Prince to a Symbol
It's sometimes hard for young fans today to understand how popular Prince was in the 1980s. With hits like "When Doves Cry" and "1999," Prince (that was actually part of his real name, Prince Rogers Nelson) was one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. His 1984 album Purple Rain sold more than 13 million copies; the movie with the same name won an Oscar for best original song and grossed more than $80 million. Then after a string of other hits, Prince changed his name to unpronounceable symbol that, he sort of explained, was a combination of the symbols for man and woman. Verbally and in the press he became "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince," despite his insistence that the correct term for his new moniker was Love Symbol No. 2. After a number of years using that symbol, the Artist changed his name back to Prince, bringing full circle one of the most colorful and prolific careers in music.