Gem in the Form of Tears

Somewhere in the midst of Michael Jackson still basking in the glow of his Thriller career, there came a competitor for the soul charts.

Prince came on the scene and wowed young listeners with the Purple Rain soundtrack.

Although I was hardly impressed with his frilly suits and his nasally squeaks that, I suppose, were supposed to be sexy, I was very impressed that he had so many people who liked that crap.

My attitude for him softened a bit when I learned that he contributed a song for the USA for Africa album. I don't have to like a person's singing to appreciate him working for a good cause.

The song he contributed, I was humbled to discover, was sweet and heartfelt. It was the essence of what the whole album was about. To me, it was the only gem in his career but it was such a notable gem that I have since learned to instead of dismissing an artist because of some songs I don't like, I look deeper into the works of the artist before drawing an opinion.