As Aunt Beep already astutely observed, Prince totally rocked the SuperBowl last Sunday. I can’t stop listening to his rendition of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You,” which I giddily downloaded over at Timedoor the very next day. It’s an incredible testament to how magically one artist can transform another band’s song: I always thought that track sort of sounded like a beer commercial, but Prince turns it into this super-intense, life-affirming, epic guitar ballad that I can’t stop listening to over and over and over.

To get my fill of purpleness, I’ve also been revisiting the soundtrack to Purple Rain, a favorite Prince record for both me and Greg at Delenda Est Carthago. “Part of the reason why this album is so good is that Prince resists adding one of those treacly love ballads which often break up his otherwise excellent work,” Greg writes, “and here, the tightness of the tracks and the blending of the screeching guitar with the rest of the band is brilliant.” Well put, though I must admit that my fondness for the record has much to do with some sweet memories of me and my Prince-obsessed babysitter holding Purple Rain dance contests in my room. We’d switch off songs, and somehow she always worked the scoring so that I came out the winner each and every time.