[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5182]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           REMEMBERING PRINCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember somebody of 
unquestionable talent, somebody who appealed to and spoke to people of 
all types, ages, and cliques, and somebody who also never stopped 
finding different ways of expressing coolness.
  Of course, I am speaking of Minnesota's native son, Prince, who 
tragically passed away this last week in Chanhassen, my hometown.
  Prince was the personification of limitless ability and creativity, 
and, even better for Minnesotans, he was one of us.
  For me, the music of Prince was intertwined with growing up in 
Chanhassen. I remember spending time with high school friends after a 
football game or a soccer game. We would take the time to actually 
drive up his driveway, which we thought was kind of fascinating. We 
would head over to his house. We were a little entranced with his 
simple, purple, split-level house.
  The fact that the man responsible for some of our favorite songs and 
music was living right in our backyard seemed actually too good to be 
true.
  I remember my very first concert I went to was also Prince on his 
Purple Rain Tour back in 1984 at the St. Paul Civic Center.
  To hear his contemporaries tell the story, Prince's guitar playing 
simply was indescribable. If the best musicians of our day can't find 
the words to express how talented he really was, I certainly can't find 
a way to express the skill that he possessed.
  Of course, he was much more than his guitar playing. He could also 
sing and play numerous other instruments and write hit after hit. But 
what inspires so many is that it shows that greatness lives within us.
  Prince grew up in Minneapolis. He didn't have any formal classical 
musical training at an elite school, but he did rise to the top of the 
music world and never looked back.
  Even with all the stories that we have heard over the past several 
days and week about the greatness of Prince, more inspiring are the 
stories of him extending a helping hand to help lift others up in times 
of need, stories of how he was very active in our community.
  Just a few weeks before he passed away, he played a very surprise 
show with friends at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, a very popular 
venue and Minnesota favorite, where I worked as a high school busboy.
  Day after day we are hearing stories now of donations to schools, to 
different causes and, of course, to people. Those are the folks that 
Prince made happy in terms of their time of need. Prince had a giving 
heart.
  Ultimately, it is for these reasons that we have seen the outpouring 
of grief from around Minnesota, from around the country, and also from 
around the world.
  As we continue to remember Prince, the man, and his music, it is his 
words from one of his earliest top hits, ``1999,'' that helps put 
things in perspective. He says: ``But life is just a party, and parties 
weren't meant to last.''
  While his party has certainly sadly come to an end, these lyrics 
remind us each and every day to live those days to the fullest and to 
set out to achieve great things.
  We will miss Prince Rogers Nelson. May he rest in peace.

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