Prince's 'fight' song sounded familiar - and led to a familiar result

Thanks a lot for the rousing "Vikings fight song," Prince.

"The reason the Vikings lost was that damned fight song. After hearing it they didn't know whether to fight, win or march for civil rights," said Sheletta Brundidge, an FM107 show co-host and comedian.

She might be onto a thing or two, including this: "As soon as I heard it, I knew right way, that's the 'Black National Anthem.' Are we fighting or unifying? I was confused."

She's talking about the haunting melodic similarities between the anthem and the "fight song" -- which STUNK and has been justifiably ripped all over the Internet, radio and by ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption." On Friday afternoon, Brundidge said she read a post on startribune.com about Prince's fight song and decided it was worth discussing on her new 7-9 p.m. weeknight talk show.

"Donny Love [FM107 producer] had the song in the system. As soon as he pulled it up [she recognized the music; Love did not.]. Now, of course, nobody in Minnesota knows the 'Black National Anthem.' But girrrl, Donny pulled them up and had them on two different channels, and he would play one, pause it, and play the other one and pause it. They were absolutely in sync."

At Sheletta.com, she posted both songs. I'm inclined to think she's dead on because I instantly disliked the melody of Prince's sorry "Purple and Gold." That's my usual reaction to the anthem, also known as "Lift Every Voice and Sing." The message of the song is laudable, but the up and down tempo has always been displeasing to my ear (which wasn't fooled by Prince's version, albeit jazzed up).

I'm guessing that the anthem is in the public domain, so nobody's suggesting Prince faces any copyright issues.

Prince told Fox 9's Robyne Robinson that he was inspired to write the song after being on hand for the Vikings' spanking of the Cowboys in the divisional matchup.

Never mind that Brett Favre's Vikings had been succeeding just fine without any musical support from Symbolina. Never mind the lyrics have a repurposed feel, as in Symbolina tweaked lyrics from one of the millions of songs he's written and most notably inserted the words "Purple and Gold." Ta-daaa. Robinson has not responded to my e-mail requesting that her friend Prince call so we can talk about the inspiration for the melody of his fight song.

Brundidge text-messaged me Monday at 8:41 a.m. to say the Prince song was the reason the Vikings didn't defeat Darren Sharper's Saints in Sunday's title game. This is noted because there would be great whining if I don't acknowledge that at 10:41 p.m. Sunday, Fancy Ray mailed this to me: "Vikings LOSE... I blame it on THAT Prince song!!!"

Great comedic minds think alike.

Hughley impressed D.L. Hughley enjoyed Sheletta Brundidge's take on Tiger Woods' situation so much, the actor/comedian plans to have her on his NYC radio show this week.

Brundidge and her husband attended Hughley's Saturday performance at the MOA's House of Comedy. "We went up to D.L.'s manager and told him, 'We don't know D.L. and he doesn't know us, but we know D.L.'s first cousin,'" Brundidge said. A distant Brundidge family relative is dating Hughley's first cousin. After the crowd cleared out, they were taken back where D.L., comedy club owner Rick Bronson and others were having drinks.

"My husband and D.L. were talking about Ohio, the skating rink they used to go to as kids and the projects," said Brundidge. "They had so many things in common, before I knew anything D.L. was like, Have a seat. He's just regular people."

From 12:30-2:15 a.m. they talked about "everything from D.L.'s disappointment with President Obama to Tiger. It was so funny. I told D.L. this whole Tiger Woods thing is his wife's fault."

Come again? "Look, Elin knew he was fooling around. She should have stopped Tiger at one girlfriend. He should have never gotten to two girlfriends," said Brundidge. "I told D.L. my husband has got a one-girlfriend maximum. D.L. said, This is beautiful. Can you talk to my wife? But my husband can't have an outside woman in Minnesota because these outside women don't know their place. They want to get on the inside when I'm Diana Ross and she should get her behind to the back like Mary Wilson, sing, dance and hum to the music and let me be up front with the spotlight. They want to be up front and take the mike. It's like basketball. The outside woman has to sit on the bench and wait for the coach to call her. Outside women in Minnesota want to be LeBron James. They are the sixth man. When it's time for LeBron to take a break, then it's time for them to come in. Girl, D.L. was cracking up."

She said D.L. said Woods is just being a man. A man with millions of dollars is going to have sex with a whole bunch of women.

The manager of this column endorses neither of these marital philosophies, hysterical as they are.

Randy Meier for Guv? A Facebook page is devoted to a "Randy Meier for Governor" campaign.

Word has it that the former Twin Cities and MSNBC news anchor had nothing to do with the creation of the page (www.tinyurl.com/yeddto3). That doesn't mean he's unaware of it. He's flattered -- and otherwise mum on the subject.

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com.