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.

Power Fantastic
Prince Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Late at night, when the world is sleeping
You are frightened 'cause the power's creeping
In your room is something you're afraid of
Life or doom is what this feeling's made of

Power fantastic
Is in your life at last
You're a little apprehensive

'Cause what it is, is what you want and need

Minor G is the chord of pleasure
It will be played eleven measures
You will see fire but you're cool as ice
You lie if you say this isn't nice

Power fantastic
Is in your life at last
You're a little apprehensive
What it is, is what you want and need

Power, power

Power fantastic
Is in your life at last
You're a wee bit apprehensive
'Cause what it is, is what you want and need

Power, power
Power fantastic

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Prince's song "Power Fantastic" describe a powerful and mysterious force that invades one's life in the dead of night. The first two lines convey a sense of fear and vulnerability, as if the power is invading the person's personal space and creating an unsettling feeling. However, the lyrics also suggest that this feeling is not entirely unwelcome. The phrase "what it is, is what you want and need" implies that the person is drawn to the power, even as they are apprehensive about it.

The middle section of the song introduces the idea of the "Minor G chord of pleasure", which will be played for eleven measures. This is a musical reference to the fact that the song is itself a powerful force, capable of eliciting intense emotions in the listener. The imagery of "seeing fire but feeling cool as ice" further emphasizes the idea that although the power is intense and potentially destructive, the person is able to maintain control and derive pleasure from it.

Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that the power represented in the song is something that is both frightening and exciting, and that the listener must learn to navigate it in order to experience its full potential.

Line by Line Meaning

Late at night, when the world is sleeping
During the night when everything's quiet and still

You are frightened 'cause the power's creeping
You're scared because there's a force that's slowly approaching

In your room is something you're afraid of
There's something in your room that you're scared of

Life or doom is what this feeling's made of
This feeling is about either living or dying

Power fantastic
This amazing power

Is in your life at last
It's finally a part of your life

You're a little apprehensive
You're feeling a bit unsure

'Cause what it is, is what you want and need
Even though you're unsure, this is exactly what you want and need

Minor G is the chord of pleasure
The Minor G chord is associated with feeling good

It will be played eleven measures
This chord will be played for a specific duration

You will see fire but you're cool as ice
Even though you'll see flames, you'll be calm