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.
Prettyman
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey now - what's up?
Ah, you know 2 come over here
Staring at a brother so hard
Say U what?
CHORUS:
Got 2 tell me so
Overconfident lady
Better act like U know
If U wanna be my baby
Come on, take my hand
Tell me that U wanna get with...
A prettyman
See me up here dancing ...
Dancing on the blow
Got 2 do about doing
Just a little more
Where I wear my knickers
Round this booty tight
Make a sucker gonna call me up
Every night
Hey
CHORUS
Everywhere I go
People stop and stare
They just wanna see me swing
This pretty hair
What ever comfort up
Just want grow
Like my brother
Buy some more
Hey!
If U wanna be my baby
Got 2 tell me so (Tell me, tell me)
Overconfident lady (Hurry up)
Better act like U know (Do U know)
If U wanna be my baby
Come on, take my hand (Take my hand)
Tell me that U wanna get with... (Say)
Prettyman
If U wanna be my baby (Prettyman)
Prettyman (Prettyman)
Begin
In the early morning
When I'm feeling nice (Prettyman)
I walk by the mirror
And kiss it twice (Prettyman)
When it cover perfume
It's on the shelf
I get it down
Hit me, your body around
I, I, I smell myself
Hey
Now
Prettyman
Do U...
(Prettyman)
I ain't U
See out
Prettyman
Come on band, break down (Prettyman)
I don't care about money
I buy gold by the once
Y2K not today day
I write a check and the bank bounce
Superbowl used 2 be my nickname
If U ask about love
No money might guarantee
When I'm a bow
Pretty
Man
CHORUS
Maceo {Maceo Parker - sax}
Brother - can U blow
Pretty (Prettyman)
Come harder
(...)
Wait - stop - go (Prettyman)
Maceo - can U ...
Maceo - can U blow
Hey!
Prettyman (Prettyman)
Oh yeah
Can't scream now - {screams}
(Prettyman)
Can't scream now - {screams}
(Prettyman)
Hey
{phone rings}
Hello
Who is it? (Prettyman)
Yes, this is the prettyman (Prettyman)
{hangs up}
Pretty!
The lyrics to Prince's song "Prettyman" are written from the perspective of a confident, attractive and perhaps even vain man who refers to himself as a "Prettyman". The opening lines, "Don't hate me, 'cause I'm beautiful" set the tone for the song as he sings about women eyeing- him up and down and wanting to be with him. He goes to different clubs and dances the night away, speaking about how people stop and stare at him everywhere he goes. He wants a woman who is able to handle his overconfidence and express it clearly that she is interested in him. In the chorus, he challenges the confident women who are not afraid of him to take his hand and tell him they want to be with a prettyman like himself. The song ends with a saxophone solo and Prince screaming the word "pretty".
Line by Line Meaning
Don't hate me, cuz I'm beautiful
I know some people may dislike me only because of my physical appearance, and that saddens me.
Hey now - what's up?
What's going on, how are you?
Ah, you know 2 come over here
Please approach me or come near me, as you already know.
Staring at a brother so hard
It appears that you are intensely observing me.
Say U what?
May I ask what you are trying to communicate to me?
If U wanna be my baby
Got 2 tell me so
Overconfident lady
Better act like U know
If U wanna be my baby
Come on, take my hand
Tell me that U wanna get with...
A prettyman
If you are interested in being in a romantic relationship with me, you must be vocal about it. Overconfident women need to display genuine intent. If you would like to pursue a relationship with me, let's do it together.
See me up here dancing ...
Dancing on the blow
Got 2 do about doing
Just a little more
Where I wear my knickers
Round this booty tight
Make a sucker gonna call me up
Every night
Hey
I am performing up here and it seems like you all are watching me with great interest. I enjoy performing, but I have to put in more effort than what you see onstage. I wear tight clothing that reveals my body, and I often get calls from infatuated fans.
Everywhere I go
People stop and stare
They just wanna see me swing
This pretty hair
What ever comfort up
Just want grow
Like my brother
Buy some more
Hey!
Regardless of where I go, people constantly stare at me. Because of my looks, people crave to see me and be around me, but I also have to put in extra work to always look my best.
Begin
In the early morning
When I'm feeling nice (Prettyman)
I walk by the mirror
And kiss it twice (Prettyman)
When it cover perfume
It's on the shelf
I get it down
Hit me, your body around
I, I, I smell myself
In the early morning, when I am feeling good, I walk up to the mirror, which has my perfume in front of it. I take down the perfume and spritz my body with it, feeling its scent, which lingers long after that.
If U wanna be my baby (Prettyman)
Prettyman (Prettyman)
If you want to be my romantic partner, call me 'prettyman', which is my nickname.
I don't care about money
I buy gold by the once
Y2K not today day
I write a check and the bank bounce
Superbowl used 2 be my nickname
If U ask about love
No money might guarantee
When I'm a bow
Pretty
Man
Money doesn't hold importance to me; I buy what I want at once, regardless of the price. I enjoy referring to myself as 'Superbowl'. If you are inquiring about love and such, it goes without saying that money is not a guarantee. When you are talking about a bow, all you imagine is a prettyman.
Maceo {Maceo Parker - sax}
Brother - can U blow
Pretty (Prettyman)
Come harder
(...)
Wait - stop - go (Prettyman)
Maceo - can U ...
Maceo - can U blow
Hey!
Prettyman (Prettyman)
Oh yeah
Let's have Maceo Parker play a saxophone solo right now, while calling me 'prettyman', as I want more intensity. The music should start and stop suddenly. Maceo, can you blow the saxophone? Prettyman! Oh yeah!
Can't scream now - {screams}
(Prettyman)
Can't scream now - {screams}
(Prettyman)
Hey
{phone rings}
Hello
Who is it? (Prettyman)
Yes, this is the prettyman (Prettyman)
{hangs up}
Pretty!
Despite being unable to scream at the moment, 'prettyman' is still on my mind, and I continue to repeatedly say 'prettyman.' Now my phone is ringing. Upon picking up the phone, I identify myself as 'prettyman.' The call ends with me repeating the word 'pretty' once more in a joyful manner.
Contributed by Owen C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.