Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), more commonly known m… Read Full Bio ↴Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), more commonly known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona; his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, and hip hop.

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.

Electric Chair
Prince Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I saw your friend first
That's who I danced with
All the time I was watchin' you

The music rocked us
Our eyes locked-thus
Makin' us see a trippy picture shoo

Oh, if a man is considered guilty
For what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
For all my future crimes, oh

Ooh-ooh

You whispered something
It took my mind out like a
G flat major with an e in the bass
Your face looked so good
I wanted to touch your mouth
My brain is jackin' all over the place

Oh, if a man is considered guilty
For what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
For all my future crimes, oh

Yeah
Yeah-yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Let's take a drive, love
So we can make up our minds, love
To commit the crimes of passion
That sets us free
Me lovin' you, you lovin' me (me lovin' you, you lovin' me)

Ooh, ow, ooh, ooh

(The electric chair)

I saw your friend first
That's who I danced with
All the time I was watchin' you (I was watchin' you)
The music rocked us
Our lives shocked us
Makin' us see a trippy picture shoo
(I've got to have it)
Said, I've got to yeah, yeah

(If a man is considered guilty) guilty
(For what goes on in his mind)
(Then give me the electric chair) electric chair
(For all my future crimes, oh)

You know I'm guilty, yeah, (for all my future crimes)
Guilty, (for all my future crimes)
And if ya don't really love me
(Then give me the electric chair) oh

Electric chair

Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Prince's Electric Chair track unveil the story of a guy who is passionately attracted to a girl he met at a club or concert while being with another man. The track presents a unique perspective on relationships and morality, as it proposes that nothing is wrong or right when it comes to whom you're attracted to, but being truthful about those attractions, claims the guy should be considered a crime. He expresses how clever, seducing whispers and the success of an intoxicating bass line can disrupt your thoughts and rational, making your "brain jackin' all over the place." Prince states that if society condemns thoughts, he would better face the electric chair for his inner emotions since he can't and won't control them. He is willing to experience the consequences of freely expressing himself, choosing love, and accepting himself as guilty.

Furthermore, the singer invites the girl to drive with him, where they might be free to love each other passionately, no matter the consequences. The track seems to argue that our society represses and condemns people's natural desires, which ultimately leads them to greater troubles. The track's chorus highlights this belief, once again, with the singer calling out for society to electrocute him as punishment for his thoughts instead of repressing them.

Line by Line Meaning

I saw your friend first
I noticed your friend before I noticed you

That's who I danced with
I danced with your friend

All the time I was watchin' you
Throughout the night, my attention was on you

The music rocked us
The music created high energy and environment

Our eyes locked-thus
Our eyes connected in such a way that we were drawn to each other

Makin' us see a trippy picture shoo
We were feeling euphoric, almost tripping on the feelings we had for each other

Oh, if a man is considered guilty
If one can be charged for the thoughts in their head

For what goes on in his mind
For the ideas and desires that they harbor internally

Then give me the electric chair
Then I should be punished by death

For all my future crimes, oh
For all the thoughts and desires I may have in the future

You whispered something
You said something quietly and intimately

It took my mind out like a G flat major with an e in the bass
Your words sent me spinning like the sound of the G flat major chord with an e note in its bass

Your face looked so good
You were visually appealing to me

I wanted to touch your mouth
I was attracted to your lips and wanted to kiss you

My brain is jackin' all over the place
My thoughts are all over the place and I am unable to control them

Let's take a drive, love
Let's go on a drive together, my love

So we can make up our minds, love
So we can decide what we want to do together

To commit the crimes of passion
To engage in acts of passion

That sets us free
That allows us to feel free and liberated

Me lovin' you, you lovin' me (me lovin' you, you lovin' me)
We love each other mutually

Yeah
Expressing enthusiasm and agreement

Yeah-yeah
Further expressing enthusiasm and agreement

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Continuing to express enthusiasm and agreement

(The electric chair)
Referencing the punishment previously mentioned