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.
Pope
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Stir it like coffee)
The Pope
(Stir it like muthafuckin' coffee)
The Pope
(The hell)
This is the Pope
Oh, your car got mags that be dippy dippy dope
But the whole damn nation got the same
Honey only flock to the bee that's the Pope
Not the President with government lame
Put me on a slow movin' parlimentary hackin' bandwagon
You could put me little ass in the grave
Every time you want it I'll be live, bring a date
I mean computer when its over press save
So, you can be the President (you can be the President) (kick it)
I'd rather be the Pope (rather be the Pope)
(I'd rather be, so happy)
Yeah you can be the side effect (you can be the side effect)
I'd rather be the dope (rather be the dope)
(I ain't scared of you mutha fuckers) (kick it)
Call your girl named Sally and you figure you were chill (chill)
Then you find out I'm the reason Sally's on the pill (pill)
What am I supposed to do when the President can't get nothing passed
Find an alley, find an alley
Undress Sally right in front of your ass
(Well she helped me once again)
I say, you can be the President (you can be the President) (kick it)
I'd rather be the Pope (rather be the Pope)
(I'd rather be, so help me)
Yeah you can be the side effect (you can be the side effect)
I'd rather be the dope (rather be the dope)
(Fuck that)
The Pope
(Oh no motherfucker, not today)
Pope
You can be the President (rather be the Pope)
So help me
Who's the funky drummer with the crooked little sticks (sticks)
He might have better luck if he was drummin' with his dick (dick?)
If you don't play the piccolo, why you want to lick?
(Ch-check) Now check the drum solo and tell me not to kick it
(Seek and destroy. It'll fuck you up)
I love the taste of unpredictable licks
A loop is a loop is a loop
A loop is a loop is a loop (fuck that)
A loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop
Your car got mags that be dippy dippy dope
But the whole damn nation got the same
Honey only flock to the bee that's the Pope
Not the President with government lame
Put me on a slow movin' parliamentary hackin' bandwagon
You could put me little ass in the grave
Every time you want it I'll be live, bring a date
I mean computer, when its over press save
(So) So you can be the president (you can be the President) (kick it)
I'd rather be the Pope (rather be the Pope)
(I want to be, so happy)
You can be the side effect (you can be the side effect)
I'd rather be the dope (you, you, you) (you can be the dope)
The Pope
You can be the President (fuck that)
Rather be the Pope
Baby, so help me please
Press save
I love you
Peace
(You don't understand), ho
The song "Pope" by Prince is a quirky commentary on the value of power, specifically comparing the roles of the President of the United States and the Pope. In the first verse, Prince jokes about how everyone has nice cars but only the Pope can attract women ("Honey only flock to the bee that's the Pope") while the President is lame. He then goes on to express his desire to be the Pope instead of the President.
In the second verse, Prince takes a more vulgar turn, rapping about a sexual encounter with a woman named Sally and implying that he is more effective than the President ("What am I supposed to do when the President can't get nothing passed?"). He then asserts his desire to be the Pope once again.
The third verse introduces a funky drumbeat and Prince's love of unpredictable music. He repeats the same lines from the first verse before ending the song.
Overall, "Pope" is a humorous and irreverent take on the concept of power and how individuals may view different roles in society.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't understand, I ain't scared of you mutha fuckas
The singer is not afraid of anyone
Stir it like coffee
Mix it up
The Pope
The singer is referring to themself as 'The Pope'
Stir it like muthafuckin' coffee
Mix it up really well
The hell
The artist is emphasizing their authority
This is the Pope
The singer is reiterating that they are 'The Pope'
Oh, your car got mags that be dippy dippy dope / But the whole damn nation got the same / Honey only flock to the bee that's the Pope / Not the President with government lame
The people are attracted to power and authority, not just material possessions
Put me on a slow movin' parlimentary hackin' bandwagon / You could put me little ass in the grave / Every time you want it I'll be live, bring a date / I mean computer when its over press save
The artist is confident and ready to go, ready to speak their mind and save their thoughts
So, you can be the President (you can be the President) (kick it) / I'd rather be the Pope (rather be the Pope) / (I'd rather be, so happy) / Yeah you can be the side effect (you can be the side effect) / I'd rather be the dope (rather be the dope) / (I ain't scared of you mutha fuckers) (kick it)
The artist believes that being 'The Pope' is better than being the President or a side effect, they are not afraid of anyone
Call your girl named Sally and you figure you were chill (chill) / Then you find out I'm the reason Sally's on the pill (pill) / What am I supposed to do when the President can't get nothing passed / Find an alley, find an alley / Undress Sally right in front of your ass / (Well she helped me once again)
The artist is causing trouble and enjoying the chaos, they are mocking the President who isn't getting anything done
Who's the funky drummer with the crooked little sticks (sticks) / He might have better luck if he was drummin' with his dick (dick?) / If you don't play the piccolo, why you want to lick? / (Ch-check) Now check the drum solo and tell me not to kick it / (Seek and destroy. It'll fuck you up) / I love the taste of unpredictable licks
The singer is taunting and defying expectations, enjoying the taste of unpredictability
A loop is a loop is a loop / A loop is a loop is a loop (fuck that) / A loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop is a loop
The artist is iterating the redundancy of loops until they decide to break the cycle
So you can be the president (you can be the President) (kick it) / I'd rather be the Pope (rather be the Pope) / (I want to be, so happy) / You can be the side effect (you can be the side effect) / I'd rather be the dope (you, you, you) (you can be the dope) / The Pope
The singer is reiterating their preference to be 'The Pope' and not just a side effect or the President, they want to be happy
You can be the President (fuck that) / Rather be the Pope / Baby, so help me please
The singer confidently asserts that they would rather be 'The Pope' than the President, and demands help to assert their power
Press save / I love you / Peace
The singer is ending their message with instructions to save, love, and peace
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind