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.
Can I Play With U
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Prince) {x2}
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Saw you standin' over by the wall
Lookin' like you havin' no fun at all
If you want me and you have The Ball
Just give me your number baby, I'll give you a call
Hey baby, can I talk 2 you?
Can I walk with you?
Can I stay with you?
Can I play with you 2night?
No!
Lord, I wanna play with you
No!
Can I play with you?
I noticed that you were not havin' fun
Maybe it's because you ain't talkin' 2 anyone
Just give me a sign, pretty mama, and I'll be your number one
You and I creep 2 my house and then we'll take off everything
Hey baby, can I talk 2 you?
Can I walk with you?
Can I stay with you?
Can I play with you 2night?
No! Shh....
Can I play with you, mama?
Pretty mama
No! No!
I can tell you never really understood
The difference between bad and good
I can turn you out girl, you know I could
Let me talk, let me talk, let me talk, can I talk 2 you?
Oww!
I wanna play with you
Lemme talk, lemme talk, lemme talk 2 you, mama
Oww!
(Prince) {x2
The lyrics to Prince's song "Can I Play With U" are about a man seeing a woman at a party who appears to be bored and not having fun. He then proceeds to ask her if he can talk to her, walk with her, stay with her, and play with her. However, the woman repeatedly says no. The lyrics suggest that the man is trying to convince or seduce the woman into spending time with him and engaging in sexual activities.
The phrase "Can I play with you" is used throughout the song, and it becomes clear that the man is referring to sexual play. The woman rejects the man's advances, saying "No!" and "Shh..." while the man continues to persist, saying "Lord, I wanna play with you" and "I can turn you out girl, you know I could." The lyrics are suggestive and explicit, highlighting a power dynamic between the man and the woman.
This song is considered controversial due to its explicit content and the suggestion of sexual coercion. It has been criticized for promoting a culture of sexual objectification and for normalizing the idea of persistence after being told no. However, some listeners interpret the lyrics as a playful, consensual dialogue between two people at a party.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw you standin' over by the wall
I saw you standing alone and bored against the wall
Lookin' like you havin' no fun at all
You appear to not be having any fun
If you want me and you have The Ball
If you want to play and have the ball
Just give me your number baby, I'll give you a call
Give me your number and I'll call you so we can play together
Hey baby, can I talk 2 you?
Hey, can I speak to you?
Can I walk with you?
Can I walk beside you?
Can I stay with you?
Can I stay with you for a while?
Can I play with you 2night?
Can we play together tonight?
No!
No
Lord, I wanna play with you
I really want to play with you
I noticed that you were not havin' fun
I noticed that you weren't enjoying yourself
Maybe it's because you ain't talkin' 2 anyone
Perhaps it's because you're not talking to anyone
Just give me a sign, pretty mama, and I'll be your number one
Just give me a sign, beautiful lady, and I'll be there for you
You and I creep 2 my house and then we'll take off everything
We can sneak over to my place and undress
No! Shh....
No, keep quiet
Can I play with you, mama?
Can we play together, lovely lady?
Pretty mama
Beautiful lady
No! No!
No, no
I can tell you never really understood
I can tell that you don't really comprehend
The difference between bad and good
The difference between wrong and right
I can turn you out girl, you know I could
I can make you feel amazing, you know I have the ability
Let me talk, let me talk, let me talk, can I talk 2 you?
Let me speak, can I have a conversation with you?
Oww!
Exclamation of excitement
Contributed by Tyler M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.