Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), more commonly known m… Read Full Bio ↴Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), more commonly known mononymously as Prince, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona; his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, and hip hop.

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.

The Ball
Prince Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Expert lover, my baby
You ever had a Crystal Ball?
Expert lover, my baby
You ever had a Crystal Ball?
Ooh, expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Expert lover, my baby
You ever had a Crystal Ball?

As bombs explode around us and hate advances on the right
The only thing that matters, baby, is the love that we make tonight
As little babies in make-up terrorize the western world
The only thing that matters, baby, is love between a boy and girl

Oh, expert lover, my baby
You ever had a Crystal Ball?
Undercover, no maybe
All for fun and fun for all

I can't remember my baby's voice 'cause she ain't talkin' no more
Only the sound of love and prayer echo from the yellow floor, yellow floor
Huh, she's sayin' C "Dear Jesus, save us from temptation
Dear Jesus, save us from hell
Save us from the madness that threatens us all
Can you hear us?
It's hard to tell
In your name we pray".

Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Undercover, no maybe
All for fun, fun for all

As soldiers draw swords of sorrow
My baby draws pictures of sex (Yes, she does)
All over the walls in graphic detail, sex!

Everybody say it now
Expert lover, huh, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Under, undercover, ha, no maybe
All for fun and fun for all

Rip it, ouch! Uh

Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Uh, expert lover, my baby (My baby)
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Crystal Ball
Expert

My baby, my baby, my baby, my baby
Kiss me, lick me, trick me, whoa!
Oh yeah, yeah
Come on, come on, come on, won't you come on?

Expert lover, huh, my baby
Have you ever had a Crystal Ball?

Don't you want to?
What my drummer want to say?
Don't you want to?
What my drummer want to say?
Yeah! Drummer
Tell me what the bass said

Yeah
Oh, ow!
Listen to my, uh, listen to my bass man play

Alright, (Expert lover, my baby is alright)
Alright, (Undercover, my baby is alright)
Listen to the guitar play
Hey! Wait a minute now
It's groovy
Ouch! Guitar, guitar
Come on now
Oh yeah!

My baby licked me fast
Her mama watch her gas
Come on, baby, do me fast
Come on, come on
Your mathematical gas

Uh
Ooh wee!
Darlin', darlin', you know you want a Cry, Crystal Ball
Crystal Ball

I don't know, I have to ask my mommy first

As bombs explode around you and hate advances on your right
The only thing you can be sure of is the love we make tonight

Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Take off your clothes, baby
Come on, get the Crystal Ball

Oh, expert lover, my baby
You ever had a Crystal Ball?
Come on, take off your clothes, baby
Come on, get the Crystal Ball

Come on!
Expert lover, my baby
Ever had a Crystal Ball?
Oh, my baby, my baby, my baby
Come on, get the, get the, get the Crystal Ball

Oh, you ever had a Crystal Ball?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song “The Ball” by Prince interweave themes of war, love, and spirituality. In the midst of bombs exploding and hate advancing, the only thing that matters is the love that the singer makes with his partner. Despite the chaos of the world around them, the singer and his lover focus only on each other and the pleasure they can derive from their physical intimacy. At the same time, the song also touches on the redemptive power of prayer and the possibility that spiritual salvation can offer protection from the violence and madness of the world. The final lines of the song alternate between the singer urging his lover to “come on, get the Crystal Ball” and then reciting a series of nonsensical phrases that suggest the playful, experimental, and even psychedelic vibe of the song.

Overall, “The Ball” is a complex meditation on the relationship between intimacy and chaos, love and violence, and pleasure and transcendence. The repeated question of whether the lover has ever had a Crystal Ball could be interpreted in various ways, from being a metaphor for perfect foresight or clairvoyance to being a literal reference to a type of dance party popular in the 1980s. The song’s mix of eroticism, social commentary, and spiritual allusions create a rich tapestry of ideas and emotions that reflect Prince’s longstanding preoccupations as an artist.

The BallPrince Lyrics

The Ball
Prince Lyrics