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.
Right the Wrong
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When she was young he used to tell her
That these hills belonged to her still
And even though injustice took them hills away
"One day we'll get them back," he said
"And the sun's gonna shine that day"
"When we say, right the wrong"
She heard his voice in the wilderness
Saying "I got six feet of it back"
"And now we can right the wrong"
Right the wrong
Hear the song
Before long you won't hear nothin' but the crackle of flames
Right the wrong
Hear the song
Would you rather die knowing that you did or keep living in shame
Did you hear the one about the boy just 17
Three years hard time for stealing ice cream
First offense and all his dreams are gone
How long before they right the wrong?
Right the wrong
Hear the song
Before long you won't hear nothin' but the crackle of flames
Right the wrong
Hear the song
Would you rather die knowing that you did or keep living in shame
Right the wrong
Two, three, uh
One, two, one-two, come on
(Right the wrong baby)
Far be it from me to say
It seem like we could stop the flow of snow in the sky today
But I guess the weather man he likes the rain
Ain't that insane
Now sing
Right the wrong
Hear the song
Before long you won't hear nothin' but the crackle of flames
Right the wrong
Hear the song
Would you rather die knowing that you did or keep living in shame?
(Come on, come on, come on)
Did you hear me baby?
Right the wrong
I'm six feet in the grave
I'm six feet in the grave
(right right, right right)
(right the wrong right the wrong) [Repeat: x2]
Right the wrong (right the wrong right the wrong)
(right the wrong right the wrong) [Repeat: x3]
Right the wrong (right the wrong right the wrong)
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust (right the wrong right the wrong)
This young man with a talented soul (right the wrong right the wrong)
Died when he wanted to (right the wrong right the wrong)
The light that lives (right the wrong right the wrong)
So he shall not be pitied
Nor shall the guilty be forgiven
Until they find it in their hearts to
Right the wrong
The song "Right the Wrong" by Prince speaks about injustice and the need to correct it. The first verse talks about an Indian woman who sees her grandfather, who taught her that the Black Hills belonged to her people, taken away by injustice. The lyrics allude to how her grandfather's words still linger, that those hills still belong to them, and that one day justice will be served. The chorus talks about how we must hear the song, right the wrong, and not live with the shame of not correcting injustices. The second verse talks about a boy who was sent to prison for stealing ice cream. The song then talks about how we need to right the wrong.
The song's lyrics highlight how important it is for us to rectify injustices done in the past and work towards a more equitable future. It encourages us to listen to the voice within us and take action to right the wrong. It is a call to action for individuals, communities, and society as a whole to take responsibility for the injustices that have been done in the past and to work towards a better future. The song encourages us to not give up and to continue fighting until justice is served.
Line by Line Meaning
An Indian woman buried her grandpa in the Black Hills
An Indian woman laid her grandpa to rest in Black Hills
When she was young he used to tell her
When she was younger, he used to say to her
That these hills belonged to her still
He told her that Black Hills still belonged to her family
And even though injustice took them hills away
Despite injustice, the Black Hills were taken away from their family
"One day we'll get them back," he said
He said that one day, they'll regain ownership of Black Hills
"And the sun's gonna shine that day"
He believed that the day of regaining ownership would be glorious
"When we say, right the wrong"
They had to take action in order to regain that right which was taken from them
Before she laid him down to rest
Before she put him to rest
She heard his voice in the wilderness
She heard her grandpa's voice in the wildness (nature)
Saying "I got six feet of it back"
He said that he got six feet of back what was taken from them
"And now we can right the wrong"
He believed that they can now start taking necessary steps to regain ownership
Right the wrong
Fix the injustice
Hear the song
Listen to the message
Before long you won't hear nothin' but the crackle of flames
If the injustice is not fixed, there'll be a bad outcome
Would you rather die knowing that you did or keep living in shame
Would you rather struggle to bring justice or live life in disgrace knowing about the injustice
Did you hear the one about the boy just 17
Have you heard the story of the 17 years old boy?
Three years hard time for stealing ice cream
He received three years of hard time for stealing ice cream
First offense and all his dreams are gone
It was the boy's first offense and all his dreams were destroyed
How long before they right the wrong?
How much time it will take before authorities take necessary steps to fix the injustice?
Far be it from me to say
I do not want to and cannot say for sure
It seem like we could stop the flow of snow in the sky today
It seems unlikely to achieve something that seems impossible
But I guess the weatherman he likes the rain
But then again, some people like things that seem improbable
Ain't that insane
It sounds crazy
Now sing
Now, let's sing
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust (right the wrong right the wrong)
When a person dies they become ashes and dust (use their memory and fix the injustice)
This young man with a talented soul (right the wrong right the wrong)
This young and talented man (fix the injustice)
Died when he wanted to (right the wrong right the wrong)
He left this world when he wanted to (fix the injustice)
The light that lives (right the wrong right the wrong)
His memory lives on (fix the injustice)
So he shall not be pitied
He deserves to be respected and remembered
Nor shall the guilty be forgiven
The guilty should not be forgiven
Until they find it in their hearts to
Until they genuinely repent
Right the wrong
Make right what was wronged
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind