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.
TRAIN
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it really true that U don't care?
Seems like every day U grow farther away
Tell me what can I say 2 make U stay
Cuz if U really don't love me anymore
(If U don't love me)
I just don't know what 2 say
There's a train that's leavin' in the morning (Train)
If U feel this thing we got just can't go on (Train)
Then I won't stand in your way
I won't stand in your way
I won't stand in your way, no, no
I'm so in love with U, U're all I wanna be
Whenever U go away, babe, U take a part of me
(Oh, yes U do)
A man's gotta do what he gotta do
But remember, babe, wherever U go, I'm with U
Cuz I need ya
[Chorus:]
If U really don't love me anymore (If U don't love me)
I just don't know what 2 say
There's a train that's leavin' in the mornin' (Train)
That will take U straight 2 Santa Fe (All the way) (Train)
If U feel this thing we got just can't go on (Train)
I won't stand in your way [x3]
[Chorus]
I won't stand in your way, no, no
(Train leavin' without delay)
No
(Train headed 4 Santa Fe)
Oh no, I won't stand in your way
(Train leavin' without delay)
(Train headed 4 Santa Fe)
Mm yeah
Train, train
(Train leavin' without delay)
(Train headed 4 Santa Fe)
(Train leavin' without delay)
(Train)
I just can't go on
The lyrics of "Train" by Prince speak of a love affair that is coming to an end. The singer is deeply in love with the other person and pleads with them to stay, but at the same time acknowledges that if they don't feel the same way anymore, they shouldn't be together. The chorus repeats the idea that if the love is gone, there is a train leaving for Santa Fe in the morning that will take the person away, and the singer won't stand in their way. However, throughout the song, the singer makes it clear that they still love the other person and will always be with them in some way.
The song can be interpreted as a reflection on the inevitability of change and the difficulty of letting go of someone you love. The train symbolizes a way to move on and leave the past behind, but also acknowledges the pain and sadness that comes with it. The lyrics are emotional and heartfelt, sung over a soft and melancholy melody that adds to the overall feeling of loss and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna talk 2 U 'bout this love affair
I want to discuss with you about our relationship.
Is it really true that U don't care?
Are you really not interested anymore?
Seems like every day U grow farther away
It seems to me that you distance yourself from me every day.
Tell me what can I say 2 make U stay
Please tell me what I can say to convince you to stay.
Cuz if U really don't love me anymore
Because if you really don't love me anymore
(If U don't love me)
(If you don't love me)
I just don't know what 2 say
I don't know what to say.
There's a train that's leavin' in the morning (Train)
There's a train leaving in the morning.
That will take U straight 2 Santa Fe (All the way) (Train)
That train goes to Santa Fe.
If U feel this thing we got just can't go on (Train)
If you think our relationship cannot continue.
Then I won't stand in your way
Then I won't prevent you from leaving.
I won't stand in your way
I won't hold you back.
I'm so in love with U, U're all I wanna be
I love you so much, you are everything to me.
Whenever U go away, babe, U take a part of me
Whenever you leave, you take a part of me with you.
(Oh, yes U do)
(Yes, you do)
A man's gotta do what he gotta do
A man has to do what he has to do.
But remember, babe, wherever U go, I'm with U
But, remember, wherever you go, I will be with you.
Cuz I need ya
Because I need you.
[Chorus:]
If U really don't love me anymore (If U don't love me)
If you don't love me anymore,
I just don't know what 2 say
I don't know what to say.
There's a train that's leavin' in the mornin' (Train)
There's a train leaving in the morning.
That will take U straight 2 Santa Fe (All the way) (Train)
That train goes to Santa Fe.
If U feel this thing we got just can't go on (Train)
If you think our relationship cannot continue.
I won't stand in your way [x3]
I won't hold you back
[Chorus]
I won't stand in your way, no, no
I won't prevent you from leaving.
(Train leavin' without delay)
(Train leaving without delay.)
No
No
(Train headed 4 Santa Fe)
(Train going to Santa Fe.)
Oh no, I won't stand in your way
Oh no, I won't hold you back.
(Train leavin' without delay)
Train leaving without delay.
(Train headed 4 Santa Fe)
Train going to Santa Fe.
Mm yeah
Mm yeah
Train, train
Train, train
(Train leavin' without delay)
(Train leaving without delay.)
(Train headed 4 Santa Fe)
(Train going to Santa Fe.)
(Train leavin' without delay)
(Train leaving without delay.)
(Train)
(Train)
I just can't go on
I just cannot continue like this.
Contributed by Eli V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.