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.
Deliverance
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh, ooh
Ah, ah
Ah, ah
This is not religion
But common sense
It's time for you to get down, get down
No son shall die, no mother shall cry
All in favor, say "aye" (Aye)
Because time's so hard to deal with
Deliverance is at hand, at hand, at hand
Ooh, ooh
(Deliverance, hey, hey) ooh
Ah, ah
Ah, ah (understand)
Who are they (they)
That would turn a deaf ear
To the peaceable ones who bring good news? (Good news?)
With time there will be no wars (wars)
And the way in which to achieve it
Now who got the blues? (Blues)
You can ease the pain of a few (pain) until God intervenes
Ain't nothin', nothin' man can do (can do)
'Cept 'cause each other injury
Somebody say (somebody say)
Katrina levees, oh, oh
Aye, tell me what you're doing
You've got to understand
Ah, ah (that your deliverance)
Sure 'nuff, is sure 'nuff at hand
Yeah, you
Woo! Come on
Because time's so hard to deal with, now understand
Your deliverance is at hand
Because time's so hard to deal with, now understand
Your deliverance is at hand
Oh, oh Lord (ooh ooh)
The lyrics to Prince's song "Deliverance" convey a message of hope and unity amidst challenging times. It begins with a call for common sense rather than religious division, urging listeners to take action and make a stand. Prince suggests that by coming together and getting off the fence of indifference, we can prevent the loss of lives and the pain felt by mothers. The repetition of "aye" emphasizes the collective agreement and support needed for positive change.
Prince then questions those who ignore the peaceful messengers and instead choose conflict. He believes that with time, wars can be eradicated, and he questions who is truly affected by this desire for violence. He suggests that although we can temporarily ease the pain of a few, it is only through God's intervention that true deliverance can occur. The mention of the Katrina levees serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of inaction and ignorance.
Line by Line Meaning
This is not religion
The message of this song is not about religious beliefs
But common sense
Rather, it is based on logical reasoning and practicality
It's time for you to get down, get down
It's time for you to take action and make a change
Get off the fence
Don't remain indecisive or neutral, make a choice
No son shall die, no mother shall cry
In an ideal world, there will be no more unnecessary deaths and sorrow
All in favor, say 'aye' (Aye)
If you agree with this vision, show your support by saying 'aye'
Because time's so hard to deal with
Given the difficulties of life and its challenges
Deliverance is at hand, at hand, at hand
We have the opportunity to find salvation and relief
Who are they (they)
Who are those individuals
That would turn a deaf ear
Who ignore or disregard
To the peaceable ones who bring good news? (Good news?)
To those who promote peace and spread positive messages?
With time there will be no wars (wars)
As time progresses, the hope is that conflicts and wars will cease
And the way in which to achieve it
And the method to accomplish this goal
Now who got the blues? (Blues)
Now, who is feeling down or saddened?
You can ease the pain of a few (pain) until God intervenes
We can lessen the suffering of a few individuals until divine intervention takes place
Ain't nothin', nothin' man can do (can do)
There's nothing, absolutely nothing, that humans alone can do
'Cept 'cause each other injury
Except cause harm and hurt to one another
Somebody say (somebody say)
Expressed by someone in response
Katrina levees, oh, oh
Referring to the failure of levees during Hurricane Katrina, a symbol of broken systems
Aye, tell me what you're doing
Hey, inform me about your actions and intentions
You've got to understand
It is important for you to comprehend
Ah, ah (that your deliverance)
That your liberation and salvation
Sure 'nuff, is sure 'nuff at hand
Is undoubtedly within reach
Yeah, you
Yes, you
Woo! Come on
Expressing excitement and encouragement
Oh, oh Lord (ooh ooh)
An exclamation of appeal or recognition to a higher power
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wanda Manning
This is pure genius. Get it together Estate. This is what we want to buy for our collection of Prince music💜💜
Voyage in2 the cOrE of the NiGhT
pure genius? are you sure it's not more like you are a pure zealot?
Booster Gold 6
Maybe ask the person to expound on their opinion before jumping to name calling
Wanda Manning
@Booster Gold 6amen to that.
Chuck Deezul
💯
Donna
This is absolute GOLD!!! 💜💜💜
Cordell Senior
He was always growing and expressing himself FULLY. He stopped even being interested in making a mundane "hit record". Sort of like David Bowie. They got older and better and made albums without any "hits" on them. For my money, this is some of Prince's best work I've ever heard.
Geraldetta Monroe
AGREE
Lukáš Matejka
once again, Prince proves he's the most complex pop songwriter in history
Andrew Aalloca
this is the type of stuff that should be immed released. Prince in his later stages did amazing things with gospel/ bible based projects. Rainbow Children and this are very strong material . guitar on this sounds phenom with the rawness at points of the Undertaker project (which should also be available by now.) the fanbase is not getting younger and digital releases would be a nice welcome. The Zappa estate is now showing what can be done after some inside turmoil and a great vaultmeister. (Joe Travers) , quarterly releases from a major label can be done and will sell .