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.
Alphabet St.
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm going down to Alphabet Street
I'm gonna crown the first girl that I meet
I'm gonna talk so sexy
She'll want me from my head to my feet
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah)
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm gonna drive my daddy's Thunderbird (my daddy's Thunderbird)
A white rad ride, '66 ('67) so glam it's absurd
I'm gonna put her in the back seat
And drive her to Tennessee
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Tennessee
Yeah, yeah, yeah, drive her
Excuse me, baby
I don't mean to be rude
But I guess tonight I'm just not, I'm just not in the mood
So if you don't mind (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I would like to watch
Yeah, yeah, yeah can I?
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah (can I, can I, can I, can I)
We're going down, down, down, if that's the only way
To make this cruel, cruel world hear what we've got to say
Put the right letters together and make a better day
Yeah, yeah, yeah, better days
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's O-O-K
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Maybe it's the only way
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Cat, we need you to rap (no)
Cat, we need you to rap
Don't give to us slow
'Cause we know you know
New power soul
Gotta gotta gotta go
Talk to me lover
Come on tell me what you taste
Didn't your mama tell you
Life is to good to waste? (put your love down)
Didn't she tell you
That Lovesexy was the glam of them all?
If you can hang, you can trip on it
You surely won't fall (put your love down)
No side effects and
The feeling last for-ever
Straight up it tastes good
It makes you feel clever (put your love down)
You kiss your enemies
Like you know you should
Then you jerk your body like a horny pony would (put your love down)
You jerk your body like a horny pony would
Now run and tell your mama about that
And while you're at it tell your papa about this
Yeah-yeah
Put your love down there when you want to get shot
No (yeah, yeah)
Put your love down there when you want to get shot
Put your love down there when you want to get shot
Put your love down there when you want to get shot
Put your love down there
(Yeah)
Get home, Alphabet Street
No
L-L-L-L-Lovesexy
Yea, oh, Alphabet Street
Yea, oh, Alphabet Street
A B C D E F H I love you
"Alphabet St." is one of the hit songs from Prince's 1988 album, Lovesexy. The song speaks of Prince's love and desire for a girl he meets on Alphabet Street. He sings about cruising in his father's Thunderbird, talking sexy to the girl, and going to Tennessee with her. Prince's signature funk and R&B genres are prominent in the song, with a background chorus and his provocative lyrics sung in falsetto. The chorus is catchy, rhythmic, and builds up anticipation for the verses. The song's lyrics are cleverly crafted to form an "ABC" theme, with Prince playfully ending the song with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, H, and finally, "I love you."
However, the song is much more than just a playful love song. It carries a deeper message of unity and hope for a better world. In the bridge, Prince sings about bringing people together by putting the right letters together to make a better day. The song's message of coming together and working for a better future was particularly relevant in the late '80s, with the rise of social and political issues. Prince's "Alphabet St." encourages listeners to rise above the problems and work together for a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
No!
Rejection or refusal of something.
I'm going down to Alphabet Street
The singer is going to Alphabet Street.
I'm gonna crown the first girl that I meet
The singer will treat the first girl he meets in Alphabet Street like a queen.
I'm gonna talk so sexy
The artist will speak in an alluring manner.
She'll want me from my head to my feet
The woman will desire the artist entirely.
I'm gonna drive my daddy's Thunderbird (my daddy's Thunderbird)
The singer will use his father's car, a Thunderbird.
A white rad ride, '66 ('67) so glam it's absurd
Describing the car as a radical and glamorous white 1966 or 1967 Thunderbird.
I'm gonna put her in the back seat
The artist will take the woman in the car's rear seats.
And drive her to Tennessee
The artist will drive the woman to Tennessee.
Excuse me, baby
Addressing the woman.
I don't mean to be rude
The singer is not trying to be impolite.
But I guess tonight I'm just not, I'm just not in the mood
The artist does not feel like partaking in an activity right now.
So if you don't mind (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Asking for permission.
I would like to watch
The singer only wants to watch the activity.
