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I See Your Picture Wherever I Go: Prince in the LIFE Archive

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Updated: | Originally published: ;

Prince’s ballad “Sea of Everything” — from 20Ten, his 35th album — begins by evoking the power of an image. “I see your picture wherever I go / I’m not here to lecture, just letting you know,” the ballad begins. “I know you’re busy, the world’s calling you…”

The world, it seems, will always be calling for Prince — and for any new pictures of him.

In music’s never-ending search for authenticity and genius, few can match Prince’s talents as a musician or songwriter. As LIFE observed in 1992, his music “sprang from that fundamental basement playroom where all rock is gestated. He drew into a single voice the various sounds of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Funkadelic, which he pressed into the thunder of Purple Rain. Prince remembered two basic facts about rock: It’s dance music, and its signature emotion is longing, romantic yearning.”

Although Prince passed away two years ago this April, his contributions to culture continue. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Janelle Monáe said that her new album Dirty Computer (set to release on April 27) features sounds she was “collecting” with her friend Prince. And on her new single, “Make Me Feel,” with its synth hook and yearning lyrics, that influence is clear.

This week, LIFE combed through its archives of hundreds of candid Prince photos to give a closer look at the beloved Purple One. LIFE photographer Gjon Mili once wrote that the best portrait is when the subject is “free and easy…in the line of the body.” By that logic, it was impossible for Prince to take a bad picture.

This gallery was produced in partnership with Spotify as part of their year-long “Black History Is Happening Now” platform. Click here for curated playlists, videos, podcasts and more that celebrate Black achievements and culture beyond Black History Month.

Pop, rock, funk, R&B, psychdelia – the man from Minneapolis was a true original and earth-shattering performer. Hear Prince Rogers Nelson’s best right now. Listen here:

American singer, songwriter and musician Prince, circa 1985
Prince on tour for Purple Rain, 1985. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Al Pacino/Prince
Prince plays guitar on his Purple Rain tour in Inglewood, California on Feb. 17, 1985The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
American singer, songwriter and musician Prince, circa 1985
Prince during his Purple Rain tour, Long Beach, Calif., March 10, 1985The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Musician Prince playing guitar during his Purple Rain tour. Long Beach, California, March 10, 1985.
Prince during his Purple Rain tour, Long Beach, Calif., March 10, 1985The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Al Pacino/Prince
Prince during a Purple Rain tour performance in Los Angeles, California, March 1985The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Al Pacino/Prince
Prince, in a beaded cape, attends the 57th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1985. He won an Oscar that year for Purple RainThe LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Musician Prince out in Hollywood, California, January 12, 1986.
Prince in a white coat and jumpsuit in Hollywood on Jan. 12, 1986The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
American musician Prince (1958 - 2016) performs onstage during a pre-tour concert at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California, May 30, 1986
Prince performs onstage at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on May 30, 1986The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Musician Prince and an unidentified girlfriend are attending "M Butterfly" on Broadway. He is wearing a jacket with Minneapolis printed on the sleeve which is trademarked for his "Love Sexy 88 tour". New York, NY, September 23, 1988.
Prince attends a performance of M. Butterfly on Broadway, Sept. 23, 1988. He wears a jacket with his hometown, Minneapolis, printed on the sleeveThe LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Prince
Prince on his Lovesexy tour in 1988The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Al Pacino/Prince
Prince signs records on his Lovesexy tour, 1988. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Prince
Prince on stage under a banner that reads “No War,” circa 1988The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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