Prince at Seventeen: The Soft-Spoken Prodigy Who Set the Stage on Fire with ‘Why You Want to Treat Me So Bad?

Prince was only fifteen when he started turning down record deals because they would not let him produce his own music. Standing on a TV stage in the late teens, he wore a gold jumpsuit and a pink satin shirt open at the chest, almost hiding behind his hair when he spoke. Yet even then, his control over his craft was complete.

There was a quiet confidence in how he introduced his band, each name and instrument delivered without a hint of showmanship, then a flash of mystery when he answered questions about playing “thousands” of instruments. Moments later, the shyness vanished. With “Why You Want To Treat Me So Bad?” he moved, sang, and commanded the room like someone twice his age.

That tripped me out when Dick Clark asked how I could come from Minneapolis

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“That tripped me out when Dick Clark asked how I could come from Minneapolis, of all places,” said Prince, recalling his interview and performance of his hit single, ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover,’ on television’s ‘American Bandstand.’ “That really gave me an attitude for the rest of the talk. TV personalities are hard to talk to. They come out of certain bags. Music is music. A place is a place.” 🌹 ~Prince, The Minneapolis Star in 1980 “He didn’t talk to me, I’ve always said that was one of the most difficult interviews I’ve ever conducted, and I’ve done 10,000 musician interviews. That’s the nature of the man. He’s an extraordinary performer and not a particularly verbose one in public conversation. Though once you’re off camera, he’s like everybody else – very normal.” He compared Prince to “all the mystery people in entertainment” who say little in public but much more in private.” ~Dick Clark told the Star Tribune in 1995. 💫 🎥 Prince performing ‘Why you wanna treat me so bad’ on ‘American Bandstand’ in 1979 #prince #princerogersnelson #thebeautifulone #80 #princerogersnelsonfans #music #purpleone #electric #iconic

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Fans who later saw the clip online were struck by the contrast, some laughed about how softly he spoke and others replayed the performance for his guitar work alone. One comment read, “He made the stage his own in under three minutes,” it is a reminder of how quickly he could shift from reserved to unstoppable.

That same mix of vulnerability and control was still there nearly two decades later, though sharper, more seasoned. On Oprah’s stage in 1996, he stepped into “If I Was Your Girlfriend” with a different energy. The boy who once answered in one-word replies now moved like a man who owned every inch of the spotlight.

Prince; If I Was Your Girlfriend. Live on Oprah

The performance felt intimate yet fearless. The shirt came off mid-song, tossed aside as the crowd roared. Oprah danced in her seat while the band, led by two women on guitar and bass, kept the groove steady. Fans called it “magnetic,” one saying, “He could make you feel like he was singing to only you.”

Prince’s journey was never about one moment. It was the way he built a world where shyness, brilliance, and boldness could all exist in the same breath. That is why decades later, his performances still pull people in. Follow Prince on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The next song might be exactly what you need.

Prince – 4EVER | Prince – Greatest Hits [Full Album]