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.
Baby Knows
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby knows
Baby knows, huh
Baby knows
(Baby knows) This funky joint in the city
(Baby knows) Where the freaks come out to play
(Baby knows) Venezuelan, black and pretty
[Chorus]
(Baby knows) She got the long dark legs
(Baby knows) She got the butt that go round
(Baby knows) This kind of poochie make you beg
(Baby knows) Turn a dog into a hound
(Baby knows) She tell me what I want to hear
(Baby knows) She stroke me up and never down
(Baby knows) Whispering sexiness in my ear
(Baby knows) I'm just a junkie for the sound
(Baby knows) She make you call your boys
(Baby knows) In a pow-wow to scope a plan
(Baby knows) How to ditch her man in a trunk of a Lexus
A perplexing hex this witch has flexed
[Chorus]
Oh, baby, oh, baby
Baby
(Baby knows) She knows how to make you feel
(Baby knows) Like your stuff ain't brown tonight
(Baby knows) And her perfume, it smells like the weekend
(Baby knows) This funky joint way down in the city
(Baby knows) Where the girls sing along to the hip-hop all night long
(Baby knows) White girls, black girls, Latina's, oh so pretty
(Baby knows) Won't make me give you this ring, baby
Oh, oh, oh
Yeah (Baby, baby)
Baby knows
Yeah-yeah (Baby, baby)
Baby knows
She got the long dark legs (Baby knows)
She got the butt that go round (Round and round)
This kind of poochie make you beg (Baby knows)
Give me your number and I call you
No, you do just turn me down
In "Baby Knows," Prince sings about a woman who knows how to work her charms and make men fall under her spell. She's a regular at a funky joint in the city where the freaks come out to play, and she's described as Venezuelan, black, and pretty. She's the kind of woman who makes men want to pay and turn a dog into a hound.
Prince is mesmerized by her long, dark legs and round butt, and he can't resist the sexiness she whispers in his ear. She knows just what to say to stroke his ego, and she never makes him feel down. She makes him call his boys for a pow-wow to scope out a plan to ditch her man, and Prince can't resist her perplexing hex. The woman knows how to make him feel like his stuff ain't brown tonight, and her perfume smells like the weekend.
Overall, the song is a celebration of this powerful and alluring woman who knows how to make men fall under her spell.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby knows
The woman in the song has an intimate understanding of the club scene and what people desire, making her an attractive figure.
(Baby knows) This funky joint in the city
The woman is well-versed in the specific club they frequent in the city.
(Baby knows) Where the freaks come out to play
She knows where to find the club with the most diverse and interesting people.
(Baby knows) Venezuelan, black and pretty
The woman knows how to identify attractive women from different ethnic backgrounds.
(Baby knows) The kind that make you want to pay, yeah
She knows the value of these unique women and how they can compel men to spend lavishly.
(Baby knows) She got the long dark legs
The woman has legs that are visually alluring.
(Baby knows) She got the butt that go round
She has a voluptuous rear end that draws attention.
(Baby knows) This kind of poochie make you beg
Her private parts are so desirable that it drives men wild.
(Baby knows) Turn a dog into a hound
The woman can transform a man and make him even more attractive to women.
(Baby knows) She tell me what I want to hear
The woman is skilled at making men feel good about themselves.
(Baby knows) She stroke me up and never down
She knows how and where to touch a man to make him feel pleasure.
(Baby knows) Whispering sexiness in my ear
The woman is adept at using words to make a man feel sexy and desirable.
(Baby knows) I'm just a junkie for the sound
The man is addicted to the woman's voice and the way she speaks to him.
(Baby knows) She make you call your boys
The woman is so captivating that she can make a man want to share her with his friends.
(Baby knows) In a pow-wow to scope a plan
She can inspire a group of men to conspire and create a plan to engage with her.
(Baby knows) How to ditch her man in a trunk of a Lexus
The woman is capable of getting rid of a problematic partner in a surprising way.
She knows how to make you feel (Baby knows)
She is skilled at knowing how to meet a man's emotional needs.
Like your stuff ain't brown tonight (Baby knows)
The woman can make a man feel like he's at his best and most desirable, regardless of any perceived flaws.
And her perfume, it smells like the weekend (Baby knows)
The woman has a fragrance that suggests luxury and relaxation, reminiscent of the weekend.
(Baby knows) This funky joint way down in the city
Reiteration that the woman is well-versed in a specific club that is attractive to people of diverse backgrounds.
(Baby knows) Where the girls sing along to the hip-hop all night long
The woman can identify the ideal club filled with women singing to hip-hop music all night.
(Baby knows) White girls, black girls, Latina's, oh so pretty
She knows that there are attractive women from many different ethnic backgrounds.
(Baby knows) Won't make me give you this ring, baby
The woman is not easily impressed and won't settle for just any man.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind