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.
Papa
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First, he crucified every dandelion out in the yard
Then he screamed at baby twice for throwin' rocks at passin' cars
Baby didn't listen, so like a priceless work of art
He got snatched by his papa who then opened up the closet door
And pushed the four-year-old down, onto the closet floor
Baby cried, "I'm sorry, I won't do it no more"
Papa said "yeah, I know, that's what this here's for"
Smack
Ooh papa
Smack, smack
Ooh papa, papa
Smack
Ooh papa
Smack, smack
Ooh papa, papa
As the door closes, baby starts to cry
"Please don't lock me up again, without a reason why"
Papa just went outside and pointed his shotgun up in the sky
He said "how come I don't love my woman?"
Then he took aim and died
Boom
Papa
Boom, boom
Papa, papa
Boom
Papa
Boom, boom
Papa, papa
Don't abuse children, or else they turn out like me
Fair to partly crazy, deep down we're all the same
Every single one of us knows some kind of pain
In the middle of all that's crazy, this one fact still remains
If you love somebody, your life won't be in vain
And there's always a rainbow, at the end of every rain
The lyrics of Prince's Papa tell a story about domestic violence and child abuse. In the first verse, Papa is portrayed as having a bad day, becoming increasingly agitated and eventually taking his anger out on his young son, 'Baby'. His actions are extreme, striking Baby repeatedly and locking him in the closet. The violence escalates to the point where Papa takes a shotgun outside and kills himself. It's a tragic and difficult story to hear, but one that highlights the damaging effects of domestic violence and child abuse.
Prince's powerful message in Papa is that domestic violence can cause a chain reaction of pain and that it's vital to break that cycle. He urges listeners to stop the cycle of abuse and choose love, as this is the only way to prevent a repeat of the violence that has taken place.
Interestingly, Papa was originally recorded during Prince's 1990 Nude Tour, but it was left unreleased until it appeared as the final track on his 1994 album, The Hits/The B-Sides. The song is not often included in compilations or greatest hits collections, but it is a significant addition to Prince's discography.
Line by Line Meaning
There was one September day that Papa worked too hard
Papa was working too hard on a particular September day
First he crucified every dandelion out in the yard
Papa destroyed every dandelion in the yard
Then he screamed at baby twice for throwin' rocks at passin' cars
Papa scolded the baby for throwing rocks twice at cars passing by
Baby didn't listen, so like a priceless work of art
The baby did not listen, like a valuable masterpiece
He got snatched by his Papa who then opened up the closet door
Papa took hold of the baby and opened the closet door
And pushed the four-year-old down, onto the closet floor
Papa pushed the four-year-old child onto the floor of the closet
Baby cried "I'm sorry, I won't do it no more"
The baby apologized and promised not to repeat his mistakes
Papa said "Yeah, I know, that's what this here's for"
Smack!
Papa acknowledged the baby's apology and hit him anyway
Oh Papa
The singer addresses the character of the father, Papa
Smack! Smack!
Papa continues to hit the baby multiple times
As the door closes, baby starts to cry
"Please don't lock me up again, without a reason why"
As Papa closes the door, the baby begins to cry and begs not to be locked up again for no reason
Papa just went outside and pointed a shotgun up in the sky
He said "How come I don't love my woman?"
Papa went outside, aimed a shotgun to the sky and wondered why he doesn't love his woman
Then he took aim and died
Boom!
Papa pulled the trigger and died
Papa
The singer addresses the deceased father, Papa
Boom! Boom!
A reference to the sound of gunshots
Don't abuse children, or else they turn out like me
A message to not abuse children or they will end up like the singer
Fair to partly crazy, deep down we're all the same
We all have our fair share of mental health struggles and at the core, we are all human
Every single one of us knows some kind of pain
In the middle of all that's crazy, this one fact still remains
We all experience some form of pain, but in the midst of our struggles, the fact that we need to love each other to have a fulfilled life still holds true
If you love somebody, your life won't be in vain
And there's always a rainbow, at the end of every rain
Loving someone adds value to your life and every difficulty will eventually lead to joy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind