Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19, soon releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, and was also the soundtrack to the film of the same name in which he starred. Purple Rain garnered continued success for Prince and was a major commercial achievement, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack also won Prince the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released the album Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as the greatest work of his career. In the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. in 1993, he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar (known to fans as the "Love Symbol") and was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or TAFKAP) or simply The Artist.
After signing with Arista Records in 1998, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000. Over the next decade, six of his albums entered the U.S. top 10 charts. In April 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home after his death, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos. He also released songs under multiple pseudonyms during his life, as well as writing songs that were made popular after being covered by other musicians, most notably "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor and "Manic Monday" by the Bangles. Estimates of the complete number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. His awards included the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
Studio albums
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign o' the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
Love Symbol (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Truth (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone... (2002)
Xpectation (2003)
N·E·W·S (2003)
The Chocolate Invasion (2004)
The Slaughterhouse (2004)
Musicology (2004)
3121 (2006)
Planet Earth (2007)
Lotusflow3r (2009)
MPLSound (2009)
20Ten (2010)
Plectrumelectrum (2014)
Art Official Age (2014)
HITnRUN Phase One (2015)
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015)
Posthumous releases:
Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018)
Originals (2019)
Welcome 2 America (2021)
Prince also released two albums credited to Madhouse, three albums credited to the New Power Generation, and one credited to the N.P.G. Orchestra:
Madhouse:
8 (1987)
16 (1987)
The New Power Generation:
Goldnigga (1993)
Exodus (1995)
Newpower Soul (1998)
The N.P.G. Orchestra:
Kamasutra (1997)
For Serbian singer Princ, please use Princ.
3121
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's go
Three one two one
It's loco right?
Through the gates, knock on the door
Put you're clothes in the pile on the floor
Take you're pick from the Japanese robes and sandals
[Chorus:]
Don't you wanna come? Three one two one
Gonna be so much fun three one two one
That's where the party be three one two one
You can come if you want to,
But you can never leave
Look over there
There's another turn-on
Butterflies scared that they're going to be awake all night long
Dancin' in you're belly
Like a ballerina
In spit of you're efforts to calm them down
[Chorus]
House party ya'll
It's going down people
Like the wall of Berlin
Lock the door
'Til you see the sun
We gon' party like there ain't gonna be another one
Futuristic fantasy
This is where the purple party people be
This is where the party be three one two one
[Chorus]
It's goin' down, people
Like the wall of Berlin
The lyrics to Prince's song "3121" are an invitation to a house party in what seems to be a luxurious and extravagant setting. The opening lines encourage the DJ to turn up the music, and identify the location of the party as "three one two one," which is presumably the address of the house. The lyrics go on to describe the partygoers taking off their clothes and putting on Japanese robes and sandals, drinking champagne from glasses with chocolate handles, and experiencing nervous excitement ("butterflies") in anticipation of the night's festivities. The chorus repeats the invitation to join the party, and adds the ominous line, "You can come if you want to, but you can never leave."
The lyrics of "3121" create a surreal and fantastical world that is both alluring and scary. The party is depicted as a hedonistic and surreal experience, where the normal rules of time and space do not apply. The chorus's warning that you can join the party, but never leave, adds a sinister note to the proceedings, suggesting that there may be something dangerous or addictive about the experience. The ultimate message of the song seems to be that, for those willing to take the risk, there is a world of excitement and adventure waiting to be explored.
Line by Line Meaning
DJ turn it up
Let's turn the music up to start the party
Let's go
Let's get started with the party
Three one two one
Referring to the building number of the party location
It's loco right?
The party is going to be crazy, right?
Through the gates, knock on the door
Enter the party location through the gates and knock on the door
Put you're clothes in the pile on the floor
Take off your clothes and put them in a pile on the floor
Take you're pick from the Japanese robes and sandals
Choose one of the Japanese robes and sandals available to wear
Drink champagne from a glass with chocolate handles
Drink champagne served in a glass with chocolate handles
Don't you wanna come? Three one two one
Don't you want to come to the party at this location?
Gonna be so much fun three one two one
The party is going to be a lot of fun at this location
That's where the party be three one two one
The party is being held at this location
You can come if you want to,
You are invited to the party
But you can never leave
Once you are at the party, you will never want to leave
Look over there
Take a look over there
There's another turn-on
There is something else that excites you
Butterflies scared that they're going to be awake all night long
Feeling nervous and excited about staying up all night long
Dancin' in you're belly
Feeling butterflies in your stomach because of the excitement
Like a ballerina
The way the butterflies move in your stomach reminds you of ballet
In spit of you're efforts to calm them down
Even though you try to calm yourself, the excitement makes the butterflies dance more
House party ya'll
This is a party at a house
It's going down people
The party is starting and it's going to be fun
Like the wall of Berlin
The energy and excitement of the party is like the fall of the Berlin Wall
Lock the door
Lock the door so no one else can come in
Til you see the sun
Party until the sun comes up
We gon' party like there ain't gonna be another one
We're going to party like it's the last party we'll ever have
Futuristic fantasy
The party is like a fantasy from the future
This is where the purple party people be
This is where Prince and his fans, who are called the purple party people, are partying
This is where the party be three one two one
The party is happening at this location
It's goin' down, people
The party is starting and it's going to be good
Like the wall of Berlin
The energy and excitement of the party is like the fall of the Berlin Wall
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind