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.
Temptation
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Temptation
Lust
Pop go mama
Everybody on this earth has got a vice
And mine, little darlin', mine is the opposite of ice
Mine is the running hot water of the daughter of morality
Baby, baby, baby
I'm guilty in the first degree
Temptation
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Everybody in this room
Everybody in this room has got an urge
What's yours, baby?
Mine is temptation, it reigns at a party where lovers splurge
Pop go mama when daddy gets a little to much
You know what I'm talkin' 'bout?
Purple electricity whenever our bodies touch
Ooh baby, I love it when our bodies touch
Temptation
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Temptation, temptation, temptation
Wait a minute now
Temptation
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Temptation
Working my body, working my body, working my body
Temptation
I'm not talkin' about just ordinary temptation, people
I'm talking about the kind of temptation that'll make you do things
Oh, oh, temptation
Oh, darling, I can almost taste the wetness between your
Temptation, temptation
I'm not talking about any ol' kind of temptation, people, I'm talkin'
About, I'm talkin' about, sexual temptation
A lover
I need a lover, a lover, I need a, right now
You, I want you
I want you in the worst way
I want you
Oh, silly man, that's not how it works
You have to want her for the right reasons
I do!
"You don't, now die"
No, no
Let me go, let me go
I'm sorry
I'll be good
This time I promise
Love is more important than sex
Now I understand
I have to go now
I don't know when I'll return
Goodbye
In Prince & The Revolution's "Temptation," the singer confesses his lustful desires towards a woman. He admits that he often thinks provocatively about this woman and he feels guilty about the intensity of his thoughts, describing his feelings as 'running hot water of the daughter of morality', possibly referring to the struggle between morality and sensuality. As the song progresses, it becomes more erotic in nature and the singer admits to the irresistible temptation of physical pleasure. He is caught up in the excitement of the moment and admits that his actions are driven by pure animal lust. The singer later admits that he understands the difference between love and lust and that love is more important. The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the pull of sexuality and how it can be hard to resist, even when we know our desires may be morally wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Sex
The act of physical intimacy
Temptation
The desire to engage in sexual activity
Lust
A strong longing, sexual desire
Pop go mama
Expression to convey an overstimulated state of excitement
Everybody on this earth has got a vice
All individuals have their weaknesses and shortcomings.
And mine, little darlin', mine is the opposite of ice
Prince's weakness is not being cold, rather he is hot and passionate about his desire for sexual pleasure.
Mine is the running hot water of the daughter of morality
His desire for morality is strong, but he can not resist the heated temptation of sex.
In other words, this little prince thinks a lot about you, see?
Paraphrased: Prince is deeply consumed by temptation and lustful thoughts for a specific individual
Baby, baby, baby
I'm guilty in the first degree
Prince acknowledges his wrongdoing and confesses his guilt and temptation.
Everybody in this room
Everybody in this room has got an urge
What's yours, baby?
Prince views sexual temptation as a shared earthly desire that everyone experiences.
Mine is temptation, it reigns at a party where lovers splurge
Prince's temptation takes over at parties full of passionate lovers.
Pop go mama when daddy gets a little to much
You know what I'm talkin' 'bout?
Prince declares his sexual desires and need for pleasure as a trigger that turns him on (pop goes his excitement)
Purple electricity whenever our bodies touch
Ooh baby, I love it when our bodies touch
Prince describes a sensation of electric energy that occurs when enjoying intimate moments with a partner.
Temptation,
Working my body with a hot flash of animal lust
Temptation,
All my fingers in the pool go splash we must
Prince's lustful and sexual temptations control his body and need for pleasure.
Temptation, temptation, temptation
Wait a minute now
Prince struggles to restrain his desires and speaks to himself in an attempt to resist temptation.
I'm not talkin' about just ordinary temptation, people
I'm talking about the kind of temptation that'll make you do things
Oh, oh, temptation
Prince emphasizes that his desires are so strong; they can cause him to do anything required to fulfill them.
Oh, darling, I can almost taste the wetness between your
Temptation, temptation
Prince's sexual desire toward his partner is intense, and he can feel their arousal through anticipation.
I'm not talking about any ol' kind of temptation, people, I'm talkin'
About, I'm talkin' about, sexual temptation
Prince stresses that his temptation is specifically related to sexual desires instead of general hopes and wishes.
A lover
I need a lover, a lover, I need a, right now
You, I want you
I want you in the worst way
I want you
Prince taunts and teases with his desires for sexual intimacy with his romantic partner.
Oh, silly man, that's not how it works
You have to want her for the right reasons
I do!
"You don't, now die"
No, no
Prince is confronted by the angel, who tells him that he is not truly motivated by love, but by lust. However, Prince tries to convince himself and others that his desires are grounded in love.
I'm sorry
I'll be good
This time I promise
Love is more important than sex
Now I understand
I have to go now
I don't know when I'll return
Goodbye
Prince comes to a realization that love is more important than sex, he apologies, promises to improve his behavior, and departs without assurance of return.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind