Sometime around 1983, Stevie Nicks invited Prince to help her record her hit single, “Stand Back”. Prince agreed and helped Nicks record the track by playing the synthesizers. Following its release, Prince didn’t initially receive credit, and the single went on to peak at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. We aren’t writing to tell you about this track’s behind-the-scenes musical creation. Instead, we are here to relay a story Nicks once told about an unexpected talent Prince revealed behind the scenes.
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Prince was and always will be an enigma of sorts. The man is confusing, but in a good way, and did odd things for valid reasons. Furthermore, he seemingly never let the public know everything about him. While he was vulnerable, he also seemed to have an ace up his sleeve. That being said, we bet you didn’t know that Prince was allegedly a phenomenal basketball player.
Prince Revealed His Hidden Talent Once the Recording Wrapped
Fun fact, but Stevie Nicks actually wrote “Stand Back” on her wedding day with Kim Anderson. Recalling when the inspiration hit her, Nicks stated, “I actually wrote the lyric on my wedding day. Me and my husband [Kim Anderson] were driving up to San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara on our honeymoon when ‘Little Red Corvette’ came on the radio and I started humming a new melody to it,” per Louder Sound.
So, equipped with a melody and lyrics, Nicks invited Prince to help her out at Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles. The two worked for about an hour, and once they wrapped it all up, Prince went out back and started to play some hoops. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep him there forever,” said Nicks.
“It all happened in about an hour. I remember him playing basketball outside afterwards like one of the Harlem Globetrotters, spinning the ball on his finger and throwing it backwards into the net. He shot a few more baskets and was gone,” she added.
Is it surprising that, according to Stevie Nicks, Prince is a great ball player? Surprisingly, not such much, as Prince just gave off the air of a man who is good at whatever he does. However, to us, it is a bit unexpected. Regardless, there you have it, Prince wasn’t just a virtuoso guitarist, but also one heck of a basketball player according to Stevie Nicks.
Photo by Kai-Uwe Wärner/picture alliance via Getty Images
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