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.
I Never Loved A Man
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When her old man ran away
She couldn't stop crying
'Cause she knew he was gone to stay
It was ten thirty-five on a lonely Friday night
She was standin' by the bar,
She was lookin' alright, yeah
I asked if she wanted to dance
And she said all she wanted was a good man
And wanted to know
If I thought I was qualified, yeah
And I said, baby don't waste your time
I know what's on your mind
I may be qualified for a one night stand
But I could never take the place of your man
It hurt me so bad when she told me
With tears in her eyes (tears in her eyes)
He was all she ever had
And now she wanted to die
He left her with a baby
And another one on the way, yeah
She couldn't stop cryin'
'Cause she knew he was gone to stay
She asked me if we could be friends
And I said, oh, honey baby that's a dead end
You know and I know
That we wouldn't be satisfied
No
And I said, baby don't waste your time
I know what's on your mind
You wouldn't be satisfied (wouldn't be satisfied)
With a one night stand (uh, uh, uh)
And I could never take the place of your man, oh
Yeah, yeah, the place of your man (uh, uh, uh)
One, two
In Prince's classic song "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man," the singer encounters a woman who is deeply heartbroken after her old man ran away. She is devastated and can't seem to stop crying because she knows he is gone for good. When Prince approaches her, she tells him that all she wants is a good man and asks if he thinks he's qualified. He responds by telling her that he may be good enough for a one night stand, but he could never take the place of her man. This disappoints her, but he explains that he knows what's on her mind and that they wouldn't be satisfied with just a fling.
The second verse of the song reveals that the woman has a baby and another one on the way. She is left to raise them alone because her old man had abandoned them. As she asks Prince if they could be friends, he tells her that it's a dead end because they wouldn't be satisfied with just being friends. He reiterates that he could never take the place of her man.
This song captures the pain of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on from someone you loved deeply. Prince's soulful voice and the emotional lyrics make this song timeless and relatable to anyone who has experienced heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
It was only last June
It has been only a year since the old man abandoned her.
When her old man ran away
The woman's partner left her when she needed him the most.
She couldn't stop crying
The woman was very upset to see him go and couldn't stop shedding tears.
'Cause she knew he was gone to stay
She was heartbroken because she knew he would never come back.
It was ten thirty-five on a lonely Friday night
The woman was standing at a bar on a Friday night and it was already late.
She was standin' by the bar,
The woman was waiting for someone or something.
She was lookin' alright, yeah
The woman was attracting the attention of those around her.
I asked if she wanted to dance
I approached her and asked if she would like to dance.
And she said all she wanted was a good man
The woman replied by saying that she was looking for a decent man.
And wanted to know
She inquired if I was eligible.
If I thought I was qualified, yeah
She asked me directly if I thought I was the right man for her.
And I said, baby don't waste your time
I advised her not to bother with me.
I know what's on your mind
I understood that she was looking for love and companionship.
I may be qualified for a one night stand
I may be eligible for a short-term fling.
But I could never take the place of your man
I wouldn't be able to replace her former partner, and she would eventually be disappointed.
It hurt me so bad when she told me
I felt terrible when she shared her story with me.
With tears in her eyes (tears in her eyes)
The woman was overcome with emotion and cried while recounting her past.
He was all she ever had
The man who left her was the most important person in her life.
And now she wanted to die
The woman was so brokenhearted that she believed she could no longer go on with her life.
He left her with a baby
The woman was left alone to take care of a child.
And another one on the way, yeah
The woman was also pregnant and expecting another child.
She asked me if we could be friends
The woman suggested that we could be friends.
And I said, oh, honey baby that's a dead end
I told her that it was a bad idea because we had different goals.
You know and I know
We both are aware.
That we wouldn't be satisfied
We wouldn't be happy.
No
It's not a good idea.
You wouldn't be satisfied (wouldn't be satisfied)
The woman would not be content with just a fling.
With a one night stand (uh, uh, uh)
A brief relationship or casual hookup would not be enough for her.
And I could never take the place of your man, oh
I knew I could never fill the void left by her previous partner.
Yeah, yeah, the place of your man (uh, uh, uh)
I couldn't replace her ex-partner in her life.
One, two
The song ends with Prince counting.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind