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.
Living 2 Die
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you living, are you living, are you living to
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living
look at how we're living our lives
Is this really living, are we really living
Look at how we're living to die
Mamas raising boys to men
She wants for them what she dont have
Baby keeps on nibbling, brother keeps on being bad
Who told you, that this is what...
Showing that mama, shes left feeling sad
When the news comes, better have some
Better than being on the wrong side of the gun, ooh
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living
Look at how we're living our lives
Candy's watching videos
Thinking thats how love goes
You give it up, a beat called a tune
Now she got a couple of babies and a ...
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living
Look at how we're living our lives
Is this really living, are we really living
Look at how we're living to die
And children did you believe like I
That only natural human rite is to be paralyzed
Don't let the sun set on the dawn
Come on rise baby rise it's gonna be alright
Look at how we're living, check out how we're living
Are you living, are you living, are you living
Just wanna say, 2 wrongs never make a right
The only victims here are you and I baby
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living, hey
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living
Look at how we're living our lives
Is this really living, are we really living
Look at how we're living to die
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living in
Look at how we're living our lives
Is this really living, are we really living in
Look at how we're living to die
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living
Check your world y'all, we are
Prince's song "Living 2 Die" presents a thought-provoking commentary on the human experience and how we approach our lives. The lyrics ask a series of questions, beginning with "Are you living, are you living, are you living 2 die?" This suggests that the ultimate end goal of our lives is death. The following lines further explore this idea, highlighting some of the ways in which we may be living our lives without truly "living." For instance, mothers may raise their children to have a better life than they had, but the reality may be that nothing much changes. Candy, another character in the song, may have given up everything for love, only to end up with a couple of children and little else.
The lyrics paint a bleak picture of life, but they also offer a message of hope. The final refrain of "Look at how we're living, look at how we're living, check your world y'all, we are" suggests that we have the power to change our circumstances. We should take a look at how we're living and take responsibility for our own lives. The line "Don't let the sun set on the dawn, Come on rise baby rise it's gonna be alright" is particularly poignant, implying that even when things seem dark, we should keep going and believe that things will get better.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you living, are you living, are you living 2 die
Are you merely existing with the sole purpose of dying?
Are you living, are you living, are you living to
Are you living life to the fullest or just going through the motions?
Look at how we're living, look at how we're living
Take a close look at the way we are living
look at how we're living our lives
See how we are living our lives
Is this really living, are we really living
Is this truly living or are we just existing?
Look at how we're living to die
Observe the fact that we are living with the ultimate end goal of dying
Mamas raising boys to men
Mothers are bringing up their sons to become men
17 and young one day
At one point in time, they were young and inexperienced
She wants for them what she dont have
The mother desires for her sons to have what she lacks
Baby keeps on nibbling, brother keeps on being bad
One son is a child and the other is misbehaving
Who told you, that this is what...
Who convinced you that this is how life should be?
Showing that mama, shes left feeling sad
This causes the mother to feel upset
When the news comes, better have some
Be prepared for the unexpected
Better than being on the wrong side of the gun, ooh
It is better to be safe than sorry
Candy's watching videos
Candy is watching music videos
Thinking thats how love goes
She believes that love works a certain way
You give it up, a beat called a tune
You sacrifice yourself to the rhythm of love
Now she got a couple of babies and a...
Now she has children and something else
And children did you believe like I
Did you, as a child, feel the same way I did?
That only natural human rite is to be paralyzed
Did you believe that it is natural for humans to feel powerless?
Don't let the sun set on the dawn
Don't let your opportunity pass you by
Come on rise baby rise it's gonna be alright
Don't give up, there is hope
Just wanna say, 2 wrongs never make a right
Doing something bad in response to something bad will only create more problems
The only victims here are you and I baby
We are the only ones affected by our actions
Check your world y'all, we are
Take a closer look at your surroundings, we are living in this world together
Contributed by Miles J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Yvette Sanchez
Such an exciting song!! It sounds so fantastic!! Prince sang it so incredibly as only he could!! & The music & beat are outstanding!! This song is a real winner!! I really love it!! Thank-you, Prince , for all the magic!! We miss you, love you, charish you, will never forget you, & hold you in our hearts forever, our eternal true, one & only Master, Prince!!
Velvet-Vikki -Waiting
Wow missed this —- its just so funky!! Need to own this - thanks CT x
Paula C
Great song ! ♥
allure searles
Fantastic song I like it any unreleased music by prince is incredible love him so much 😊😍😘
Stephanie
This is good, but I know there are some outstanding sound engineers who can clean this up and take it digital.
C'mon, who's up for the challenge? ☺☺
nivlekbrad
No need of cleaning it up. It is in the vault in perfect quality.
Beautiful Strange
Miss you Prince R.I.P. 2019 you were are legendary great one with all the love we could have given to you, but lost you to soon.
Velvet-Vikki -Waiting
Thanks for taking the time to put this together for his true FRIENDS on here.. cant comment on the ppl who waste their time being negative on here if u dont like don’t listen if you dont like its your OPINION only go about your day leave it at that - there will be many more who love it so let them - like myself a life long lover of his musical progression and fellow muso ... that last funky line - yas!
frostysnow w
Nice song 💕
Sherrie Keith
Amazing photos! Love it, thanks 💜