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.
Animal Kingdom
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In an ad sayin' what would do my body good
I told him he was wasting time I say
If God wanted milk in me
The breast I suck would have a line around the hood
No member of the animal kingdom nurses past maturity
No member of the animal kingdom ever did a thing 2 me
Don't give me no blue cheese
We're all members of the animal kingdom
Leave your brothers and sisters in the sea
Animal, animal kingdom
Who told us we should eat the swine?
U can bet your final money it damn sure wasn't no friend of mine
What about the clams on the shore?
Souls in progress, here come the fisherman - soul no more
No member of the animal kingdom nurses past maturity
(Nurses past, oh yeah)
No member of the animal kingdom ever did a thing 2 me
(Ever did a damn thing)
So I don't eat no red meat or white fish
Or funky, funky blue cheese
We're all members of the animal kingdom
Leave your brothers and sisters in the sea
Animal, animal kingdom
In Prince's song "Animal Kingdom," he challenges society's norms and beliefs about animal consumption. Prince questions the idea that humans need to consume animal products, arguing that no member of the animal kingdom nurses past maturity nor have they ever done anything to benefit humans. He goes on to state that he doesn't eat any red meat, white fish, or blue cheese and urges others to leave their "brothers and sisters in the sea," emphasizing that we are all members of the animal kingdom.
Prince's lyrics in "Animal Kingdom" can be seen as his way of advocating for animal rights and promoting a plant-based diet. His lyrics also reveal his dissatisfaction with the conventional nutritional guidelines that have been imposed on society. Prince believes that our bodies don't require the consumption of dairy or meat, and that we should be able to get all the nutrition we need from plant-based sources. Through his lyrics, Prince urges listeners to question the status quo and consider alternative dietary practices that promote health and wellness for both our bodies and the planet.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw a friend of mine 2day
Prince saw one of his friends today
In an ad sayin' what would do my body good
Prince's friend was in an advertisement promoting a product that claims to have health benefits
I told him he was wasting time I say
Prince advised his friend that he was wasting his time by using such products
If God wanted milk in me
Prince believes that if God intended humans to consume milk, he would have arranged for their mother's breasts to always have milk available
The breast I suck would have a line around the hood
Prince means that if he were meant to consume milk, his mother would have always had milk in her breasts to nourish him
No member of the animal kingdom nurses past maturity
Prince observes that animals do not consume milk after their infancy
No member of the animal kingdom ever did a thing 2 me
Prince observes that animals have never harmed him
It's why I don't eat red meat or white fish
Prince avoids consuming meat and fish due to his personal beliefs about animal welfare and nutrition
Don't give me no blue cheese
Prince does not consume cheese, particularly blue cheese
We're all members of the animal kingdom
Prince believes that humans are also animals
Leave your brothers and sisters in the sea
Prince believes that we should not harm or exploit our fellow animals in any way
Who told us we should eat the swine?
Prince questions who instructed humans to consume pork
U can bet your final money it damn sure wasn't no friend of mine
Prince believes that none of his friends would have advocated for consuming pork
What about the clams on the shore?
Prince points out that other seafood, such as clams, are also consumed by humans
Souls in progress, here come the fisherman - soul no more
Prince believes that consuming other animals affects their souls, which is lost when they are killed and consumed by humans
(Nurses past, oh yeah)
Prince reiterates that animals do not nurse after their infancy
(Ever did a damn thing)
Prince emphasizes that animals have never harmed him in any way
Or funky, funky blue cheese
Prince has a specific aversion to blue cheese
Animal, animal kingdom
Prince repeats the phrase to reinforce his belief that we are all animals
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind