Prince's Vikings song savaged

Prince may feel a tad blue after Friday's installment of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," where the song he wrote for the Vikings, "Purple and Gold," got savaged.

"As we don't yet have rights to run Prince's tribute song to the Vikings on the show, listen here in advance: http://bit.ly/55282u" read a Twitter message in advance of the show.

I sent PTI a message that the song was "melodically pathetic. Soporific. Tony [Kornheiser] said he thought Symbolina was mummified. TK is right. Rip Prince. He's losing it."

Moments later I got my first ever "Direct message from PTI" via Twitter. "Fret not," it read. "Ripping to commence at 5:34pmish ET. Hope all is well."

And rip Kornheiser did along with an assist from Dan Le Batard, who was sitting in for Mike Wilbon.

Said Kornheiser: "Prince has been so inspired by the Vikings march towards the Super Bowl that he's released something that he hopes will serve as the Viking fight song. It is called 'Purple and Gold.' Here is a sample lyric: 'The eyes say ready for battle. No need for sword in hand. We're all amped up like a rock and roll band.' We don't have the rights to play the thing on television, but you can find it on our PTI Twitter page."

Le Batard said the song has a "It's a Small World" quality with a touch of "O Canada." The "Small World" reference was not a shot at Prince's height but rather the childish sing-songy character of the melody.

Was he insulting a guy who has sold 100 million records? Kornheiser wanted to know.

"If anyone other than Prince wrote this song, they would look at it in the Vikings' offices, begin braying with laughter, and then throw it away," said Le Batard.

Kornheiser said it's more an anthem "like the songs they used to play in the old Soviet Union when the tanks marched by. It's not a fight song. Has no anger."

Oh, there'll be anger, if captive audiences are forced to listen to this ditty with nary an interesting lick.

FOX 9's Robyne Robinson scored the exclusive from Prince when he wanted to release this masterpiece that flowed from his fingertips after watching the Vikings spank the Cowboys on Sunday.

This is just the latest verbal beat-down Prince has taken from "PTI."

Earlier this week, Kornheiser and Wilbon debated which celebrity they'd rather have at a game: Kim Kardashian or Prince.

Their debate was memorable because Kornheiser said it was the first time Wilbon had ever picked a man over an attractive woman.
Kardashian was a better choice, according to Kornheiser, because she brings her whole family in her quest to have Saints running back Reggie Bush "make an honest woman" of her. Kornheiser joked that Prince looked mummified in the video of Symbolina in a Dome lux box.

Sorry as Brett Favre's "Pants on the Ground" effort was, it was much stronger than this song Prince wrote for the Vikings. If Symbolina hadn't admitting to writing "Purple and Gold," it'd never be heard again. Expect to be tortured with it for as long as the Vikings season runs.