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.
Sleep Around
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
CHORUS:
Do it like she like it
So your baby don't want to sleep around
Give her what she want when she want
When it come 2 you, she down
Baby let me read her journal
The innuendo reads eternal
Or should I say: every other page I'm on
When she come 2 cook your dinner
you can ask her if what I say is true
The secret will remain within her
But her shade of red will turn yours blue
CHORUS
Maybe you recall last summer
When you saw her ridin' in my car
A kiss or 2 later she was back in your bed
Smellin' like a fallen star
Just because she's fine
you think she don't wine & dine with everyone you know
Oh, long as you're fooled, I'm cool
She says she gonna put me in a video
you need 2...
CHORUS
Oh yeah!
Sleep around, sleep around {x2}
I'm the one who sent the herbs and a book on how 2 use them
I'm the one who pointed out her fears and how 2 lose them
And if a difference love will make
This advice you oughta take
Baby let me read her journal
Or should I say: she turned around and it was gone
The innuendo reads eternal
Or should I say: every other page I'm on
you need 2...
Do it like she like, do it like she like it (Sleep around) {x3}
Do it like she like it, like it, like it...
Do it like she like it
So your baby don't want to sleep around
Give her what she want when she want it
When it come 2 you, she down
Sleep around, sleep around
Do it like she like it
So your baby don't want to sleep around
(I'm watchin' you, baby) (Do it like she like it, do it)
Give her what she want when she want it
When it come 2 you, she down
(Do it like she like)
Sleep around, sleep around
Do it like she like, do it like she like it {x4}
(Sleep around) {x5}
Do it like she like {x5}
Do it like she like it
Do it like she like
Do it {x10}
Do it like she like it (Sleep around)
In Prince's song Sleep Around, he discusses a woman who is repeatedly unfaithful to her partner despite his attempts to keep her faithful. He takes a somewhat voyeuristic role, urging the partner to read the woman's journal to discover her infidelities. Prince also implies that the woman is promiscuous, suggesting that she sleeps with many people in a bid to find love elsewhere. Ultimately, the song is about the lengths some people will go to in order to keep cheating partners faithful, but how this is often an exercise in futility.
Throughout the song, Prince is candid about his experiences with infidelity and heartbreak. He tells the story of a woman who cheated on her partner with him last summer and implies that she's likely sleeping around with many people. At the same time, however, he acknowledges that this woman is beautiful and alluring. Ultimately, he suggests that people who are dealing with cheating partners should just let go and move on if they can't handle the infidelity, rather than trying to manipulate the situation to keep the partner faithful.
Line by Line Meaning
Do it like she like, do it like she like it
Repeating the mantra to perform sexual acts as per her preference
Do it like she like it
So your baby don't want to sleep around
Give her what she want when she want
When it come 2 you, she down
Performing to her liking to keep her satisfaction and avoid infidelity
Baby let me read her journal
Or should I say: she turned around and it was gone
The innuendo reads eternal
Or should I say: every other page I'm on
Gaining insight into her thoughts and desires to understand her more
When she come 2 cook your dinner
you can ask her if what I say is true
The secret will remain within her
But her shade of red will turn yours blue
Implying that she is attracted to him and her embarrassment would reveal her true feelings
Maybe you recall last summer
When you saw her ridin' in my car
A kiss or 2 later she was back in your bed
Smellin' like a fallen star
Suggesting that she is unfaithful and has cheated with him in the past
Just because she's fine
you think she don't wine & dine with everyone you know
Oh, long as you're fooled, I'm cool
She says she gonna put me in a video
you need 2...
Implying that she is cheating with multiple people and he is not concerned since he is also involved
I'm the one who sent the herbs and a book on how 2 use them
I'm the one who pointed out her fears and how 2 lose them
And if a difference love will make
This advice you oughta take
Suggesting that he has helped her with her problems and she would be better off with him
Do it like she like it
So your baby don't want to sleep around
(I'm watchin' you, baby) (Do it like she like it, do it)
Give her what she want when she want it
When it come 2 you, she down
(Sleep around, sleep around)
Taking care of her needs to keep her faithful and warning her partner to do the same
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON, CHESTER THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind