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.
Computer Blue
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes Lisa
Is the water warm enough?
Yes Lisa
Shall we begin?
Yes Lisa
Where is my love life?
There must be something wrong with the machinery
Where is my love life?
Tell me, tell me
Where has it gone?
Somebody please, please tell me what the hell is wrong
Until I find the righteous one
Computer blue
Until I find the righteous one
Computer blue
Oh
Yeah yeah
"Computer Blue" is a song by Prince and the Revolution from their iconic 1984 album Purple Rain. The song is a haunting search for love and connection in a technologically advanced world, as indicated by the opening lines of the song where Wendy and Lisa ask each other if the water is warm enough and if they should begin. The voice of Prince then enters the song deeply questioning what has gone wrong with his love life, frustrated with the machinery that seems to be preventing him from finding love. The song's chorus repeats the line "Until I find the righteous one / Computer blue" which seems to imply that Prince is searching for something more human, more sacred, and more righteous than anything a computer could offer.
As the song progresses, Prince gets more and more agitated, repeating his search for love over and over and questioning why he can't seem to find what he's looking for. The song ends with a blistering guitar solo, a staple of Prince's music, that seems to be both angry and joyful at the same time, as if Prince has found a way to sublimate his frustration into the passionate playing of his guitar.
Line by Line Meaning
Wendy?
Prince is calling for Wendy to initiate a conversation
Yes Lisa
Wendy answers Lisa's question affirmatively
Is the water warm enough?
Lisa is asking about the water temperature
Shall we begin?
Lisa is asking Wendy if they should start what they are planning to do
Where is my love life?
Prince is wondering where his love life is
Where can it be?
Prince is expressing his confusion over the disappearance of his love life
There must be something wrong with the machinery
Prince believes that the cause of the issue is technical or technological
Where is my love life?
Prince repeats his query about the whereabouts of his love life
Tell me, tell me
Prince is pleading for an answer
Where has it gone?
Prince is raising the question again with a slight variation
Somebody please, please tell me what the hell is wrong
Prince is seeking assistance, desperately calling out for someone to tell him what he needs to do in his love life
Until I find the righteous one
Prince has not found his true love yet
Computer blue
The solution to the problem can be identified through the use of technology or computerized assistance
Until I find the righteous one
Prince reiterates his desire to find his true love
Computer blue
Prince repeats that technology is the solution to his problem
Oh
Prince is showing emotion to the lyrics
Yeah yeah
Prince is responding positively to the music
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lisa Coleman, Matthew Robert Fink, Wendy Melvoin, John L. Nelson, Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gabriel S
The album version is actually an edit of this full version. This is my favorite Prince song of all time. Well… this or If I Was Your Girlfriend or In A Large Room With No Light, but most of the time it’s this lol
Darkghoul Records
Alot of his "extended versions" are actually the original versions!
Thibaut Zadina
your picks are top notch !
LB
Poor, lonely computer. . .Man, this is the damned bomb!! I've never heard this version. Thanks, JJ!! Now, YOU'RE the teacher!
Michelle Crisp
Ah, the good old days...REAL music, movies IN THE THEATERS, soundtracks that thumped...this was almost 40 years ago. I feel old as dirt!!!!
Sean Mondout
When I finally got to hear the extended version in the 21st Century I was so pissed off. This may not be great, but the teenage version of me would have killed for this to be on the 12" B-side of Take Me With U. It was prime Prince at his wildest.
Spicy Hot
OMG ! I remember this when I was middle school..We went to see Purple Rain.. My uncle had this cassette tape and he use to. play Computer Blue on his stereo system.it sounded GREAT! This beat is 🔥.
Zachary Cortez
Definitely my first time hearing this but its so fire
codeblood2000
My first time hearing this nothing but jamming🎤🎶🎶🎶
Meishawn1374
Its on the purple rain delux album