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.
Funk We Can
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can funk
I'm testing positive for the funk
I'll gladly pee in anybody's cup
And when your cup overflow
I'm testing positive and I'll pee some more
I could play with your mind
But you'd probably say that I was a liar
So I won't waste your time
I'm scared
'Cause though we just met there's this energy between us
Let's just go somewhere
We can funk
Oh
I'm testing positive for the funk
I'll gladly pee in anybody's cup (we can funk)
And when your cup overflow
I'm testing positive and I'll pee some more (we can funk)
Bump 'em and funk 'em, jump 'em and funk 'em
Pump 'em and funk 'em, pump 'em and funk 'em
Every time I could, I would compliment you on the things
The things that you be
Honey doll we should make the real noise
Just you and me
I could tell you things to get you excited
The things you never heard, oh
You know the Kama Sutra? I could re-write it
With half as many words
But I'm scared
'Cause if I don't kiss ya, I'm gonna go mad baby
Take off my clothes
We can funk
Oh
I'm testing positive for the funk
I'll gladly pee in anybody's cup
And may your cup overflow I'll pee some more
And we can, we can funk
We can funk
Wait a minute
Let me turn on some lights
We can funk
Yeah, come here
You can blow the candle off baby (candle)
You can turn the candle on
Which ever one you choose is alright
'Cause we're going to do it all night long
(Sex) sex between to people is alright
If all the love in the world is what they got, hmm
As long as they're not trying to hurt nobody
Just as long as it's hot
Good Lord, baby, I want to make love to you, two times, maybe three
Yeah, if you want to go four or five, baby, that's alright with me
Listen, I said I will be your little baby
Yeah, I can be your big strong man
I can be your girl or boy, I can be your toy
Alright, let's dance
It's up to you, you can funk me baby
I'll funk you
We can funk one another
Whatever you want to do
You got electric ass, baby
You got electric thighs, baby
I can't wait no longer child
It's getting stronger, baby
Open up your eyes (ooh)
See this gold chain around my waist
I want to give it to you
Yeah, people tell me I got no taste
Then blow the candle out, let's see if it's true
We be funkin' over here, and over there ain't shit
We be funkin' over here, and over there ain't shit
In We Can Funk, Prince sings about the power of sexual chemistry and the possibilities it presents. The opening lines suggest that he is ready and willing to engage in some uninhibited sexual activity. The repeated refrain of "testing positive for the funk" suggests that he is feeling a strong connection to his lover, and is eager to explore this feeling further. He promises to go to great lengths to satisfy their desires, even offering to relieve himself in their cup if necessary.
Prince then goes on to suggest that he could tell his lover stories and play with their mind, but that he won't waste their time by doing so, indicating that he's more interested in taking action than talking. He admits to feeling scared, which suggests that he's a little overwhelmed by the electricity between them, but nonetheless is eager to explore it further. The chorus is repeated several times, emphasizing that Prince wants to "funk" with his lover and is willing to go to great lengths to do so.
The verses that follow reinforce this idea, with Prince describing the things he could do to get his lover excited, from re-writing the Kama Sutra to complimenting them. He then admits that he's scared that if he doesn't kiss them, he'll go mad, indicating that he's completely wrapped up in the moment. The final section of the song sees Prince urging his lover to dance, promising to be anything they want him to be, as long as they "funk" each other.
Overall, We Can Funk is a song that celebrates sexual chemistry and the power it holds over people. Prince is suggesting that when two people feel this energy, they should embrace it fully and explore each other's desires in a spirit of uninhibited pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Jump 'em and funk 'em, pump 'em and funk 'em
Let's have a good time, dance, and enjoy each other's company
I'm testing positive for the funk
I'm feeling great and in the mood for dancing and having fun
I'll gladly pee in anybody's cup
I'm willing to party and have fun with anyone who wants to join me
And when your cup overflow
When you're already having a great time dancing and enjoying yourself
I'm testing positive and I'll pee some more
I'm still going to keep dancing and having fun
I could tell you stories 'til you get tired
I could keep you entertained for days with all the adventures I've had
I could play with your mind
I could intrigue you and make you curious with my words and stories
But you'd probably say that I was a liar
But you might not believe me and think I'm making it all up
So I won't waste your time
So I won't bother telling you all my tales because I don't want to bore you
I'm scared
I'm nervous and unsure about what's going to happen next
'Cause though we just met there's this energy between us
Because even though we've just met, there's a clear connection and attraction between us
Let's just go somewhere
Let's go somewhere private where we can spend more time together
Oh
Expressing excitement and anticipation
Bump 'em and funk 'em, jump 'em and funk 'em
Let's dance and celebrate life together
Every time I could, I would compliment you on the things
Whenever I have the chance, I'll tell you how beautiful and amazing you are
Honey doll we should make the real noise, just you and me
Let's have a genuine and intimate experience together
I could tell you things to get you excited
I have some exciting ideas and things to talk about
The things you never heard, oh
These ideas are fresh and new, and you probably never heard of them
You know the Kama Sutra? I could re-write it with half as many words
I have a lot of sexual experience, and I could teach you how to enjoy it with fewer instructions
'Cause if I don't kiss ya, I'm gonna go mad baby
I need to kiss you because I'm so incredibly attracted to you that I can barely handle it
Take off my clothes
I'm ready to get intimate with you
Wait a minute, let me turn on some lights
Let me make sure you can see everything as it happens
Yeah, come here
I want you to come close to me
You can blow the candle off baby (candle)
You have the power to do whatever you want and make your own decisions
You can turn the candle on
You can also make things happen and take charge of the situation
Which ever one you choose is alright
Whatever you want to do is fine with me
'Cause we're going to do it all night long (sex)
We're going to have sex all night long and enjoy every moment of it
Sex between two people is alright
It's perfectly fine to enjoy sex between two consenting adults
If all the love in the world is what they got, hmm
As long as there's love between them, that's all that matters
As long as they're not trying to hurt nobody
As long as they're not hurting anyone, it's nobody else's business
Just as long as it's hot
As long as both people are enjoying themselves and having fun
Good Lord, baby, I want to make love to you, two times, maybe three
I want to have sex with you multiple times because I enjoy it so much
Yeah, if you want to go four or five, baby, that's alright with me
If you want to keep going, I'm happy to keep having sex with you as long as you want
Listen, I said I will be your little baby
I want you to take care of me and make me feel loved
Yeah, I can be your big strong man
But I can also be the one who takes care and protects you
I can be your girl or boy, I can be your toy
I'm open to exploring different dynamics and play roles with you
Alright, let's dance
Let's celebrate our connection and enjoy each other's company with more dancing
It's up to you, you can funk me baby, I'll funk you
We can both take turns leading and pleasing each other
We can funk one another, whatever you want to do
Let's keep having fun and enjoying ourselves together, however we want to
You got electric ass, baby
You have a sexy and irresistible body
You got electric thighs, baby
Your thighs are also incredibly attractive and turn me on
I can't wait no longer child, it's getting stronger, baby
I'm incredibly aroused and can't control my desire for you anymore
Open up your eyes (ooh)
Come closer and pay attention to my body language and signals
See this gold chain around my waist, I want to give it to you
I'm so attracted to you that I want to give you something valuable and meaningful
Yeah, people tell me I got no taste, then blow the candle out, let's see if it's true
Some people say that I have no sense of style or taste, but let's ignore them and focus on enjoying each other's company
We be funkin' over here, and over there ain't shit
We're having so much fun and enjoying each other's company so much that nothing else matters
We be funkin' over here, and over there ain't shit
Our connection is so strong and intense that everything else is irrelevant
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson, George Clinton Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind