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.
Annie Christian
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But her kingdom never comes, thy will be done
She couldn't stand the glory, she would be second to none
The way Annie tells the story, she's his only son
Annie Christian wanted to be a big star
So she moved to Atlanta and she bought a blue car
She killed black children, and what's fair is fair
If you try and say you're crazy, everybody say, "electric chair"
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until you're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until you're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian was a whore, always looking for some fun
Being good was such a bore, so she bought a gun
She killed John Lennon, shot him down cold
She tried to kill Reagan, everybody say gun control
Gun control
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until you're crucified I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until you're crucified I'll live my life in taxicabs
Liar, liar, liar
Got ya in a jam
Put your head on the block, somebody say, "Abscam"
Abscam
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until you're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
Annie Christian, Annie Christ
Until you're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
"Annie Christian" is a controversial song by Prince released in 1981. The lyrics depict a character named Annie Christian who is obsessed with fame, power and notoriety. The song starts with Annie wanting to be “number one”, but she soon realizes that her “kingdom never comes” and she will always be under someone else's control. Annie is portrayed as a woman who is willing to do anything to achieve her dreams of being a star, even if that means killing innocent children or celebrities.
The lyrics also mention John Lennon and Ronald Reagan, who were both victims of separate assassination attempts. Annie is portrayed as the perpetrator of these crimes, which brings up issues of gun control and mental health. Prince's use of Annie as a character is a commentary on the dark side of the entertainment industry and fame. The chorus of the song repeats the lines “Annie Christian, Annie Christ, until you're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs”, which suggests that Prince wants to distance himself from the characters and events depicted in the song and focus on his own music.
Line by Line Meaning
Annie Christian wanted to be number one
Annie Christian was ambitious and desired to be the best
But her kingdom never comes, thy will be done
Her dreams never materialized, and fate took control
She couldn't stand the glory, she would be second to none
She wanted to be the best, but couldn't handle the attention and recognition that came with success
The way Annie tells the story, she's his only son
Annie distorted the truth in her story, making herself the center of attention
Annie Christian wanted to be a big star
Annie desired fame and fortune
So she moved to Atlanta and she bought a blue car
She took actions to pursue her dream of being famous
She killed black children, and what's fair is fair
Annie Christian resorted to immoral and illegal means, and justified her actions as retribution or fairness
If you try and say you're crazy, everybody say, "electric chair"
If caught, she knew she would be deemed insane and face the death penalty
Electric chair
Repeating that Annie was aware of the deadly punishment she would face as a consequence of her heinous acts
Until you're crucified, I'll live my life in taxicabs
The artist, possibly Prince himself, will avoid entanglement and danger by living a cautious life in taxis until Annie Christian faces her due punishment
Annie Christian was a whore, always looking for some fun
The lyrics use a derogatory term to describe Annie as promiscuous and hedonistic
Being good was such a bore, so she bought a gun
Annie Christian chose to break the law and take control of her life using a weapon
She killed John Lennon, shot him down cold
Annie Christian committed the murder of the legendary singer John Lennon
She tried to kill Reagan, everybody say gun control
Annie Christian also attempted to assassinate the then President Ronald Reagan, resulting in debates calling for tighter gun control laws
Gun control
Repeating the topic of gun control, implying that the artist himself had a stance on it
Liar, liar, liar / Got ya in a jam / Put your head on the block, somebody say, "Abscam"
The lyrics describe Annie Christian as a liar who found herself in trouble and faced charges surrounding the infamous FBI corruption scandal of the time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind