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.
Guitar Warm Up
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But we no normal, when we pull at Cornwall
Gal a get mad, a g'wan bad
Oh God, me no know a wah do some Hey Arnold
(W-w-w-w-word! You nuh See it? )
A SpongeBob and Patrick dem! ( Aye, Aye, Captain!)
Word! Street!
But me nuh know a who a trick dem
And me no ready fi retire now!
Dem no hear me jus a warm up
Blessings a fire now! Upstairs man gone up
Say dem a try hold me back fi distract me
But me nah look
If a no Cherry Gardens a Norbrook
Man a yod' from a place no safe
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
One shoes, one suit,
A no like me no know do without
Wah mek yu' think me never three like sport
Back then mi likkle life never three sort out
Amount a gyal weh give me number, dem think me a joke
True mi never have no steady phone fi dem voice note
Now me step out, clean like soap
Mi likkle career deh' shoot out
And me no ready fi retire now!
Dem no hear me jus a warm up
Blessings a fire now! Upstairs man gone up
Say dem a try hold me back fi distract me
But me nah look
If a no Cherry Gardens a Norbrook
Man a yod' from a place no safe
You no wise around ya', yuh get caught up
Sheppy, dem know dem nuh real
But still come around man
Want we dead, dem a try run program
A carry news to mi wife, yuh know how long
Ghetto youths me deh beg unuh please hold on
Unruly dem done know the slogan
Bury people round a no man's land
Dem hear me deh yaso a kick it inna di galsion
Bleacher's, Grandstand!
And me no ready fi retire now!
Dem no hear me jus a warm up
Blessings a fire now! Upstairs man gone up
Say dem a try hold me back fi distract me
But me nah look
If a no Cherry Gardens a Norbrook
Man a yod' from a place no safe
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
( W-w-w-w-w-w-w-word!)
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
( W-w-w-w-w-w-w-word!)
The lyrics to Prince's song "Guitar Warm Up" talk about the artist's determination and resilience in the face of obstacles and distractions. The song begins with references to Jamaican culture and slang, mentioning Clark's shoes, Cornwall, and characters like Hey Arnold, SpongeBob, and Patrick. This sets the tone for the song's playful and energetic vibe. Prince emphasizes that he is not normal or ordinary and expresses confusion over people who try to deceive or manipulate him.
He then asserts his readiness to continue pursuing his career, despite any attempts to hold him back. Prince acknowledges the blessings and successes that have come his way, highlighting his confidence and talent. He warns against getting caught up in unsafe environments or associating with untrustworthy people. The lyrics also touch on the challenges faced by ghetto youths and the need for perseverance.
Overall, "Guitar Warm Up" is an empowering anthem about staying focused, ignoring distractions, and pushing forward to achieve success.
Line by Line Meaning
Clark's pon feet a di normal
Clark is walking normally
But we no normal, when we pull at Cornwall
But we're not normal, especially when we party at Cornwall
Gal a get mad, a g'wan bad
Girls are getting angry, acting tough
Oh God, me no know a wah do some Hey Arnold
Oh God, I don't know what's wrong with some people like Hey Arnold
(W-w-w-w-word! You nuh See it? )
(Wow! Can't you see it?)
A SpongeBob and Patrick dem! (Aye, Aye, Captain!)
They're like SpongeBob and Patrick! (Yes, Captain!)
Word! Street!
Yeah! Street!
But me nuh know a who a trick dem
But I don't know who is fooling them
And me no ready fi retire now!
And I'm not ready to retire now!
Dem no hear me jus a warm up
They don't realize that I'm just warming up
Blessings a fire now! Upstairs man gone up
Blessings are pouring in! The man upstairs is helping
Say dem a try hold me back fi distract me
They're trying to hold me back to distract me
But me nah look
But I won't pay attention to them
If a no Cherry Gardens a Norbrook
If it's not Cherry Gardens or Norbrook
Man a yod' from a place no safe
I'm representing from an unsafe place
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
You're not smart around here, you'll get caught up
One shoes, one suit
Just one pair of shoes, one suit
A no like me no know do without
It's not like I don't know how to survive
Wah mek yu' think me never three like sport
Why do you think I never played sports
Back then mi likkle life never three sort out
Back then, my little life wasn't sorted out
Amount a gyal weh give me number, dem think me a joke
All the girls who give me their number, they think I'm a joke
True mi never have no steady phone fi dem voice note
Because I didn't have a stable phone for their voice notes
Now me step out, clean like soap
Now I step out, looking clean and fresh
Mi likkle career deh' shoot out
My little career is taking off
Sheppy, dem know dem nuh real
Sheppy, they know they're not real
But still come around man
But they still hang around
Want we dead, dem a try run program
They want us dead, they're trying to scheme
A carry news to mi wife, yuh know how long
They're spreading rumors to my wife, you know it's been a while
Ghetto youths me deh beg unuh please hold on
Ghetto youths, I beg you, please hold on
Unruly dem done know the slogan
Unruly, they already know the motto
Bury people round a no man's land
Burying people around in no man's land
Dem hear me deh yaso a kick it inna di galsion
They hear me here, having a good time in the celebration
Bleacher's, Grandstand!
Cheering, in the grandstand!
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
You're not smart around here, you'll get caught up
(W-w-w-w-w-w-w-word!)
(Wow!)
Yu' no wise around ya', Yu' get caught up
You're not smart around here, you'll get caught up
(W-w-w-w-w-w-w-word!)
(Wow!)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Akeem Bogle, Chike Ojuro, Jeoriel Smallhorn, Daze Records
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gary Hardwick
Billy Joel Prince Tribute. https://youtu.be/oFLzns-y-gE
PddZ
GARY… any chance you can change your thumbnail for this video? Hardly flattering and worthy of someone who gave so much to so many and strived for perfection! 😬
Marvin Cooke
Gary, I used to work with Marilyn Thompson when I interned with Judge Ray Reynolds Graves back in Law School in 1996. She used to talk about you all the time. The Brothers is one of my favorite movies. Hopefully you're doing good during this time. I also met your brother Geno when he was interested in joining my Lodge. Keep up the good work Bro. 👍
mrs planetmaster9
THX 4 THIS TREAT MAN...💚💜
discomadness
Its your internet that you paid for so you are entitled to your own opinion........ but to some of us what he just played was fsntastic...........
Wolf424
Prince is the rare case of an complete MEGA STAR; Dancer, Actor, Multi-Musician, Singer, Composer and Producer. Prince - THE ONE
Terry Carthy
@Fab Silva ; she wrote no songs, played no instruments, produced nothing etc. Granted, yep, she's 'famous'. She's no comparison to Prince (need it be stared...?). He's in the Duke Ellington.school of legends.
Barak Cabeza De Toro
Its just sad theres a few people out there who can be as good as him but don't get far for all sorta reasons.. believe me, he is not the only one, we are 7b people in this planet..
ahenathon
It is weird he was not a painter too.
Funk Rocker
Wow! I'm telling you... a rare case indeed.