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 and Coffee
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To greet the teacher Miss Cathleen
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
All of us where 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
If you asked her what she had for breakfast
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order of ham
If you set your mind free, baby
Maybe you'd understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Cynthia wore the prettiest dress
With different color socks
Sometimes I wondered if the mates where 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 your mind free, honey
Maybe you'd understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam, oh oh
Ooh, hoo
Starfish and coffee
Cynthia had a happy face, just like the one she'd draw
On every wall in every school
But it's all right, it's for a worthy cause
Go on, Cynthia, keep singin'
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
And a side order of ham
If you set your mind free, baby
Maybe you'd understand
Starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam, oh ho, oh (la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
Oh hoo (la-la-la-la-la-la-la), oh
Oh hoo (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
Oh hoo (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
(La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
"Starfish and Coffee" is a song by Prince about a girl named Cynthia Rose who is different from everyone else. She stands out not only because of her personality and dress sense, but also because of her unique breakfast choices. As the song goes, Cynthia's favorite breakfast consists of starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam, butterscotch clouds, a tangerine, and a side order of ham. Despite the unusual combination, the song paints it as a sweet and quirky characteristic of Cynthia that endears her to everyone around her.
The song also talks about how Cynthia always draws a happy face on every wall she finds, and her classmates admire her for it even though they don't understand her motivations. The song suggests that Cynthia's different choices and behavior are for a "worthy cause," a sentiment that Prince never explains but leaves up to interpretation. The overall theme of the song is one of acceptance and self-expression, and how the quirks that set us apart can make us special.
Line by Line Meaning
It was seven forty-five we were all in line
It was early in the morning and all the students were waiting in line to meet their class teacher, Miss Cathleen
To greet the teacher Miss Cathleen
The students were there to say hello to their teacher
First was Kevin, then came Lucy, third in line was me
The students were waiting in an orderly manner
All of us where ordinary compared to Cynthia Rose
One student, Cynthia Rose, was unique compared to the rest of the students
She always stood at the back of the line
Cynthia Rose preferred to stand at the end of the line
A smile beneath her nose
She always had a bright smile on her face
Her favorite number was twenty and every single day
Cynthia Rose was fond of the number twenty and it appeared in her daily routine
If you asked her what she had for breakfast
If someone inquired about her morning meal
This is what she'd say
She would reply with the following
Starfish and coffee
She had an unusual breakfast comprising starfish and coffee
Maple syrup and jam
She also ate maple syrup and jam with her breakfast
Butterscotch clouds, a tangerine
Her breakfast also included butterscotch clouds and a tangerine
And a side order of ham
Lastly, Cynthia Rose had a side order of ham with her breakfast
If you set your mind free, baby
The song suggests that one needs to keep an open mind and think beyond the everyday breakfast choices
Maybe you'd understand
This will help someone to better comprehend Cynthia Rose's breakfast combination
Cynthia wore the prettiest dress
Cynthia Rose wore a beautiful dress
With different color socks
She wore socks with mismatching colors
Sometimes I wondered if the mates where in her lunchbox
The writer wonders if the matching socks were in her lunchbox
Me and Lucy opened it when Cynthia wasn't around
The writer and Lucy opened her lunchbox when Cynthia was not around
Lucy cried, I almost died, you know what we found?
Lucy had an emotional reaction and the writer was shocked when they discovered what was inside
Cynthia had a happy face, just like the one she'd draw
Cynthia Rose always had a cheerful smile on her face and drew similar smiles elsewhere
On every wall in every school
She drew on every wall in every school building she attended
But it's all right, it's for a worthy cause
The song implies that Cynthia Rose's drawing may have been to spread happiness to everyone around her
Go on, Cynthia, keep singin'
The song encourages Cynthia Rose to be herself and keeps spreading happiness
Oh hoo (la-la-la-la-la-la-la), oh
The song ends with a fun tune
Oh hoo (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
Oh hoo (la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
(La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la)
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson, Susannah K. Melvoin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind