In regard to the name dropping, I think there was some indication that Stevie and Prince were good friends, at least for a time. She wrote A Thousand Days about him, during the 80s she discussed phone conversations they had in interviews with a little smile on her face, she claims he invited her to write on Purple Rain, and IIRC she dedicated songs to him while in his home state prior to his death. Who knows everyone that talks to or hangs out with Stevie out of the public eye? And even if they were not as close as she now makes them out to be, he did do a little part on Stand Back and I think it is reasonable for her to lament his death at a time when she is being honored specifically for her solo work. Stand Back is one of her biggest hits, and who knows if he might have made the trip to perform with her at least once if he was still alive. We will never know.
