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.
Check The Record
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seem like your girlfriend was in my bed (in my bed)
She called me first, no rendezvous
This sounds like drama, now, watcha gon' do?
The record
Check the record now
The record
She tried to tell me (I tried to tell you)
As though I cared
She said you miss her and now she's scared
You can mislead 'em
Even though she's young
She wants her freedom
She wants to run
It's about, it's about
The record
Let's check the record now
Check, check
The record
We take her places
She meets new faces
Out of the choir
She plays with fire
She'll never be you mama
If she stay with you
This sounds like drama (drama, watcha gon' do?)
But watcha gon' do? (Watcha gon' do?)
If it makes her happy
Can it be that bad? (Can it be that bad?)
Like Sheryl said
"It might be the most favorite mistake I've ever had"
Let's check the record, see what it said
Seem like your girlfriend was in my bed (was she in my bed?)
I don't think so
I don't think so
You know what?
You better check, check, check
The record
It's about, it's about
The record now
Ooh, yeah
The record
The record now
The record
In "Check The Record," Prince addresses a situation involving a love triangle and explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the desire for freedom. The lyrics suggest that the singer's girlfriend had been in Prince's bed, which causes tension and drama between the three individuals involved. Prince urges the listener to "check the record" as a way of verifying the truth and confronting the situation head-on.
The song reflects a sense of defiance and confidence from Prince, as he highlights the girlfriend's attempt to reach out and explain the situation, asserting that he doesn't care about her concerns. He implies that she is seeking her freedom and wants to break away from the constraints of her current relationship. Despite the drama, Prince questions whether it is truly bad if being with him makes her happy, referencing the quote from Sheryl Crow's song "Favorite Mistake" to suggest that even mistakes can sometimes lead to positive experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's check the record, see what it says
Let's examine the facts and evidence to understand the truth
Seem like your girlfriend was in my bed (in my bed)
It appears that your girlfriend was intimately involved with me
She called me first, no rendezvous
She initiated contact with me without any planned meeting
This sounds like drama, now, watcha gon' do?
This situation seems problematic, what actions will you take?
She tried to tell me (I tried to tell you)
She attempted to inform me about the situation (and I also tried to inform you)
As though I cared
I pretended to show concern or interest
She said you miss her and now she's scared
She mentioned that you yearn for her, causing her fear
You can mislead 'em
You have the ability to deceive them
Even though she's young
Despite being young, she possesses certain desires and needs
She wants her freedom
She longs for independence and autonomy
She wants to run
She desires to escape or break free from her current situation
We take her places
We bring her to various locations
She meets new faces
She encounters unfamiliar individuals
Out of the choir
She strays from the conformity or expectations of her previous group
She plays with fire
She engages in risky or dangerous behavior
She'll never be your mama
She will never replace or fulfill the role of your mother
If she stays with you
If she remains in a relationship with you
This sounds like drama (drama, watcha gon' do?)
This situation appears to be filled with conflict and complications, what will you do about it?
But watcha gon' do? (Watcha gon' do?)
What actions will you take in response?
If it makes her happy
If being with me brings her joy and satisfaction
Can it be that bad? (Can it be that bad?)
Is it truly a terrible thing?
Like Sheryl said
Similar to what Sheryl mentioned or expressed
"It might be the most favorite mistake I've ever had"
"It could potentially be the most enjoyable error I've ever experienced"
I don't think so
I highly doubt that
You know what?
Do you know what?
You better check, check, check
You should definitely verify and confirm
Ooh, yeah
Expressing excitement or enthusiasm
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sherrie
Check The Record lyrics
Let's check the record
See what it said
Seem like your girlfriend
(In my bed)
Was in my bed
She called me first
No rendezvous
This sounds like drama
Now watcha gon' do?
The record
Check the record now
The record
She tried to tell me
(I tried to tell you)
As though I cared
She said you miss her
And now she's scared
You can mislead 'em
Even though she's young
She wants her freedom
She wants to run
It's about, it's about
The record
Let's check the record now
Check, check
The record
We take her places
She meets new faces
Out of the choir
She plays with fire
She'll never be you mama
If she stay with you
This sounds like drama
(Watcha gon' do?)
