Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), more commonly known m… Read Full Bio ↴Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), more commonly known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona; his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, and hip hop.

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.

Old Friends 4 Sale #1
Prince Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The sun set in my heart this evenin'
Cause an old friend of mine got lost in the jive
Little did she know, when you're stuck in the snow
Nobody gets out alive

Tears fall gently in my garden
As I wait in vain for my sweet baby to call
I guess what my own brother told me was true

He had been with my sweet baby and she never really loved me at all

Night fell so dark this evenin'
The moon wasn't shinin' nowhere
Sometimes that old light in the alley would light up this old heart of mine
But now I'm wonderin' if there's someone up there who really cares

The night fell darkest in Persia
What used to flow blue is now flowin' black
Many a doctor can try, but only heaven knows why
When it comes to love
Why do some men, why do some men turn their backs?

Can't somebody please tell me?

Maybe the morning air will make me feel better
Oh, I hope better than I feel right now
Last night a stranger took my picture and then he, uh..
He asked if I'd buy it, huh
I said I guess I don't know how

Old, old friends for sale
Get'em while the gettin' is hot
But you better watch out, they'll kiss you until they get what you got

And they'll show you the friends that they're not
Old friends for sale

Overall Meaning

The song "Old Friends 4 Sale #1" by Prince talks about the pain and loneliness one feels when they lose someone close to them. The first stanza describes the feeling of losing a friend to the distractions of life, which ultimately lead to their demise. The phrase "stuck in the snow" symbolizes the friend's inability to overcome the challenges they faced. The lines "nobody gets out alive" drives home the point that everyone must face their own struggles alone.

The second stanza talks about waiting for someone who may never come back. The singer tears fall gently while he waits for his sweet baby to call, but he is left disappointed. The lines "she never really loved me at all" indicate his realization that the person he loved did not feel the same way about him.

The last stanza is about the despair that arises due to the absence of love in our lives. The darkness is a metaphor for the emptiness that one can feel when there is no love. The lines "when it comes to love, why do some men turn their backs?" show how love is fleeting and mysterious, and it can be hard to understand why some people choose to walk away from it.

Overall, the song is profound and thought-provoking. It talks about the human condition and the struggle to find love and meaning in our existence.

Line by Line Meaning

The sun set in my heart this evenin'
I feel heartbroken and sad

Cause an old friend of mine got lost in the jive
An old friend of mine got caught up in the chaos and lost touch with reality

Little did she know, when you're stuck in the snow
She didn't realize that when you're in a difficult situation, it's hard to get out of it alive

Nobody gets out alive
No one survives the challenges of life

Tears fall gently in my garden
I am crying quietly and alone

As I wait in vain for my sweet baby to call
I am hoping for a call from the person I love, but it seems unlikely

I guess what my own brother told me was true
My brother was right about my lover not loving me back

He had been with my sweet baby and she never really loved me at all
My lover had been with my brother and didn't truly love me

Night fell so dark this evenin'
I feel hopeless and lost

The moon wasn't shinin' nowhere
The night was dark and gloomy

Sometimes that old light in the alley would light up this old heart of mine
There were times when I found hope and comfort in unexpected places

But now I'm wonderin' if there's someone up there who really cares
I am questioning whether anyone or anything is looking out for me

The night fell darkest in Persia
The situation was at its worst

What used to flow blue is now flowin' black
What was once good and pure is now corrupted and dark

Many a doctor can try, but only heaven knows why
Many people can try to fix a broken heart, but only a higher power knows why love can be so painful

When it comes to love
When it comes to matters of the heart

Why do some men, why do some men turn their backs?
Why do some people turn away from love and hurt the ones who care for them?

Can't somebody please tell me?
I'm searching for answers and understanding

Maybe the morning air will make me feel better
I am hopeful that a new day will bring a better mood

Oh, I hope better than I feel right now
I am wishing for a brighter and happier day

Last night a stranger took my picture and then he, uh..
I had a random and unsettling encounter with a stranger

He asked if I'd buy it, huh
He tried to sell me a picture he had taken without my consent

I said I guess I don't know how
I declined the offer because I didn't want to engage with him

Old, old friends for sale
I am selling old friendships that are no longer valuable to me

Get'em while the gettin' is hot
Take advantage of this sale while you can

But you better watch out, they'll kiss you until they get what you got
Be careful, these old friends will act friendly until they get what they want from you

And they'll show you the friends that they're not
These old friends will reveal their true nature and show you that they were never really your friends

Old friends for sale
I am selling off past relationships and moving on from them

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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