build in Minnesota?
A: Paisley Park.
Q: Where is Paisley Park?
A: Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Q: What is Paisley Park both musically and physically?
A: A song/label identity and Prince's studio-estate complex.
Q: What backing band followed the Revolution in a major era?
A: New Power Generation.
Q: What does NPG stand for?
A: New Power Generation.
Q: What 1991 album introduced the NPG prominently?
A: Diamonds and Pearls.
Q: What song from that album became a No. 1 hit?
A: “Cream.”
Q: What ballad shares the album title?
A: “Diamonds and Pearls.”
Q: What symbol replaced Prince's written name in 1993?
A: An unpronounceable Love Symbol.
Q: Why did Prince change his name?
A: It was part of a bitter dispute with Warner Bros. over contracts, ownership, and release control.
Q: What did media call him when the symbol had no pronunciation?
A: The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
Q: What word did Prince write on his face during the dispute?
A: Slave.
Q: What issue was he protesting?
A: Lack of control over his recordings and contract.
Q: When did he return to the name Prince?
A: In 2000 after his Warner contract expired.
Q: What does the symbol era reveal?
A: Prince treated artistic ownership and release control as central to his identity.
Songwriting, Super Bowl, Legacy & Hard Prince Trivia
Q: What Bangles hit did Prince write under a pseudonym?
A: “Manic Monday.”
Q: What pseudonym did he use?
A: Christopher.
Q: What Sinéad O'Connor hit did Prince write?
A: “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Q: What group originally recorded Prince's version before O'Connor's hit?
A: The Family.
Q: What Sheila E. hit did Prince help create?
A: “The Glamorous Life.”
Q: What female trio did Prince mentor and name after a number?
A: Vanity 6.
Q: What hit are they known for?
A: “Nasty Girl.”
Q: What musician fronted the Time and became Prince's friendly rival in Purple Rain?
A: Morris Day.
Q: What band does Morris Day front?
A: The Time.
Q: What 2004 event did Prince headline with rain falling during the show?
A: The Super Bowl XLI halftime show actually occurred in 2007.
Q: What song did Prince perform as rain poured down?
A: “Purple Rain.”
Q: What made the moment legendary?
A: Real rain intensified a song already built around rain imagery.
Q: What famous guitar solo did Prince play at the 2004 Rock Hall ceremony?
A: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Q: Whose song is that?
A: George Harrison's Beatles composition.
Q: What happened to Prince's guitar at the end of the solo?
A: He tossed it upward/offstage and walked away.
Q: What year was Prince inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
A: 2004.
Q: What album marked a major commercial comeback that year?
A: Musicology.
Q: What promotion helped the album chart strongly?
A: Copies were bundled with concert tickets under chart rules of the time.
Q: What streaming-era stance did Prince often take?
A: He fiercely controlled where and how his music was distributed.
Q: When did Prince die?
A: April 21, 2016.
Q: Where did he die?
A: Paisley Park.
Q: How old was he?
A: 57.
Q: What color illuminated landmarks after his death?
A: Purple.
Q: What happened to Paisley Park afterward?
A: It became a museum and memorial destination.
Q: What instrument most defines Prince's rock reputation?
A: Electric guitar.
Q: What vocal register did he use famously?
A: Falsetto, alongside a wide range of other vocal styles.
Q: What album contains “When Doves Cry”?
A: Purple Rain.
Q: What album contains “Kiss”?
A: Parade.
Q: What album contains “Sign o' the Times”?
A: Sign o' the Times.
Q: Why is Prince especially deep trivia material?
A: He wrote, produced, played, performed, filmed, mentored artists, fought for ownership, changed names, built a studio kingdom, and moved between funk, rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and electronic music.
How Did You Score?
If First Avenue, the bass-less “When Doves Cry,” Wendy & Lisa, Christopher, Paisley Park, the Love Symbol, the rain-soaked Super Bowl, and the airborne Rock Hall guitar all came easily, your Prince trivia is royal.
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