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.
Just friends if you want me to
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y'all feel good?
Alright now
Girl, I know this might seem strange
But let me know if I'm out of order
For stepping to you this way
See, I've been watching you for awhile, now
That I'm really feeling your style
Cuz I had to know your name, babe
And leave you with my number
And I hope that you would call me someday
Now if you want now you can give me yours to, yeah
If you don't, well I ain't mad at you, nah
We can still be cool cuz...
(I'm not trying to pressure you) Sing it, what?
(Just can't stop thinkin' 'bout you) Can't hear you
(You ain't even really) ...gotta be my (girlfriend) Oh no
(I just wanna know your name) Know it
(And maybe)...sometime
(We can hook up...) And what? (hang out...) When what? (just chill)
Aw baby
She called
Damn, I'm surprised that you called
Cuz the way you walked away
I thought that you won't see me no more
Since you didn't wanna give me your name
Thought that you were...
What?
Alright
But anyway, what you doing tonight
I'll probably be with my peoples
If it's cool with you, maybe we'll swing by
You can just chill with us
Or you can just chill with me
Long as you're comfortable
And you feel secure when you're with me, see
I'm not trying to...(pressure you)
What? (Just can't stop thinkin' 'bout you)
Sing it (you ain't even really...) even (...gotta be my girlfriend)
You ain't even gotta be my girlfriend, oh no
Oh yeah yeah
Everybody in the house tonight, yo, make some noise
Yeah yeah
{scatting}
Lord
Oh babe
Yeah, thank you very much
I appreciate it
Preach your love, y'all
The lyrics of Prince's song "If you want me to stay" revolves around Prince expressing his attraction towards a girl and asking for her attention. The song starts with Prince admiring the girl's style and wanting to know her name. He then leaves his number for her to call him. Prince also states that he is not pressurizing the girl into anything and just wants to spend time getting to know her. The song then progresses with the girl calling Prince and agreeing to meet him. Prince tells her that she does not have to be his girlfriend, and they can even be friends.
The lyrics of the song may seem simple, but they portray the message of respecting boundaries in relationships. Prince is clear in his intentions and does not force the girl to like him back or be in a relationship with him. He communicates through his words that he is okay with just being friends and does not want to pressure her into anything.
Line by Line Meaning
How y'all feel?
Asking the audience how they feel
Y'all feel good?
Asking the audience if they feel good
Alright now
Indicating positive affirmation
Girl, I know this might seem strange
Admitting that approaching the girl may be unconventional
But let me know if I'm out of order
Asking permission to approach the girl
For stepping to you this way
Acknowledging that approaching her may not be the typical way
See, I've been watching you for awhile, now
Explaining he has been observing the girl for some time
And I just gotta let'cha know
Expressing the reason he made an approach
That I'm really feeling your style
Complimenting the girl's style
Cuz I had to know your name, babe
Explaining why he approached her specifically to know her name
And leave you with my number
Offering his number for her to contact him on her terms
And I hope that you would call me someday
Expressing the desire that she will call him
Now if you want now you can give me yours to, yeah
Providing an option for her to give him her number too
If you don't, well I ain't mad at you, nah
Expressing that he won't be upset if she decides not to give him her number
We can still be cool cuz...
Assuring her that even if she does not give him her number they can still be amicable
(I'm not trying to pressure you) Sing it, what?
Reiterating that he is not trying to pressure her
(Just can't stop thinkin' 'bout you) Can't hear you
Expressing his inability to stop thinking about her
(You ain't even really) ...gotta be my (girlfriend) Oh no
Reiterating that he does not expect her to be his girlfriend
(I just wanna know your name) Know it
Explaining that he only wants to know her name
(And maybe)...sometime
Suggesting a future meeting between them
(We can hook up...) And what? (hang out...) When what? (just chill)
Offering to hang out and just relax with her
Aw baby
Expressing affection for the girl
She called
Indicating that the girl called him
Damn, I'm surprised that you called
Expressing surprise that the girl called
Cuz the way you walked away
Recognizing that the girl walked away previously
I thought that you won't see me no more
Assuming that the girl would not see him again
Since you didn't wanna give me your name
Explaining that she did not give him her name previously
Thought that you were...
Stopping mid-sentence in realization that he may have been mistaken
What?
Asking for clarification
Alright
Resuming the conversation
But anyway, what you doing tonight
Asking about her plans for the night
I'll probably be with my peoples
Sharing his plans for the night
If it's cool with you, maybe we'll swing by
Suggesting that they can spend the evening together
You can just chill with us
Offering the girl to hang out with his friends too
Or you can just chill with me
Providing an alternative to hanging out with his friends
Long as you're comfortable
Expressing the importance of her being comfortable
And you feel secure when you're with me, see
Assuring her that she will feel safe with him
Everybody in the house tonight, yo, make some noise
Encouraging the audience to make some noise
Yeah yeah
Acknowledging the response from the audience
{scatting}
Showing off musical skills
Lord
Expressing gratitude to a higher power
Oh babe
Addressing the girl affectionately
Yeah, thank you very much
Showing appreciation towards the audience
I appreciate it
Expressing gratitude once again
Preach your love, y'all
Encouraging the people to spread love
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind