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.
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Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life
Electric word life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here to tell you
There's something else
A world of never ending happiness
You can always see the sun, day or night
So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll Be Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby
'Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the after world
In this life
You're on your own
And if the elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor
If you don't like the world you're living in
Take a look around you
At least you got friends
You see I called my old lady
For a friendly word
She picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
(Ah, ah) is all I heard
Are we gonna let the elevator
Bring us down
Oh, no let's go!
Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck, let's go!
We're all excited
But we don't know why
Maybe it's 'cause
We're all gonna die
And when we do (When we do)
What's it all for (What's it all for)
You better live now
Before the grim reaper come knocking on your door
Tell me, are we gonna let the elevator bring us down
Oh, no let's go!
Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck, let's go!
C'mon baby
Let's get nuts
Yeah
Crazy
Let's go crazy
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down
Oh, no let's go!
Go crazy
I said let's go crazy (Go crazy)
Let's go, let's go
Go
Let's go
Dr. Everything'll be alright
Will make everything go wrong
Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill
Hang tough children
He's coming
He's coming
Coming
Take me away!
Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" is a song that reflects on the unpredictability of life and the need for people to live in the moment. The opening lines of the song, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life," sets the tone for the rest of the song. Prince tells the listener that life is short, and that we all need to make the most of it while we can. He argues that there is more to life than just the material world - there is also the afterworld, a place of never-ending happiness where the sun always shines.
Prince suggests that in this life, things can be hard and we're often left to fend for ourselves. He also highlights the importance of valuing the people around us, telling the listener to take a look around you - "at least you got friends." When things get tough, he urges the listener to "go crazy," even suggesting that if the elevator tries to bring you down, you should punch a higher floor.
Overall, "Let's Go Crazy" is a song that encourages people to grab hold of life and make the most of it while they can. It's a song that celebrates living in the moment and not being afraid to take risks.
Line by Line Meaning
Dearly beloved
We are here today to acknowledge something important.
We are gathered here today
We are united to face something together.
To get through this thing called life
To navigate through the ups and downs of life.
Electric word life
The meaning of life itself.
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
Life is a long journey.
But I'm here to tell you
Prince is here to share some wisdom.
There's something else
There is something beyond life.
The after world
The world beyond life.
A world of never ending happiness
A joyful and eternal world.
You can always see the sun, day or night
A world where happiness thrives.
So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
When feeling down, when in need of help,
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll Be Alright
The go-to guy for assistance.
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him instead about the state of your mind.
'Cause in this life
Because in the present, in this world,
Things are much harder than in the after world
Life is difficult and challenging.
In this life, you're on your own
You need to face the challenges of life alone.
And if the elevator tries to bring you down
If life's going down,
Go crazy, punch a higher floor
Fight back, rise higher.
If you don't like the world you're living in
If you're unhappy with your surroundings,
Take a look around you, at least you got friends
You have people close to you who care.
You see I called my old lady for a friendly word
Prince calls someone special for emotional support.
She picked up the phone dropped it on the floor, (Ah, ah) is all I heard
Prince didn't receive the support he was looking for.
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down
Will we allow life to bring us down?
Oh no! Let's go!
No, we should rise up higher!
Let's go crazy, let's get nuts
Let's live our lives to the fullest, let's take risks!
Let's look for the purple banana 'til they put us in the truck, let's go!
Let's seek out the impossible!
We're all excited but we don't know why
We are full of energy and enthusiasm without reason.
Maybe it's 'cause we're all gonna die
Maybe because life is fleeting.
And when we do, what's it all for?
When life ends, what does it all mean?
You better live now before the grim reaper come knocking on your door
Do not wait to begin living, start now!
I said let's go crazy, let's get nuts
Let's chase our dreams, take risks!
Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down? Oh no, let's go!
No, we will not let life bring us down, we will rise up!
Dr. Everything'll Be Alright will make everything go wrong
Dr. Everything'll Be Alright will only make things worse.
Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill, hang tough children
Drugs will destroy you, be strong and endure.
He's coming, he's coming
The grim reaper is coming.
Take me away!
Take me to the afterworld!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
avace917
I love the way he made the drum machine sing. Easily the best Linn drum machine programmer in history. This song is incredible
Eva Rene’
True early late 70’s early 80’s Prince💜… true followers know what I mean… you can hear his innocence and the beginnings of musical experimentation. The angelic melodies…just perfect
Kevin Stewart
I loved how he created the song to where it could not be duplicated. I mean nobody does it like him.
Peter Roberts
Beautiful song,with that strange off kilter melodic sound you hear on some of his slower numbers like Scandalous..Prince 💕💕❤️
JFm'K
Great song! Definitely should have been on Parade & in Under The Cherry Moon!! 🤯💪🍾😎
ROCKNROLLFAN
It doesn't even sound like it was recorded in 85'. Timeless.
Jonathan Murphy
That's what's killing me
Ac Johns
I like how the song sounds like he is at a circus or a merry go round amusement park atmosphere.💜💜
Brenda Melvoin
Beautiful song. I love it so much... Hoping it will B part of the Parade SDE....
chippy 77
I LOVE this song. If it was released now it would be big, right? Hey, r u related to the other Melvoins? (Wendy &Susannah?)