We're going down, down, down, if that's the only way
The singer and some other person will descend to make their voices heard.
To make this cruel, cruel world hear what we've got to say
To speak about something to the cruel and unjust world.
Put the right letters together and make a better day
By using correctly arranged words, a better day can be created.
Maybe it's the only way
Perhaps this is the only approach.
Cat, we need you to rap (no)
Requesting someone to rap, although they refuse.
Don't give to us slow
Urging the rapper to speed up.
'Cause we know you know
The rest of them are sure that the rapper is knowledgeable.
New power soul
A new brand of soul music.
Gotta gotta gotta go
Must rapidly proceed.
Talk to me lover
Addressing the woman in a lover-wise way.
Come on tell me what you taste
Requesting for the woman's preferences in men.
Didn't your mama tell you
Asking whether the woman's mother taught her something.
Life is to good to waste? (put your love down)
Questioning what the woman is doing if life is excellent.
Didn't she tell you
Asking if the woman was told something else.
That Lovesexy was the glam of them all?
Asking if the woman was informed about Lovesexy being the most attractive.
If you can hang, you can trip on it
If the woman can manage, she can enjoy it.
You surely won't fall (put your love down)
The woman is unlikely to fail.
No side effects and
No negative repercussions.
The feeling last for-ever
The emotion will endure.
Straight up it tastes good
It has an unobjectionable flavor.
It makes you feel clever (put your love down)
It provides a sense of intelligence.
You kiss your enemies
Suggesting to kiss your enemies as well.
Like you know you should
As if it's a necessary activity.
Then you jerk your body like a horny pony would (put your love down)
Dancing in a crude manner.
You jerk your body like a horny pony would
Dancing in a crude manner.
Now run and tell your mama about that
Asking the woman to clarify to their mother.
And while you're at it tell your papa about this
Also, explain to the father.
Put your love down there when you want to get shot
Keep your affection to yourself at this place.
L-L-L-L-Lovesexy
Representative of the Lovesexy album or tour.
Yea, oh, Alphabet Street
Referring to Alphabet Street again.
A B C D E F H I love you
Reciting the alphabet with the sentiment of love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PeterDBeyt
Good Day to you all. My name is Peter and I made this video with Prince back in the late 80s. I worked at Editel, which was one of the premier edit house in the day, he had shot all the footage at his place and showed up one Monday night with a box of tapes because he knew of my effects work. Remember this was before the computers and software of today, I had to layer each letter in the video one at a time. I enjoyed a healthy working relationship with him, a nice guy, incredibly talented. I still have other versions of the video with more messages in it but we felt we wouldn't get away with it as much as we did. I'm so glad this is available to all, thanks.
@rambanita
@Peter Beyt you were blessed to work with him..I know some others who have and they all speak highly of him..One word that is universally used to describe working with him is "Magic"
@reignnyjoseph7355
Peter Beyt THANK U FOR SHARING A BLESSED LEGACY WITH HIM. this song is now one of my best and Favorite songs from the Icon! A big list of PRINCE!!!
@reignnyjoseph7355
Peter Beyt Last, God bless you and continue on working big and smart! Prince couldn't have done it without U. LOVES U VERY MUCH! SENDING LOVE💜💜💜💜
@s.wstudioproductions5977
How was Prince
@Davidhjrick
Peter. You MUST post the alternative videos. Us fans are desperate for more. Do it and I’ll marry you!
@fredevans6741
RIP Prince. This man was not only exceptionally gifted, but a musical "genius".
@nillehessy
early 80s prince wrote i would die 4 U 4 = april U = 21 i would die april 21 prince died april 21 2016
mirror datum april 21 counted back from 31 december = 9 - 11 augustus 11
3 planes on 9 - 11 2001 in NY plane-numbers were 77 93 & 11
prince wrote in early 80s ´the time´ song 7 77 93 11 but wait there is more
@Blueluise
just playing balls, why?....🤣
@pilarhinojosagomez3006
Prince EXELENTE 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼un beso 😘 de mi país 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇱