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.
Elephants Flowers
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's looking for some action, he's looking 4 a fight
He's looking for a savior in a city full of fools
Maybe he just needs a good talker to give him a good talking to.
Can we talk baby? Strip down, strip down.
I think I'm gonna fall in love tonight.
Elephants and flowers, hot sweaty light paints a picture red and gold
How can he find a shy angel in a city so bold (so bold)
He can't even find a place to dance, this is rock and roll.
Strip down, strip down, elephants and flowers
Is everybody ready? Here we go.
Love the one who is love, (love) the one who gives us the power, (power)
The one who made everything, (what?) elephants and flowers (what will he do?)
The one who will listen when all others will not.
There will be peace for those who love god a lot.
Elephants and flowers, strip down.
Think I'm gonna fall in love tonight.
When I do, there won't be no more (confusion)
There won't be no more (no tears)
There won't be no more enemies, so that eliminates all the fear
And there won't be no sorrow, (sorrow)
There won't be no pain, (no pain)
There won't be no ball and no chain
Strip down, strip down, elephants and flowers.
Boy is lonely on a burning hot summer night
He's looking for an angel to hold him 'til the morning light
Here we go.
Love the one who is love, (well) the one who gives us the power, (power)
The one who made everything, (everything) elephants and flowers (oh, yeah)
The one who will listen when all others will not. (all others will not)
There will be peace for those who love god a lot.
Here we go.
Love the one who is love, (love) the one who gives us the power, (power)
The one who made everything, (what?) elephants and flowers (what will he do?)
The one who will listen when all others will not.
There will be peace for those who love god a lot.
In Prince's song "Elephants and Flowers," the lyrics tell the story of a boy who is looking for some excitement on a hot summer night. He's in search of something deeper, however, someone to talk to, someone who can possibly save him from the world of fools. As he moves on to the next scene, he finds himself in the midst of a crowd of naked bodies, all stripped down to their souls. The boy is searching for an angel in the midst of the chaotic city, but in the end, he finds love, and through this love, he finds peace.
"Elephants and Flowers" is a metaphorical representation of the beauty and chaos in the world. Elephants symbolize strength, power, and stability, while flowers represent the fleeting beauty of life. In the song, Prince is trying to convey the message that love is the one true power that can bring harmony and order to the world.
Musically, the song is an interesting mix of funk, rock, and soul. The instrumentation is rich, featuring a strong beat, prominent bassline, and wailing guitar solos. The song features an anthemic chorus that invites listeners to join in the celebration of love, power, and beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Boy is lonely on a burning hot summer night
A young man is by himself on a scorching summer night.
He's looking for some action, he's looking 4 a fight
He's searching for excitement and possibly even conflict.
He's looking for a savior in a city full of fools
He feels lost and in need of a person to help guide him.
Maybe he just needs a good talker to give him a good talking to.
Perhaps what he truly requires is someone to speak with him candidly and offer guidance.
Can we talk baby? Strip down, strip down.
Can we have an honest conversation? Can we drop the front and be our true selves?
I think I'm gonna fall in love tonight.
I have a feeling that I might find someone to connect with tonight.
Elephants and flowers, hot sweaty light paints a picture red and gold
In this hot, steamy atmosphere of passion, there is a magnificent image of red and gold.
On a crowd of naked bodies stripped down to their very souls
Amongst a crowd of people who are physically and emotionally exposed to each other.
How can he find a shy angel in a city so bold (so bold)
Amidst everyone's boldness, can he find someone more modest and angelic?
He can't even find a place to dance, this is rock and roll.
He can't even find a location to express himself through dancing, in a genre all about movement.
Strip down, strip down, elephants and flowers
Let go of your inhibitions and embrace the beauty of life.
Is everybody ready? Here we go.
Is everyone willing to embrace this moment? Let's get started.
Love the one who is love, (love) the one who gives us the power, (power)
Feel affection for the individual who represents love and receives the power.
The one who made everything, (what?) elephants and flowers (what will he do?)
The entity who constructed all things, even things as distinct as elephants and flowers (what will this force accomplish?)
The one who will listen when all others will not.
This is the person who will hear your concerns when everyone else is apathetic.
There will be peace for those who love god a lot.
Those who truly love this divine being will find tranquility.
When I do, there won't be no more (confusion)
When he falls in love, he won't feel lost or bewildered anymore.
There won't be no more (no tears)
There won't be any more crying.
There won't be no more enemies, so that eliminates all the fear
The absence of enemies means he won't feel afraid anymore.
And there won't be no sorrow, (sorrow)
There won't be any more grief.
There won't be no pain, (no pain)
There won't be any more pain.
There won't be no ball and no chain
There won't be anything restricting or holding him back.
Boy is lonely on a burning hot summer night
A young man is by himself on a scorching summer night.
He's looking for an angel to hold him 'til the morning light
He desires someone to embrace him until daybreak.
Love the one who is love, (well) the one who gives us the power, (power)
Feel affection for the individual who represents love and receives the power.
The one who made everything, (everything) elephants and flowers (oh, yeah)
The entity who constructed all things, even things as distinct as elephants and flowers (oh, yeah).
The one who will listen when all others will not. (all others will not)
The person who will hear your concerns even when everyone else won't.
There will be peace for those who love god a lot.
Those who truly love this divine being will find tranquility.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind