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.
Art Official Age
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You come a long way
(You come a long way)
Come on let's (go)
Free people, come on let's (go)
Free the people
Free the people
I woke up in the city in a bit of a rage
Determined to free my mind from this art official cage
Dot dot dot my teachers thought from an early age
A place in heaven far off in the future
Come on let's (go)
Free people, come on let's (go)
(Art official)
(Art official cage)
Ghettos to the left of me, Mars to the right
Why does my kingdom come only where's at night
Why should I expect if I'm not willing to fight
A place in heaven somewhere in the future
Art official, art official
Art official cage
Louder than a bomb since the day of my birth
Got me second class when I got here first
Lovely score but how am I supposed to know what it's worth
Art official age in the future
Free the people, come on let's go
Starting from the top getting higher so
Never going back underwater, no
Brand new boogie without the hero
Sure Minneapolis get this, no
I'm going up lady liberty's dress and blow, blow, blow
Art Official, free the people
Art official, art official
Cage, cage, cage
Art official cage
Cage (we need you to tell us what you know)
Cage (we need you to tell us what you know)
Art official cage
Art official cage
Art official cage
Art official cage,
Cage, cage, cage, cage, cage, cage (art official cage)
The song 'Art Official Cage' by Prince talks about his desire to break free from the confines of societal expectations and boundaries that have been set up by the authorities. The song talks about a sense of hopelessness and frustration that comes with being caged in a particular way of thought, especially if it contradicts one's own ideals. The lyrics "I woke up in the city in a bit of a rage, determined to free my mind from this art official cage" symbolizes Prince's anger towards being boxed into one particular way of life, which can be stifling for him as an artist who is expected to conform to a certain set of standards. He questions the validity of these societal norms and the importance of being 'art official,' suggesting that he might have to break free from the same in order to create truly authentic art.
The lines "Ghettos to the left of me, Mars to the right, why does my kingdom come only where's at night" is Prince's way of expressing his disappointment with the current state of affairs. He understands that freedom is not something that can be handed over to everyone equally, and there are socio-political factors that must be addressed before one can experience true freedom. The entire song is a call to arms, an invitation to join Prince in his pursuit of freedom, both for himself and others.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome home class
Addressing the listener as a student who has come a long way
You come a long way
Acknowledging the struggles and progress of the listener
Come on let's (go)
Invitation to take action
Free people, come on let's (go)
Call for liberation of people
Free the people
Encouragement to free oneself and others from various forms of oppression
I woke up in the city in a bit of a rage
Expressing feelings of anger and frustration towards the city
Determined to free my mind from this art official cage
Desire to break free from society's limitations and expectations placed on artists
Dot dot dot my teachers thought from an early age
Implying that the artist's desire for freedom originated from an early age
A place in heaven far off in the future
Hope for a better future
Ghettos to the left of me, Mars to the right
Revealing the duality of the world, with poverty on one side and unexplored potential on the other
Why does my kingdom come only where's at night
Questioning why progress and success only happen when no one is watching
Why should I expect if I'm not willing to fight
Acknowledging the need to fight for change instead of passively hoping for it
Louder than a bomb since the day of my birth
Implying that the singer has always been outspoken and passionate
Got me second class when I got here first
Feeling undervalued and overlooked despite early accomplishments
Lovely score but how am I supposed to know what it's worth
Questioning the value of society's definition of success
Art official age in the future
Reiterating the theme of art being trapped within society's standards
Free the people, come on let's go
Reiterating the call to action for liberation
Starting from the top getting higher so
Working towards greater levels of success
Never going back underwater, no
Commitment to never returning to a place of stagnation
Brand new boogie without the hero
Creating a new style without needing a traditional hero as an inspiration
Sure Minneapolis get this, no
Encouraging listeners to understand the message and take it with them
I'm going up lady liberty's dress and blow, blow, blow
Metaphorical expression of rebellion and pushing boundaries
Art Official, free the people
Merging the themes of artistic expression and liberation
Art official, art official, Cage, cage, cage
Emphasizing the theme of art being trapped or contained by societal norms and expectations
Art official cage, Cage (we need you to tell us what you know)
Urging listeners to break free from creative constraints and share their unique perspective
Art official cage
Reiterating the suffocating nature of society's norms and expectations
Art official cage
Reinforcing the central theme of the song
Art official cage
Repeating the idea of confinement and limitation
Art official cage, Cage, cage, cage (art official cage)
Final emphasis on the main concept of the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind