Since the debut of Chris Rock’s brilliant new Netflix special, “Tamborine,” his publicity team has had to call a few critics and reporters who accidentally spelled it “Tambourine.”
They, OK, we got the name of the special wrong because “tambourine” is a much more common spelling than the one Rock uses, which drops the letter U.
The instrument, as you probably guessed from the special’s title, is an essential part of the main message Rock delivers during the show. We won’t spoil it, but it’s a lesson about relationships we should all probably remember.
So why the “Tamborine” spelling? Rock explained it in a recent Facebook Live post, in which he gave fans a walk-through of his house.
“It’s spelled that way because that’s how Prince spells it in the song ‘Tamborine.'”
It’s that simple. Prince’s “Tamborine” — which Chad Clark described for The Washington City Paper as “roughly two minutes of threadbare metaphor for masturbation” — is from Prince’s immaculate 1985 album “Around the World in a Day.” (You should read Clark’s entire analysis. It’s good.)
Rock makes no secret of his Prince fandom — he conducted perhaps the greatest interview with him in 1997.
Rock’s “Tamborine” — not “Tambourine” — is now streaming on Netflix. You can watch Rock’s Facebook Live about the special here.
Remembering Prince: 5 of Legendary Singer's Most Memorable Performances (Videos)
As a part of a rock guitarist All-Star team, Prince performed George Harrison's classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" alongside Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Tom Petty, and George's son, Dhani.
To ring in the year 2000, Prince pulled out all the stops with a special New Year's Eve concert that featured a duet performance of "American Woman" with Lenny Kravitz.
If you want to see what Prince sounded like in his pre-Revolution days, you can check out this complete concert filmed at the Capitol Theatre in New Jersey in 1982.
Prince's career has been filled with mindblowing performances, but his Super Bowl XLI halftime show in 2007 defines his career. On a stage lit purple and during a torrential Miami downpour, Prince gave his greatest performance of "Purple Rain" ... ever. Even diehard NFL fans remember this more than the beat down the Indianapolis Colts delivered the Chicago Bears.
Prince debuted a new backup band, 3rdeyegirl, in 2014, and they proved they were just as good as the Revolution and the Time when they performed "She's Always In My Hair" on "The Arsenio Hall Show."
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From a rain-drenched Super Bowl to duets with other iconic guitarists, Prince put out one great show after another during his historic career
As a part of a rock guitarist All-Star team, Prince performed George Harrison's classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" alongside Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Tom Petty, and George's son, Dhani.
