Michael Jackson: Something in Common With Prince?

Filed under: Music

When it came to “living off the wall” and making “doves cry” all through the night, Michael Jackson and Prince were in a league of their own during the late 1970s and early ’80s.

The careers of the two music icons mirrored each other, from their timeless chart-topping classics to their individual artistry.

In our latest round of Tale of the Tape, we stack up the “King of Pop” and “The Purple One” to see whether they had more in common than just their cultural influence.

(M) Full Name: Michael Joseph Jackson
(P) Full Name: Prince Rogers Nelson

(M) Alias: “King of Pop”
(P) Alias: “The Purple One,” “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince”

(M) Also Referred to As: “Wacko Jacko”
(P) Also Referred to As: “The Kid”

(M) Date of Birth: Aug. 29, 1958
(P) Date of Birth: June 7, 1958

(M) Birthplace: Gary, Ind.
(P) Birthplace: Minneapolis

(M) Grammy Awards: 13
(P) Grammy Awards: 7

(M) Worldwide Record Sales: Over 750 million
(P) Worldwide Record Sales: Over 80 million

(M) Notable Relationships: Lisa Marie Presley, Debbie Rowe, Brooke Shields,

(M) Feature Film Appearances: ‘The Wiz,’ ‘Moonwalker’
(P) Feature Film Appearances: ‘Graffiti Bridge,’ ‘Under the Cherry Moon,’ ‘Purple Rain’

(M) Alleged Stolen Traits: Jeffrey Daniel of Shalamar revealed on TV One’s ‘UnSung’ that he originated the backslide, which later became known to the world as the moonwalk.
(P) Alleged Stolen Traits: Rick James alleged that Prince stole his style and stage persona early in his career.

(M) Famous Rivalries: Prince, Paul McCartney
(P) Famous Rivalries: Michael Jackson, Rick James

(M) Record Label Riffs: Following the lackluster sales of his 2001 opus ‘Invincible,’ Jackson blamed his record label, Sony Music Entertainment, and industry executives, including producer Tommy Mottola, whom he called a racist and likened to Satan.
(P) Record Label Riffs: Beginning in 1993, Prince used a symbol in place of his name because he considered his longtime record contract with Warner Bros. Records to be oppressive. He ended his recording strike in 1999.

(M) Notable Quotes: “Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever.”
(P) Notable Quotes: “Cool means being able to hang with yourself. All you have to ask yourself is, ‘Is there anybody I’m afraid of?’ ‘Is there anybody who if I walked into a room and saw, I’d get nervous?’ If not, then you’re cool.”

(M) Seminal Album: ‘Thriller’ (1982)
(P) Seminal Album: ‘Purple Rain’ (1984)

(M) Notable Collaborations: Quincy Jones produced ‘Off the Wall,’ ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’ even though — according to Berry Gordy — the record label didn’t want him to work on the project because he was “too jazzy.” Jackson also co-produced and sang on Diana Ross‘ hit single ‘Muscles’ and Rockwell‘s singular hit ‘Somebody’s Watching Me.’
(P) Notable Collaborations: Prince crafted hits for Vanity 6, Sheena Easton and Sheila E in the 1980s. In 1986, he produced songs on Patti LaBelle‘s critically acclaimed albums ‘Burnin’ and ‘Be Yourself’ (even singing with her on ‘Yo, Mister’). In 1998, he executive producethrillerd Chaka Khan‘s ‘Come 2 My House,’ which was released on his NPG record label.

(M) Vocal Discoveries: Brownstone
(P) Vocal Discoveries: Rosie Gaines

(M) Songs Covered By Others, Maybe Better: ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ by Isaac Hayes, ‘Got to Be There’ by Chaka Khan
(P) Songs Covered By Others, Maybe Better: ‘Do Me Baby’ by Me’Lisa Morgan, ‘I Feel for You’ by Chaka Khan

(M) Other Standout Covers: ‘She’s Out of My Life’ by Shirley Bassey
(P) Other Standout Covers: ‘Purple Rain’ by Randy Crawford, Fantasia; ‘How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore’ by Stephanie Mills, Alicia Keys

(M) Modern-Day Samples: ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ by Rihanna (‘Wanna Be Starting Something’), ‘Right Here’ by SWV (‘Human Nature’)
(P) Modern-Day Samples: ‘To Live & Die in L.A.’ by 2Pac (‘Do Me Baby’)

(M) Suggestive Song About Women: ‘Dirty Diana’
(P) Suggestive Song About Women: ‘Darling Nikki’

(M) Random Factoid: Was reported to perform a duet with Prince on his album ‘Bad’ but could not decide on the words to the project’s title track.
(P) Random Factoid: During his high school days, he was reportedly in a band called Champagne with his cousin Morris Day and friend Andre Cymone.

(M) Super Bowl Appearances: Super Bowl XXVII
(P) Super Bowl Appearances: Super Bowl XLI

(M) Hair Over the Years: Afro, Jheri curl, long and straight
(P) Hair Over the Years: Afro, Jheri curl, dry curl, long and straight, feathered cut

(M) Connection to Madonna: Made headlines with her after stepping out on the town.
(P) Connection to Madonna: Record companies shared the same parent company, Warner Bros.

(M) Trademark: White sequined glove
(P) Trademark: Purple attire

(M) Connection to Janet Jackson: She’s Michael’s youngest sibling.
(P) Connection to Janet Jackson: Prince helped launch The Time, which featured Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who later went on to produce Janet’s breakthrough album ‘Control.’ The duo later crafted the megasuccessful follow-ups ‘Rhythm Nation’ and ‘Janet.’

(M) Connection to Spike Lee: The filmmaker directed the music video for Michael Jackson‘s controversial song ‘They Don’t Care About Us.’
(P) Connection to Spike Lee: The soundtrack for the filmmaker’s 1996 movie ‘Girl 6’ featured all songs by Prince, who also produced the project.

(M) Solo Albums Released: 11
(P) Solo Albums Released: 30

(M) Most Memorable TV Appearances: ‘Motown 25,’ ‘Oprah Winfrey Prime-time Live Interview’
(P) Most Memorable TV Appearances: Appearing on stage alongside Michael Jackson and James Brown during a 1983 concert.

(M) Known Ailments: Vitiligo
(P) Known Ailments: Epilepsy (as a child)

(M) Major Industry Introductions: Gladys Knight helped get the Jackson 5 an audition at Motown; Diana Ross presented their debut album.
(P) Major Industry Introductions: Prince was the opening act on tours for Rick James (1980) and the Rolling Stones (1981).

(M) Religion: Jehovah’s Witness
(P) Religion: Jehovah’s Witness

(M) Short Films (Milestone Music Videos): ‘Thriller’
(P) Short Films (Milestone Music Videos): ‘Sexy MF’

(M) Trends: Red leather jackets, slick pop-locking dance moves, sequined gloves
(P) Trends: Big hair, lace, eye patches

(M) Musical Influences: Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, James Brown
(P) Musical Influences: Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, and Sly & the Family Stone

(M) Famous Satire: Weird Al Yankovich (‘Eat It’)
(P) Famous Satire: ‘The Prince Show’ on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘Chappelle’s Show’

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