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.
Golden Parachute
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, hey
Golden parachute
Do you wanna golden parachute
Do you wanna golden parachute
Do you wanna golden parachute
Do you wanna golden parachute
Here's 50 million dollars go and leave us alone (do you wanna golden parachute)
In appreciation for all the creations we now own (do you wanna golden parachute)
You brought us Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Hip-hop, even Soul (do you wanna golden parachute)
To own every piece of intellectual property, this is our goal (do you wanna golden, golden, golden)
(Do you wanna golden parachute)
Here's 50 million dollars, 2 go along with this boot (do you wanna golden parachute)
Just keep your mouth shut and never tell of the plan (do you wanna)
To conquer and control the very soul of man
Do you wanna golden parachute
Do you wanna (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Do you wanna golden parachute
This is a tribute for all your accomplishments
The design of a system that allows for tax breaks and benefits
Do you wanna golden parachute (sugar)
Do you wanna
17 years old, misled by so called parachute
Down this cold road (do you wanna)
Into this web of deception (spiders and snakes and bears)
Money made but never spent, never mentioned (golden parachute)
Ah, let's make a toast, to the host, to the man with the most
They worship you, all up under you, applauding (golden parachute)
One who in truth created nothing, nothing
In essence, a fraud
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
Golden parachute
The lyrics in Prince's song "Golden Parachute" touch on topics such as exploitation, greed, power and control. The title of the song, 'Golden Parachute', refers to a lucrative contract clause that requires a company to pay out significant compensation to top executives in the event of a takeover or corporate restructuring. In the song, Prince recounts a story of a wealthy company that has grown rich from "Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Hip-hop, even Soul," only to turn greedy in their attempts to control and own every piece of intellectual property. The company is willing to pay out a significant amount of money and bribe people in order to achieve their goal, which they believe is to "conquer and control the very soul of man".
Prince highlights the corruptness of such acts and makes an explicit reference to the person who created it as a 'fraud'. He also speaks about the price of selling one's soul and becoming a part of the corrupt system, likening it to being misled by a parachute that promises a soft landing but instead leads to a life of deception, spiders, and snakes. The song shows the dark side of corporate greed and the lengths some companies will go to maintain power and control.
Overall, the song serves as a critique of the exploitative nature of the music industry and corporations in general, highlighting the danger of allowing greed and control to take over.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, hey
Start of the song
Do you wanna golden parachute
Asking if the listener wants to become wealthy and leave their current situation behind
Here's 50 million dollars go and leave us alone (do you wanna golden parachute)
Offering the listener a large sum of money to leave the situation and not come back
In appreciation for all the creations we now own (do you wanna golden parachute)
Acknowledging the listener's contributions to the music industry and offering compensation for their intellectual property
You brought us Jazz, Rhythm and Blues, Hip-hop, even Soul (do you wanna golden parachute)
Listing the various genres of music that the listener has helped create
To own every piece of intellectual property, this is our goal (do you wanna golden, golden, golden)
Stating the record label's ultimate goal of owning all of the music created by the listener
Here's 50 million dollars, 2 go along with this boot (do you wanna golden parachute)
Offering the listener additional money to keep quiet about the record label's plans
Just keep your mouth shut and never tell of the plan (do you wanna)
Warning the listener to keep quiet and not reveal the record label's goal of controlling the music industry
To conquer and control the very soul of man
Referring to the record label's plan to control the music industry and manipulate people through their music
This is a tribute for all your accomplishments
Acknowledging the listener's successes and contributions
The design of a system that allows for tax breaks and benefits
Describing how the record label has created a system that benefits them financially
17 years old, misled by so called parachute
Referencing how the listener was young and naive when they started in the music industry and were led astray by promises of success and fame
Down this cold road (do you wanna)
Describing the harsh reality of the music industry and asking if the listener wants to escape it
Into this web of deception (spiders and snakes and bears)
Describing how the music industry can be full of deceitful people and dangerous situations
Money made but never spent, never mentioned (golden parachute)
Explaining how the record label keeps the majority of the profits and how the listener has not received their fair share
Ah, let's make a toast, to the host, to the man with the most
Praising the record label and the person in charge for their success
They worship you, all up under you, applauding (golden parachute)
Describing how people idolize the record label and will do anything to work with them, offering them a chance at wealth and fame
One who in truth created nothing, nothing
Stating that the record label does not create music, but only profits off of it
In essence, a fraud
Claiming that the record label is a sham and not a true music industry leader
Golden parachute
Refrain throughout the song, referring to wealth and escape
Writer(s): Prince Rogers Nelson
Contributed by Hannah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.