"Computer Blue" was the subject of the first music theory assignment I did during my senior year of high school. I can't remember what I was trying to demonstrate; perhaps it was the musical change near the middle of the song. After all, it was that section that took my breath away when I watched the movie for the first time a year earlier. I grew up knowing about legendary black guitar players, but I didn't engage with them regularly. Watching the "Computer Blue" performance changed that; the melody of the second section is simple, but it was so beautiful to me, and I had to know everything about this clearly amazing guitarist, who was so connected to every note he was playing. I was a disciplined musician at the time, preparing to go off to college to study flute performance, which I would do for two years before starting a long journey to becoming a journalist. Prince inspired me as an instrumentalist and as a writer. In college, I did more assignments on him and began the work that would eventually become my book. I spend a lot of time promoting this post-'80s work, but "Computer Blue" will always be important to me. It still takes my breath away.
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