Church Marquee Honors Prince With "Let's Go Crazy" Lyrics
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TULSA, Okla. (CBSDFW.COM) - University United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma is praising the legacy left by the late Prince Rogers Nelson with a remembrance sign.
When the pastor of University United Methodist Church, Nathan Mattox heard the news of Prince's death Thursday afternoon, he said he was saddened, but inspired and thankful for the many good times he experienced listening to Prince's music and playing it as a DJ for college parties. As a catharsis and with the desire to share his appreciation for the Purple One, he cooked up an appropriate song reference with his administrative assistant and went right to work, pulling letters out of a card catalogue for the church's old-school marquee.
They chose Lyrics from "Let's Go Crazy"released in '84 by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Purple Rain. It was the opening track on both the album and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" is one of Prince's most popular songs, and is almost always a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other hits.
The church sits right in the middle of University of Tulsa campus, so the marquee gets a lot of views from passers by, and the church usually has an inspiring quote in its inspiring courtyard. When Mattox finished with the sign, he snapped a picture and shared it on the church's Facebook page, and then shared with his friends and a favorite community page, Unvirtuous Abby.
By the end of the afternoon, Prince fans all over had noticed.
"We just hope hope the quote might signal to the broader community what we hope to do as a church---not be judgemental know-it-alls, but instead a community of people "gathered to get through this thing called life." Simple words from a beautiful person—what the church is always seeking to publicize. Thanks Prince," said Mattox. "Punch a higher floor, brother!"
(Photo Credit: Nathan Mattox, UUMC Pastor in Tulsa, Okla.)
PHOTOS: Prince Rogers Nelson 1958-2016
Prince stood just 5 feet, 2 inches and seemed to summon the most original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that openly drew upon Jimi Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto or turning out album after album of stunningly original material. Among his other notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," "Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album."
He was also fiercely protective of his independence, battling his record company over control of his material and even his name. Prince once wrote "slave" on his face in protest of not owning his work and famously battled and then departed his label, Warner Bros., before returning a few years ago.
"What's happening now is the position that I've always wanted to be in," Prince told The Associated Press in 2014. "I was just trying to get here."
In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame, which hailed him as a musical and social trailblazer.
"He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the Eighties," reads the Hall's dedication. "Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative."
A small group of fans quickly gathered in the rain Thursday outside his music studio, Paisley Park, where Prince's gold records are on the walls and the purple motorcycle he rode in his 1984 breakout movie, "Purple Rain," is on display. The white building surrounded by a fence is about 20 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
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