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.
Starfish & Coffee
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To greet the teacher Miss Kathleen
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
All of us were ordinary compared to Cynthia Rose
She always stood at the back of the line
A smile beneath her nose
Her favorite number was twenty
And every single day
This is what she'd say
Starfish and Coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds and a tangerine
A side order of ham
If you set you're mind free baby
Maybe you'll understand
Starfish and Coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Cynthia wore the prettiest dress but different color socks
Sometimes, I wondered if the mates were in her lunchbox
Me and Lucy opened it when Cynthia wasn't around
Lucy cried, I almost died
You know what we found?
Starfish and Coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order of ham
If you set you're mind free baby
Maybe you'll understand
Starfish and Coffee
Maple syrup and jam oh - oh
(Starfish and Coffee)
Cynthia had a happy face
Just like the one she draws
On every wall, in every school but it's alright
It's for a worthy cause
Go on Cynthia!
Keep sayin'
Starfish and Coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
A side order of ham
If you set you're mind free baby
Maybe you'll understand
Starfish and Coffee
Maple syrup and jam, Oh - oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
The song "Starfish & Coffee" by Prince tells a story of a group of schoolchildren waiting in line to see their teacher, Miss Kathleen. The first few children are introduced as ordinary, but then the singer mentions a girl named Cynthia Rose who stands at the back of the line and always wears a smile. She is different from the rest and has her own unique quirks, such as her favorite number being twenty and her unusual breakfast of "Starfish and Coffee, Maple syrup and jam, Butterscotch clouds, and a tangerine, A side order of ham." Despite her differences, Cynthia remains happy and positive, drawing happy faces around the school to spread her message.
The song seems to be a tribute to individuality and unabashed quirkiness. Cynthia's strange breakfast and unique clothing may set her apart from the other kids, but they are also indicative of a free spirit that refuses to quietly fit in with the rest. By highlighting the colorful nature of Cynthia and her odd interests, Prince draws attention to the merits of being unusual and letting one's freak flag fly. The chorus encourages listeners to set their minds free and embrace Cynthia's message of the joy of life.
Overall, "Starfish & Coffee" is a playful, upbeat song about the value of individuality and the beauty of quirks. Prince paints a vivid picture of an unusual girl who is loved and respected by her peers for daring to be different. The song celebrates the joy of life and the untold merits of embracing one's own unique perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
It was 7:45 we were all in line
The singer and others were standing in a queue at 7:45
To greet the teacher Miss Kathleen
They were waiting to meet their teacher, Miss Kathleen
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
The people standing in the queue were Kevin, Lucy, and the singer, in that order
All of us were ordinary compared to Cynthia Rose
Cynthia Rose was different from the rest of the group
She always stood at the back of the line
Cynthia Rose would wait at the end of the line
A smile beneath her nose
She always had a smile on her face
Her favorite number was twenty
She liked the number 20 more than any other number
And every single day
Without fail, every day
If you asked her what she had for breakfast
When asked about her breakfast
This is what she'd say
Cynthia Rose would say the following
Starfish and Coffee
She ate starfish and coffee for breakfast
Maple syrup and jam
She also had maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds and a tangerine
Her unique dish also included butterscotch clouds and a tangerine
A side order of ham
She had ham as a side dish
If you set you're mind free baby
The song suggests that by freeing your mind
Maybe you'll understand
You can gain a better understanding of the things around you
Cynthia wore the prettiest dress but different color socks
Cynthia Rose had a pretty dress but wore socks of different colors
Sometimes, I wondered if the mates were in her lunchbox
The singer sometimes wondered if Cynthia's matching socks were in her lunchbox
Me and Lucy opened it when Cynthia wasn't around
The singer and Lucy opened Cynthia's lunchbox when she wasn't there
Lucy cried, I almost died
Upon seeing what was in the lunchbox, Lucy cried and the artist was shocked
You know what we found?
The artist is asking the audience if they know what they found in the lunchbox
Cynthia had a happy face
Cynthia Rose was always happy and smiling
Just like the one she draws
Her drawings always had a happy face as well
On every wall, in every school but it's alright
She drew happy faces on walls in every school, which was OK
It's for a worthy cause
The happy faces were drawn for a good purpose
Go on Cynthia!
The singer is cheering for Cynthia Rose
Keep sayin'
The singer is encouraging Cynthia Rose to keep doing what she is doing
Oh, oh, oh
The song repeats this phrase
Oh, oh
The song repeats this phrase
Oh, oh, oh
The song repeats this phrase
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