Uptown
- Prince Lyrics
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It kinda turned me on when she looked at me and said, "come here"
Now I don't usually talk to strangers but she looked so pretty
What can I lose, if I, uh, just give her a little ear?
"What's up little girl?"
"I ain't got time to play"
Baby didn't say too much
She said, "Are you gay?"
I just looked her in her eyes and I said, "no, are you?"
Said to myself, said
"She's just a crazy, crazy, crazy little mixed up dame
She's just a victim of society and all its games"
Now where I come from
We don't let society tell us how it's supposed to be
Our clothes, our hair, we don't care
It's all about being there
Everybody's going uptown
That's where I want to be
Uptown
Set your mind free
Uptown
Got my body hot
Get down
I don't want to stop, no
As soon as we got there good times were rolling
White, Black, Puerto Rican, everybody just a-freakin'
Good times were rolling
She started dancing in the streets
Ow, girl, she's just gone mad, you know
She even made love to me
Ooh, best night I ever had, ah yeah
I never talk to strangers but this time it's all right
See, she got me hot, ah, I couldn't stop, ah
Good times were rolling all night, all night, yeah
Now, where I come from we don't give a damn
We do whatever we please
It ain't about no downtown, nowhere-bound, narrow-minded drag
It's all about being free
Everybody's going uptown
It's where I want to be
Uptown
You can set your mind free, yeah
Uptown
Keep your body hot
Get down
I don't want to stop, no
Uptown
Oh, oh, yeah
Uptown
Everybody's going, everybody's going
Everybody gotta gotta uptown
Now go-go-go, go-go-go uptown
The song "Uptown" by Prince is a celebration of being yourself and breaking free from society's expectations. The song begins with Prince walking down the streets of the city when he is approached by a woman who he finds attractive. The woman asks if he is gay, and he responds by asking her the same question. Prince then talks about how he is from a place where people donโt care about societal constraints on how they dress or act, and instead just want to be themselves. He repeats the phrase โuptownโ throughout the song as a symbol of liberation from societal expectations.
The chorus is a call to the listener to join in and liberate themselves by going "uptown." "Uptown" means different things to different people, but in this song, it is a metaphor for a place where people can be free to express themselves and not be constrained by the expectations of society.
The song is a classic example of Princeโs funk and soul music style. It has a catchy, upbeat melody that is punctuated by his signature falsetto vocals. The lyrics are simple but effective in conveying the message of the song. The overall effect is a song that is irresistible to dance to and encourages the listener to join in the celebration of self-expression and liberation.
Line by Line Meaning
She saw me walking down the streets of your fine city
I caught her attention while walking down the street
It kinda turned me on when she looked at me and said, "come here"
I found her alluring when she beckoned me
Now I don't usually talk to strangers but she looked so pretty
I don't typically converse with strangers, but her beauty compelled me
What can I lose, if I, uh, just give her a little ear?
I figured it wouldn't hurt to listen to what she had to say
"What's up little girl?"
I asked her how she was doing
"I ain't got time to play"
She stated she wasn't interested in idle talk
Baby didn't say too much
She said, "Are you gay?"
She didn't say much before asking if I was gay
Kinda took me by surprise, I didn't know what to do
I just looked her in her eyes and I said, "no, are you?"
Her question caught me off guard, but I replied by asking her the same
Said to myself, said
"She's just a crazy, crazy, crazy little mixed up dame
She's just a victim of society and all its games"
I thought to myself that she was a confused girl who's been hurt by society's expectations
Now where I come from
We don't let society tell us how it's supposed to be
Our clothes, our hair, we don't care
It's all about being there
I come from a place where we don't let society dictate our appearance or behavior
Everybody's going uptown
That's where I want to be
Uptown
Set your mind free
Uptown
Got my body hot
Get down
I don't want to stop, no
Everyone's heading uptown, and I want to be there too. Uptown is a place to be uninhibited and free, both mentally and physically
As soon as we got there good times were rolling
White, Black, Puerto Rican, everybody just a-freakin'
Good times were rolling
Once we arrived uptown, everyone was having a good time; it didn't matter what their background was
She started dancing in the streets
Ow, girl, she's just gone mad, you know
She even made love to me
Ooh, best night I ever had, ah yeah
She began dancing freely in the streets, and we then proceeded to have the best night of my life
I never talk to strangers but this time it's all right
See, she got me hot, ah, I couldn't stop, ah
Good times were rolling all night, all night, yeah
Although I don't typically talk to strangers, with her, it was different; she made me feel passionate and alive, and we had a great time all night
Now, where I come from we don't give a damn
We do whatever we please
It ain't about no downtown, nowhere-bound, narrow-minded drag
It's all about being free
At home, we don't care what others think, we do what makes us happy. We're not interested in being confined to Downtown, which represents a close-minded way of living; we value our freedom
Everybody's going uptown
It's where I want to be
Uptown
You can set your mind free, yeah
Uptown
Keep your body hot
Get down
I don't want to stop, no
I want to be uptown because it's where I can be free and let loose. Uptown is a place of the mind and the body, where you can feel alive and stay dancing
Uptown
Oh, oh, yeah
Uptown
Everybody's going, everybody's going
Everybody gotta gotta uptown
Now go-go-go, go-go-go uptown
Uptown is the place to be, and I urge everyone to head there. Let's all go uptown and keep it moving
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Allhoney33
@@incontrol5848 Punk and metal were not listened to by African Americans back then, at least down here in the south.
I ran into some serious problems with my peers cause of my musical tastes. Killing Joke, Gun N Roses, The Cure, Van Halen, Poison, Metallica, Megadeth, Aerosmith, The Clash etc weren't popular at all with African Americans in the south. Music here was segregated.
If and when I did meet other blacks who liked punk and metal, they were almost always from the West Coast, NorthWest Coast, North and East Coast.
We'd always get into discussions about how music in the south was so segregated and how you were treated like an outcast when you stepped outside of those rigid music color lines down here....whether you were black and liked metal and punk or white and liked r&b and rap.
Even now, when transplants move here and if music tastes come up, blacks who aren't from the south all tell me the same thing....they're pleasantly surprised to meet a southern black woman who likes something other than r&b and rap.
@nancypryor4004
Everybody thinks Purple Rain was that hit....but that Dirty Mind album....now that was a masterpiece. ๐
@mat.b.
id take Purple Rain over Dirty Mind as albums
@katherinebiron6669
I'm 28 and have been dancing to this for years
@kaufmanindustries5538
I personally prefer Dirty Mind and Sign o the Times to Purple Rain. It s just a testament to how good Prince was that he s got multiple great albums.
@enriquebarrera6668
My first album of Prince๐๐โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
@pedrosancho1190
This was the controversy album
@paulsf1990
Dr. Fink social distancing on the keyboard with his mask in 1980 haha. Loving it!
@theonecalledvino8165
Ahead of the times... MJ too.
@dantheredeemed
Exactly 40 years before Covid!
@liquidlunch3826
The whole band was ahead of their time. We got a bunch of harbage now!