Since we’re talking about this: I’ve always thought that B must drive Prince nuts. Appearance-wise, she is the woman he’s been writing songs about for twenty years (“Cinnamon Girl,” etc.), and then plus she’s an incredible singer in exactly the way he likes. But she’s not his. He can’t rename her, can’t dress her, can’t write her songs. It’s like he’s finally found exactly what he’s been looking for, and he’s face-to-face with the knowledge that he can never possess it. And possessing is key to Prince, of course. If he can’t possess it, it doesn’t count. It’s not part of him. That wasn’t always the case - see Wendy and Lisa - and it’s not inconceivable that in some alternate universe Prince could still be engaged with things outside himself. But he’s been shut off for so long now that it’ll never happen. B was the thing that could bring him back. But she’s bigger than Prince. She doesn’t need him. She’s free.
