Prince

A Sign o' the Times

John McKie

$36.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Nine Eight Books
23 September 2025

Rock & Pop music; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups; Music recording & reproduction; Autobiography: arts & entertainment

There are pop stars, and then there is Prince. In this kaleidoscopic, freewheeling biography, John McKie examines the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious figures in music through the prism of the record most widely considered his masterpiece, 1987's Sign o' the Times.

Drawing on more than 200 interviews with friends, ex-girlfriends, bandmates, recording engineers, bodyguards, personal assistants, wardrobe designers and hairdressers, accomplished music writer John McKie examines the life of this musical polymath with the help of many of the people who knew him best.

Family members and friends discuss his childhood when he learned to master several instruments, there is new information on how he made the soundtrack to Purple Rain, the full story about why he decided to stop using his name, the now legendary Super Bowl half-time show and that guitar solo at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame which has been viewed on YouTube 100 million times.

McKie also dives into the personality of the man: what made him laugh, the way he hired and fired colleagues, what he was like to live with, how his relentless drive to make music led to him recording for hours without sleep, how he changed his car stereo to road test his new hits and even booked his guitar and album sleeves their own seats on flights.

Prince: A Sign o' the Times is the most comprehensive book ever written about one of the most enigmatic and talented pop stars of all time.

By: John McKie
Imprint: Nine Eight Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781785121968
ISBN 10: 1785121960
Pages: 544
Publication Date: 23 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

John McKie is a music writer and former editor of both Smash Hits and Q magazine. He lives in London. Prince: Sign o' the Times is his first book.