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 Sinรฉad 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)
NยทEยทWยทS (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.
Better With Time
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since so much time has passed
And since only one of us
Still looks the same
Your words not mine, baby
You're still fine yes you are
Like wine, you get better with time
So young and so naive
That the memory of you would go through
Like wind goes through the trees
Maybe if you believe baby
That I would no deceive you
You and I side by side or somewhere
In between
I don't know if this is a bore
But I just can no longer ignore
This fact so sublime
You get better with time
Anyone who's met you agrees
That no one forgets you most of all not me
You can claim you're humble and hide
But when it's true my dear
It's not pride
A jury of my peers would find me
Guilty of so many crimes
If I chose not to remind you
That you get better with time
This might seem absurd
To someone so cultured
And to one who would grace any stage
When the hair that frames that face
Dark brown or silvery lace
What is age but a cage? Never mind
You'll be blind to not know that you get better with time
The lyrics of Prince's song Better With Time are a tribute to the lasting impact of a former lover. Prince acknowledges that time has passed and only one of them still looks the same, referring to the fact that the physical appearance of a person can change with age. Despite this, the singer recognizes that his former lover has aged gracefully and is now even more beautiful, likening her to a fine wine that improves with time. Prince expresses his surprise that he never expected the memory of his former lover to remain so vivid in his mind, comparing it to wind blowing through trees.
Prince goes on to admit that he has been guilty of many crimes, but he cannot ignore the fact that his former lover gets better with time. He acknowledges that everyone who has met her agrees that she is unforgettable, and while she may claim to be humble, her beauty is undeniable. The singer concludes that even as his former lover ages and her hair turns gray, age is just a cage and her beauty will only improve with time.
Line by Line Meaning
This might seem strange
The situation is weird or unusual.
Since so much time has passed
A long time has passed since we were last together.
And since only one of us
Still looks the same
You haven't changed much, but I have.
Your words not mine, baby
I'm not saying it, but you look good.
You're still fine yes you are
You look good, just like before.
Like wine, you get better with time
You're aging gracefully and getting better.
So young and so naive
That I never once believed
That the memory of you would go through
Like wind goes through the trees
I was young and naive and never expected that the memory of you would last so long.
Maybe if you believe baby
That I would no deceive you
You and I side by side or somewhere
In between
If you believe that I'm trustworthy, we can be together either as friends or something more.
I don't know if this is a bore
But I just can no longer ignore
This fact so sublime
You get better with time
I hope you're not bored, but I have to say that you're aging very well.
Anyone who's met you agrees
That no one forgets you most of all not me
You can claim you're humble and hide
But when it's true my dear
It's not pride
Everyone who meets you remembers you, especially me. You're amazing, and you don't need to hide your talent or beauty.
A jury of my peers would find me
Guilty of so many crimes
If I chose not to remind you
That you get better with time
If I didn't tell you that you're getting better with age, I would be guilty of ignoring the truth.
This might seem absurd
To someone so cultured
And to one who would grace any stage
To someone who is refined and talented, my words might seem silly.
When the hair that frames that face
Dark brown or silvery lace
What is age but a cage? Never mind
You'll be blind to not know that you get better with time
As your hair turns gray, don't worry, it's just a reminder that you're getting better with each passing day. You're beautiful, and it's obvious to everyone, so don't be blind to the truth.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ron Haywood
This might seem strange since so much time has passed
And since only one of us still looks the same
Ur words not mine
Baby, u're still fine...(oh yes u r)
Like wine, U get better with time...
So young and so naรฏve
That I never once believed
That the memory of you it go through me
Like wind go through the trees
Maybe you believe baby
That I would not deceive U
You and I...side by side
Or somewhere in between
I don't know if this is a bore
But I just can no longer ignore
This fact, so sublime
U get better with time...
Anyone who's met you agrees
That no one forgets you...most of all not me
U can claim u're humble and hide
But when it's true my dear, it's not pride...No
A jury of my peers would find me
Guilty of so many crimes
If I chose not 2 remind U
That U get better with time...
This might seem absurd
2 someone so cultured
And 2 one who would grace
Any stage...listen 2 me now
When the hair that frames that face
Dark Brown or silvery lace
What is age
But a cage
Never mind
U'll have 2 be blind
2 not know that U get better with time...
Tamia Broom
I love this song so much because he's writing to a woman that is growing older. He is uplifting her and telling her she is beautiful. We don't get a lot of that as we grow older so this song means a lot. Thank you Great One.
Joi Isler
Well said.๐
Brenda Weiss
I am listening to this for what seems like the millionth time and it is like a loving, encouraging letter to someone that is loved extremely deeply by the author. Beautiful harmony, beautiful, unique phrasing and words so tender that ring clear with authenticity and truth. Prince was one of the greatest lyricists of the 20th century and he still is not in the Songwriters Hall of Fame! Shameful! Baby we hear you and miss you more than mere words can express. I love you Prince. See you soon!
Power Fantastic
Imagine how happy the lovely Kristin Scott Thomas can feel to have been given a musical gift as breathtakingly beautiful as this song from Prince himself ... ๐
DragonHeart613
FUN NOTE: Prince wrote this song for his Under The Cherry Moon leading lady: Kristen Scott Thomas. Her amazing career was actually launched by Prince himself when he cast the than-unknown Miss Thomas in his movie :)
RIP Prince, forever missed :(
TruthTella777
Interesting, I read that it was written for his former girlfriend and twin sister of Wendy, Suzzanah Melvoin. I believe I even saw her commenting on the song in an interview after Prince passed.
Power Fantastic
@Loretta Tolnay Bolton Yes it's really true, Prince wrote it 4 the beautiful lovely & classy Kristin Scott Thomas๐
Loretta Tolnay Bolton
I LOVE this idea! I saw her recently on Graham Norton and she spoke fondly of him - I really hope it's true that he wrote this for her, how special.
Carlton Armstrong
Really?! Thanks for that! Thatโs the interesting thing about Prince,you never know when he wrote something.
Smart Recovery
Any woman or man would embrace such song about them ! Never wanting 2 believe, CUZ MY LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL. THAT I KNOW FOR ANYONE COMING FROM GOD
Except is was written 4 a man, but you'll B the last 2 accept "TRUTH" since it "HURTS"
Great empathy are beloved PRINCE, bold when told, he seen that face a 1000 times
Can't stop writing songs about you, following you in secret absolutely a complete narrative from the beginning. Peace Lovers of the greatest musician that's ever walked mother earth Prince2Elohim his masterplan Y he choose me I'm still shocked
But I will never let him down ever for the sake off his sacrifice saving one soul MOI