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.
7
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They stand in the way of love
And we will smoke them all
With an intellect and a savior-faire
No one in the whole universe
Will ever compare
I am yours now and you are mine
Space and time, so don't cry
One day all seven will die
All seven and we'll watch them fall
They stand in the way of love
And we will smoke them all
With an intellect and a savoir-faire
No one in the whole universe
Will ever compare
I am yours now and you are mine
And together we'll love through all
Space and time, so don't cry
One day all seven will die
And I saw an angel come down unto me
In her hand she holds the very key
Words of compassion, words of peace
And in the distance an army's marching feet (one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four)
But behold, we will watch them fall
And we lay down on the sand of the sea
And before us animosity will stand and decree
That we speak not of love only blasphemy
And in the distance, six others will curse me
But that's alright (that's alright)
For I will watch them fall (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven)
All seven and we'll watch them fall
They stand in the way of love
And we will smoke them all
With an intellect and a savoir-faire
No one in the whole universe
Will ever compare
I am yours now and you are mine
And together we'll love through all
Space and time, so don't cry
One day all seven will die
(Just how old?)
And we will see a plague and a river of blood
And every evil soul will surely die in spite of
And seven tears, but do not fear
For in the distance, twelve souls from now
You and me will still be here
We will still be here
There will be a new city with streets of gold
Young so educated they never grow old
And a, there will be no death for with every breath
A voice of many colors sings a song that's so bold
Sing it while we watch them fall
All seven and we'll watch them fall
They stand in the way of love
And we will smoke them all
With an intellect and a savoir-faire
No one in the whole universe
Will ever compare
I am yours now and you are mine
And together we'll love through all
Space and time, so don't cry
One day all seven will die
(Just how old?)
(Just how old?)
(Just how old?)
The song "7" by Prince and the New Power Generation appears to be a mystical, spiritual and psychedelic anthem touching on themes of love, power, and the future. The lyrics seem to allude to a conflict between love and hate, good and evil, and the triumph of love when all is said and done. The repeated line, "All seven and we'll watch them fall," could refer to the seven deadly sins or any other forces that stand in the way of true love flourishing. The song stresses that love will conquer all barriers and obstacles, including death, as the lyrics reassure, "One day all seven will die."
The lyrics also seem to make references to Revelation in the Bible, with "an angel coming down" and talk of an "army marching feet." The idea of a "plague" and a "river of blood" also brings to mind images of the apocalypse. However, Prince's lyrics take a more mystical and optimistic approach, envisioning a future where there will be "young, educated people who never grow old" in a "new city with streets of gold" and where "a voice of many colors sings a song that's so bold." The song conveys hope in the future and the power of love to overcome all.
Line by Line Meaning
All seven and we'll watch them fall
The obstacles in our way will fall by our own intellect and skill.
They stand in the way of love
These obstacles are preventing us from being in love with each other.
And we will smoke them all
We will defeat the obstacles through hard work and determination.
With an intellect and a savior-faire
By being smart and knowing how to handle difficult situations.
No one in the whole universe
No one else out there can compare to our love.
Will ever compare
Our love is absolutely unique and incomparable.
I am yours now and you are mine
We belong to each other now and forever.
And together we'll love through all
Our love will withstand anything that comes our way.
Space and time, so don't cry
We will always be together, no matter where we are in space or time.
One day all seven will die
Eventually our obstacles will be gone.
And I saw an angel come down unto me
I had a vision of a divine messenger coming to me.
In her hand she holds the very key
The messenger holds the key to unlocking my future.
Words of compassion, words of peace
The messenger spoke kindly and lovingly to me.
And in the distance an army's marching feet (one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four)
In the distance, I see the approach of an opposing force.
But behold, we will watch them fall
But we will be victorious over them.
And we lay down on the sand of the sea
We found peace by the beach.
And before us animosity will stand and decree
Our enemies will try to stop us with their laws and declarations.
That we speak not of love only blasphemy
They forbid us from expressing our love openly.
And in the distance, six others will curse me
More enemies will come against us.
But that's alright (that's alright)
It doesn't matter, we will overcome them anyway.
For I will watch them fall (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven)
We will be victorious over all of our enemies.
And we will see a plague and a river of blood
There will be great suffering and death around us.
And every evil soul will surely die in spite of
Those who are evil will suffer the consequences of their actions.
And seven tears, but do not fear
Despite the horror around us, we should not be afraid.
For in the distance, twelve souls from now
In the future, there will be new people and new opportunities for love.
You and me will still be here
But we will remain together forever.
There will be a new city with streets of gold
In the future, there will be a paradise on earth.
Young so educated they never grow old
The people in this new city will be wise beyond their years.
And a, there will be no death for with every breath
Death will be abolished in this paradise.
A voice of many colors sings a song that's so bold
The people in this new city will live in harmony and peace.
Sing it while we watch them fall
We will be victorious over our enemies while enjoying paradise together.
(Just how old?)
Repeating a question about age.
(Just how old?)
Repeating a question about age.
(Just how old?)
Repeating a question about age.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson, Lowell Fulsom, Jimmy Mccracklin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind