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.
RACE
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til the rain is over and gone
G-g-gimme the beat now (face the music)
Leadline
(Face the music)
If the air is a little thick in this room tonight
I reckon it's the result of an onslaught of separatist rookies
Talkin' so fast that even they
Talkin' so fast that even they don't know what they mean
Of all the things that base a rhyme
How is it that you every time
Regurgitate the racist lines that keep us apart?
Thank God this ain't Monopoly
You'd make us all go back to start
Race
In the space, I mark human (face the music)
Race
Face the music
We all bones when we dead
Race
In the space, I mark human (face the music)
Cut me, cut you
Both the blood is red
I gotcha
Race
Race
Check it
Three seats over there's a lady black
Entrusted to her care is a little white girl
And the fact of the matter is
Before her momma or another kid at school
Tells her about the fallacy that one race rules over the other
She'd be a much-better-off-left, fool
(Face the music)
If we never heard about the evils that those before us committed
Then how my dear, tell me now how my dear
Tell me now how now would we know?
And then the band say
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Race
Face the music
We all bones when we dead
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Cut me, cut you
Both the blood is red
I gotcha
Race
Race
(Face the music)
D-d-down with H-I-S-T-O-R-Y and all this b.S propagandi
Keepin' you from me and me from you as we grow
I don't want to know (I don't want to know)
Why those before us hated each other
I'd rather believe they never did
I'd rather believe (I'd rather, I'd rather believe)
That there's hope for a kid
And if he imitates the best
I guess that's what I'll try to be
And I will let the rest dissolve with my guitar underneath the sea
Race
(Face face face face face)
Face the music (face the music)
Face the music
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Race
Face the music
We all bones when we dead
Race
In the space I mark human (face the music)
Cut me, cut you
Both the blood is red
Get it?
Race
Got it
Race
Face the music
Race, race
(Face, face, face the music)
Race, race
(Face, face, face the music)
Race, race
Race, race
(Face-f-face the music)
Race
The lyrics of Prince's song "Race" are a poignant commentary on the issue of racism in society. The song starts off with the lines "Lie down, fair one and come away 'Til the rain is over and gone" which can be seen as a metaphor for seeking refuge in a safe space, away from the onslaught of separatist rookies who are talking so fast that even they don't know what they mean. Prince suggests that it's our ingrained biases and stereotyping that keep us apart as a society, reinforced through regurgitated racist lines. The lyrics urge us to move beyond these prejudices and confront the issue of race, represented by the repeated chorus "Race, In the space I mark human, Face the music, We all bones when we dead, Cut me, cut you, Both the blood is red".
Prince speaks of a lady entrusted with the care of a little white girl, and how it's important to confront the issue of race before her momma or another kid at school tells her about the fallacy that one race rules over the other. He questions whether we would know about the evils of the past and the realities of the present, if we never heard about them, and ends the song by saying that he'd rather believe that there's hope for the future, and that he'll strive to imitate the best.
Overall, "Race" is a powerful commentary on the issue of racism, urging us to face the issue head-on and confront our biases, and to move beyond the barriers that keep us apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Lie down, fair one and come away
Come with me, escape from the current situation.
'Til the rain is over and gone
Stay with me until the tough times pass.
G-g-gimme the beat now (face the music)
Get ready for a powerful message (and literal music).
Leadline
The singer is ready to lead.
(Face the music)
Get ready to confront the issues at hand.
If the air is a little thick in this room tonight
If tensions are high in this current situation.
I reckon it's the result of an onslaught of separatist rookies
The tension stems from inexperienced people promoting division.
Overcome by this colorful sight
People are distracted by the superficial differences between them.
Talkin' so fast that even they
People are speaking so quickly.
Talkin' so fast that even they don't know what they mean
People are talking without truly understanding their words.
Of all the things that base a rhyme
Out of all the things that make good song lyrics.
How is it that you every time
Why do you always.
Regurgitate the racist lines that keep us apart?
Repeat divisive words that promote racism and division.
Thank God this ain't Monopoly
I'm grateful that life isn't a game where one race dominates.
You'd make us all go back to start
Your racist words would take us back to square one in terms of progress.
Race
Let's talk about race.
In the space, I mark human (face the music)
Despite our differences, we are all human and need to confront the truth about race relations.
Cut me, cut you
Despite our differences, we all bleed.
Both the blood is red
Our blood might look different, but it's the same color.
I gotcha
I understand you.
Three seats over there's a lady black
There's a black woman sitting three seats away from me.
Entrusted to her care is a little white girl
She's taking care of a white child.
And the fact of the matter is
The truth of the situation is.
Before her momma or another kid at school
Before someone else teaches the white child about racism.
Tells her about the fallacy that one race rules over the other
Before she learns that one race is dominant over the other.
She'd be a much-better-off-left, fool
She would be more ignorant if left alone and unaware.
If we never heard about the evils that those before us committed
If we were ignorant to the wrongdoings of our ancestors.
Then how my dear, tell me now how my dear
How would we understand if we didn't know.
Tell me now how now would we know?
How would we be aware and informed?
D-d-down with H-I-S-T-O-R-Y and all this b.S propagandi
Reject history and false information that perpetuates division.
Keepin' you from me and me from you as we grow
Preventing us from understanding each other as we develop.
I don't want to know (I don't want to know)
I don't want to perpetuate division.
Why those before us hated each other
Why did our ancestors hate each other?
I'd rather believe they never did
I'd rather believe in genuine unity.
That there's hope for a kid
Hope for a more unified future generation.
And if he imitates the best
If he models himself after the best.
I guess that's what I'll try to be
I will aspire to be the best.
And I will let the rest dissolve with my guitar underneath the sea
I'll leave the negativity behind and move towards a more positive future.
Face the music
Confront the issue at hand.
Got it
I understand.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind