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.
Man o' War
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I'm not a man of war
Break the gold chain that I gave you
Throw it down on the floor
Instead of this 7 page letter
I wish I had piece of mind
My friends tell me, "You should go get her"
Oh yes, it is, a waste of time, ooh
I need to get out of this city
I need to get you out of my head
I need to get away from the words that you said to me
Why you screaming?
(Ooh)
You know I'm not a man of war
How could you think that
I could put something inside of someone
That I put inside you, inside you?
Even if I tried to, tried to
(Tried to, tried to)
I couldn't 'cause I still smell like the last time that we
Loving you, loving you, loving you is a waste of time
(A waste of time)
Oh, yes it is
Loving you, a waste of time
(Ooh oh)
I need to feel wanted again
I need to feel love is alive, yeah
I need to hear you say
That you ain't looking for another reason to make me cry
Why you screaming?
(Ooh)
You know I'm not a man of war
I've been trying to make you happy, baby
Ever since we were sophomores
(But loving you, loving you, loving you)
Is a waste of time, oh yes, it is
Oh, is a waste of time, waste of time, waste of time
If there's no future then there is no past
And all we've got is right now
Let's make it last
Make it last, make it last
(Ooh)
Why you screaming?
You know I'm not a man of war
Break the gold chain
(Break the gold chain that I gave you)
Throw it down on the floor, oh baby
Instead of this 7 page letter
I wish I had piece of mind
(My friends tell me, "You should go get her")
Tell me, "You should go get her"
(But loving you)
Loving you, loving you, loving you
Is a waste of time
(A waste of time)
Oh, a waste of time, oh yeah
I need to get out of this city
I need to get you out of my head
I need to
I need to get away from the words that you said to me
I need to
I need to feel wanted again
Oh, I need to hear no sin
Hear me
(But loving you, loving you, loving you)
Why you screaming?
You know I'm not a man of war
Break the gold chain that I gave you
Throw it down on the floor, oh baby
Instead of this 7 page letter
I wish I had piece of mind
My friends tell me, "You should go get her"
But loving you, loving you, loving you is a waste of time
The song "Man o' War" by Prince is a powerful track about a relationship that has reached its tipping point. The opening lines ask the question, "Why you screaming?" - indicating that the singer is tired of the constant arguments and has had enough. He makes clear that he is not a "man of war", implying that he does not want to continue the fighting. Prince then speaks of breaking a gold chain that he gave his lover, suggesting that he is ready to let go of the relationship and move on.
The chorus begins with the statement that "loving you is a waste of time". Prince's lyrics suggest that he has had enough of putting effort into a relationship that is not reciprocated. He then speaks of needing to get out of this city and out of his own head. He wants to distance himself from the person who has caused him so much pain. The final verse is a plea to be wanted again and to feel alive once more. There is a sense of desperation in the lines as Prince searches for a way out of his current situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Why you screaming?
Asking why the person is yelling
You know I'm not a man of war
Asserting that the person knows Prince isn't violent or confrontational
Break the gold chain that I gave you
Telling the person to shatter the necklace Prince gave them
Throw it down on the floor
Instructing the person to discard the chain on the ground
Instead of this 7 page letter
Noting that a long letter isn't what Prince wants to give
I wish I had piece of mind
Desiring peace of mind
My friends tell me, "You should go get her"
Mentioning that friends suggest Prince should try to win back the person
But loving you, loving you, loving you is a waste of time
Realizing that continuing to love the person is futile
I need to get out of this city
Expressing the desire to leave the town they're in
I need to get you out of my head
Wanting to forget the person and move on
I need to get away from the words that you said to me
Desiring to escape the hurtful things said by the person
How could you think that I could put something inside of someone
Questioning why the person believes Prince would want to put something inside of them
That I put inside you, inside you?
Clueing into the fact that Prince has already been intimate with the person
Even if I tried to, tried to
Acknowledging that even if Prince were interested in more intimacy, it would be difficult
I couldn't 'cause I still smell like the last time that we
Revealing that intimacy with the person was recent
Loving you, loving you, loving you is a waste of time
Reiterating that persisting with the relationship is pointless
I need to feel wanted again
Wanting to feel desired and valued
I need to feel love is alive, yeah
Craving the presence of love in their life
That you ain't looking for another reason to make me cry
Desiring the person's affection and loyalty
I've been trying to make you happy, baby
Acknowledging the effort put into being a good partner
Ever since we were sophomores
Implying that the relationship has been going on for a long time
If there's no future then there is no past
Suggesting that if the relationship isn't going anywhere, then it's not worth holding onto history
And all we've got is right now
Urging the person to focus on the present moment
Let's make it last
Encouraging the person to try to make their remaining time together meaningful
I need to hear you say
Wanting assurance from the person
Is a waste of time
Reiterating that investing in the relationship is pointless
I need to get away from the words that you said to me
Reemphasizing the desire to remove the hurtful things said from their mind
Oh, I need to hear no sin
Craving relief from the pain caused by the person
Contributed by Jake V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.