But watcha gon' do?
(Watcha gon' do?)
If it makes her happy
Can it be that bad?
Like Sheryl said
It might be the most favorite mistake I've ever had
Let's check the record
See what it said
Seem like your girlfriend
Was in my bed
I don't think so
I don't think so
You know what?
You better check, check, check
The record
It's about, it's about
The record now
Oooh
The record
The record now
The record
#Prince ๐
Yvette Sanchez
Great thanks always to the Prince estate for using your wonderful hearts to share with us forever devoted Prince fans all of these magnificent songs of our forever beloved, sweet Prince!! It always makes our day!! We love it all so very much!!
I love the forwardness in this song!! & I love & adore the way Prince even at times used his own mouth to make guitar sounds in the song!! The song is truly funky!! The music is absolutely fabulous!! Prince was so stylish the way he went about singing this song!! & He sang it so outstandingly with his always incredible voice!! Everything about the song sounds so wonderful!! I majorly love it!!
Prince always was & will always remain our one & only true Master of Music!! He was so supremely multi-talented!! He always gave us total ultimacy in everything that he did for us!! Prince always was & will always remain truly one of a kind, irreplaceable!!
As well as Prince having always given us total ultimacy in everything that he did for us, he was also always a great humanitarian & an incredibly wonderful person!! So, there's no denying that Prince has always been & will always remain truly The Ultimate in every way!!
Prince always inspired us, touched our hearts, taught us well through his wisdom that he shared with us, & always made us so extremely happy!! He truly must be shining in Heaven like he shined on this Earth!!
The greatest of thanks to you always, our forever beloved, sweet Prince, for all that you did for us!! You truly made the greatest difference in our lives!!
We miss you, love you, cherish you, will never forget you, & hold you close in our hearts for all eternity, our forever beloved, sweet Prince!!
PRINCE REIGNS FOREVER!!
PRINCE IS ETERNAL!! PURPLE POWER!! PEACE ALWAYS!!
้ปๅ
Let's check the record
See what it say
Seem like your girlfriend
Was in my bed (Inโ myโ bed)
She called meโ first
No rendezvous
This sounds like drama
Now whatchuโ gon do?
The record
Check the record now
The record
She tried to tell me ("I tried to tell you")
As though I cared
She said you missed her
And now she's scared
You can't mislead 'em
Even though she's young
She wants her freedom
She wants to run
Mm, it's about, it's about
The rะตcord
Let's check the rะตcord now
Check, check the record
We take her places
She needs new faces
Out of the choir
She plays with fire
She'll never be a mama
If she stay wit you
This sounds like drama
But whatchu gonna do?
(Whatchu gonna do?)
If it makes her happy
Can it be that bad?
Like Sheryl said
It might be the most favorite mistake I've ever had
Let's check the record
See what it say
Seem like your girlfriend
(What?)
Was in my bed
I don't think so
I don't think so
You know what?
You better check, check, check
The record
It's about, it's about
The record now
Ooh
Yeah
The record
The record now
The record
Jay Skywalker
PRINCE IS HIS OWN GENRE OF MUSIC PERIOD!!!!!!!
DotComLanders
Facts ๐
David Zamarron
The Kid is in rare form on this one! Funk and Rock and Nastiness all rolled into one.....doing it like no one else can.....FIRE ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
Mike Broderick 33
My favorite song on the album. This thing slaps!
Enrique T
This album would have been great to hear from him in concert. RIP Prince.
Jay Skywalker
YESSSSSSSSSSS
Annette Puga
I miss going to his concerts. ๐ข Those were the best times of my life.
Deb McIntosh
@Annette Puga I just loved Prince in concert. What a show!
Spectre
There are certain songs that were playing around 2014-2015 I believe but they weren't of this configuration (version on the album), there's apparently even a 3EG version. For sure this would've been a Top 70 hit in Europe though
suZee Six
Iโll be listening to this album all day today so I can learn the lyrics. Thank God for Prince! ๐ค