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.
Lets Go Crazy
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
The afterworld
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 afterworld
In this life
You're on your own
And if de-elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor
Hoo
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
I'm not gonna let de-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 de-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 de-elevator bring us down?
Oh, no let's go
Go crazy (woo)
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 & The Revolution's "Let's Go Crazy" is a song that celebrates life and encourages the listener to live life to the fullest. The song starts with Prince addressing his audience as "dearly beloved" and tells them that they are gathered here today to get through life. He emphasizes that life is forever and that there is something beyond this world, the afterworld. The afterworld is a world of never-ending happiness, where one can always see the sun, day or night. Instead of asking the shrink about how much time is left, ask them how much of the mind is remaining. In this life, things are much harder than in the afterworld, and we are on our own. However, if the "de-elevator tries to bring you down," the singer advises the listener to go crazy and punch a higher floor.
Prince continues by advising listeners that if they're not happy with their life, they should look around and appreciate the people and things they have. The singer narrates calling his old lady for a friendly word, but she dropped the phone, and all he could hear was noise. He refuses to let the "de-elevator" bring them down, and he encourages everyone to go crazy and live life to the fullest.
Although "Let's Go Crazy" was released in 1984, it still resonates with listeners and serves as an anthem for living life to the fullest. The song has been used in various movies and TV shows, and its meaning still holds relevance today.
Line by Line Meaning
Dearly beloved
Greetings, beloved
We are gathered here today
We are gathered here for an important reason
To get through this thing called life
To navigate this adventure called life
Electric word, life
A powerful and energetic word, life
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
It represents an eternity, which is a long time indeed
But I'm here to tell you
However, there's more to it
There's something else
There's another world
The afterworld
The world beyond this one
A world of never ending happiness
A world of infinite joy
You can always see the sun, day or night
The sun never sets, metaphorically
So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
So when you call the therapist in a fancy city
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll-Be-Alright
The one who assures that everything will be alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Instead of asking about the remaining lifespan
Ask him how much of your mind, baby
Ask about the mental wasted space
'Cause in this life
Because in this life
Things are much harder than in the afterworld
Life is harder than the eternal joy of the afterworld
In this life
In life
You're on your own
You're alone
And if de-elevator tries to bring you down
If pessimism tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor
Be crazy, but strive upwards
If you don't like the world you're living in
If you dislike your life
Take a look around you
Observe your surroundings
At least you got friends
At least, you have friends
You see, I called my old lady
You see, I called my beloved
For a friendly word
To talk politely
She picked up the phone
She answered
Dropped it on the floor
Then dropped the phone
(Ah, ah) is all I heard
I heard only meaningless sounds
I'm not gonna let de-elevator
I won't let pessimism
Bring us down
Bring us down
Oh, no let's go
No way, let's go
Let's go crazy
Let's be crazy
Let's get nuts
Let's be wild
Let's look for the purple banana
Let's search for the uncommon
'Til they put us in the truck, let's go
Until it's too late, let's keep going
We're all excited
We're all thrilled
But we don't know why
But we don't know the reason
Maybe it's 'cause
Perhaps it's because
We're all gonna die
We'll all pass away
And when we do (when we do)
And when we do
What's it all for (what's it all for)
What was it all for
You better live now
You better live life now
Before the grim reaper come knocking on your door
Before the Angel of Death arrives
Tell me, are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down
Are we going to let pessimism bring us down
Oh, no let's go
No way, let's go
C'mon, baby
Let's go, my beloved
Let's get nuts
Let's be wild
Yeah
Yeah
Crazy
Crazy
Let's go crazy
Let's go wild
Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down?
Are we going to let pessimism bring us down?
Oh, no let's go
No way, let's go
Go crazy (woo)
Be crazy (woo)
I said let's go crazy (go crazy)
I said, let's go wild (be crazy)
Let's go, let's go
Let's go, let's go
Go (let's go)
Go (let's go)
Dr. Everything'll-Be-Alright
Dr. Everything'll-Be-Alright
Will make everything go wrong
Will make everything worse
Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill
Drugs, excitement, and happiness will destroy you
Hang tough, children
Stay strong, children
He's coming
He's coming
He's coming
He's coming
Take me away
Take me away
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@logana.9247
In 2013, at age nine I remember listening to the Purple Rain album with my mom.
The first time I heard that guitar solo leading into the outro, I was speechless. As a 2000s boy I'd never heard anything like that before, and I likely won't hear anything like it again.
I was actually hit hard with the news of Prince's death three years later. Didn't grow up during his prime, but I knew we lost a musical legend.
This song, and for that matter the entire album, are timeless and should never be forgotten.
Prince Rogers Nelson
1958 - 2016
@ModernBarbarian187
At the Superbowl, the rain was pounding down, and he walked out and played this, and you were reminded what a real Rock Star was.
@Howlingburd19
His Halftime Show is hands down the best one and probably always will be!
@chicagomonica
The older I get- I realize that Prince was so ahead of his time, super talented, and super smart. Wish he was still with us.
@kathrynmiller9622
Said we had to get over to realize that but he definitely was ahead of his time. Story was a long time ago that he was going to take MJ's place. I don't think anybody could replace MJ and there definitely is no one that can replace Prince and that awesome music then he gave us.
@Kelligurl90
I honestly feel like had he stayed in the hospital before he died he would still be here 😫
@clousescott6832
Yes he was.... Absolutely
@richardmeadows8361
Yes I wish Prince was still with us he was one of my favorite persons like to listen to more than most at her people listen to and what a great actor he was in the movie Purple Rain and under the Cherry Moon which I found out recently is on HBO Max which is a great movie and I've seen original on VHS anyhow what a great perform he was I wish we hadn't lost him but I found out that they made a digital remastered of him recently I found out through this YouTube channel here so I'm going to try to check that out but I'm glad that you liked him as much as I did I'd be liking him so many years even he had a special disc that I had that has a special colors designed on it but I ain't found it yet besides all that what an artist he was I still love listening to his music in 2022 and I found out he had a mansion that you could actually tour many years ago but I ain't got a chance to see it where he lives but lonely press and here again the 2022 and I'm in Florida thank you so much for listen to this have a great day
@jameslindsay9272
How was he ahead of his time? He was more popular in the 80's than anyone else besides Michael Jackson. Why do half these comments make it out like Prince wasn't appreciated until after he died or something?
@Music_Head
Prince is not dead. He lives in the music. Even before music is recorded the music lasts forever.
@MizeroMusicNow
so true