This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/21/2021
Prince smashed this Fender Stratocaster guitar in his 1992 music video “My Name is Prince”. Prince guitars are highly rare and coveted, so to find one that he both played and is also featured in a music video of his is quite remarkable. The track was his second single off the album “Love Symbol,” and it ironically foreshadowed the infamous clash that Prince would have with Warner Bros regarding the release of his massive backlogs of music. “My Name is Prince” was a funk and hip hop inspired dance track that featured a verse from the New Power Generation — a backing group for Prince.
In the music video, Prince is leading a riot that is stylized to have plenty of fan fare and news coverage. Near the beginning of the song, Prince lifts this guitar over his head and smashes it on the ground. In the next shot, the guitar is shown in three pieces pictured as they are here. The guitar smashing both added to the riot-aesthetic, and was also a subtle hint to the album’s shift away from Prince’s traditional guitar-driven rock sound.
A little while after the release of “Love Symbol” Prince wanted to release all of his music, but Warner Bros wanted to steadily release a few tracks at a time at a much slower pace. The stylization of the album “Love Symbol” was an unpronounceable symbol that was created by combining the symbols for male and female. In 1993, Prince changed his stage name to this and began being referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” as an act of rebellion to the contract. Ultimately, Prince released several albums in rapid succession to fulfill his deals with Warner Bros and it was not until 1996 that he was free from the contract. Originally from the Barney's auction, comes with an original catalog from the auction and a Gotta Have Rock & Roll Certificate of Authenticity.