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-beautiful-ones
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's it gonna be
Baby, baby, baby
Is it him or is it me?
Don't make me waste my time
Don't make me lose my mind baby
Baby, baby, baby
Oh baby, baby, baby
Don't my kisses please you right
You were so hard to find
The beautiful ones, they hurt you every time
Paint a perfect picture
Bring to life a vision in one's mind
The beautiful ones
Always smash the picture
Always every time
If I told you baby
That I was in love with you
Oh baby, baby, baby
If we got married
Would that be cool?
You make me so confused
The beautiful ones
You always seem to lose
Baby, baby
Baby, baby
Baby, baby
Baby
What's it gonna be baby?
Do you want him?
Or do you want me?
Cause I want you
Said I want you
Tell me, babe
Do you want me?
I gotta know, I gotta know
Do you want me?
Baby, baby, baby
Listen to me
I may not know where I'm going (babe)
I said I may not know what I need
One thing, one thing's for certain baby
I know what I want, yeah
And if it please you baby
Please you, baby
I'm begging down on my knees
I want you
Yes I do
Baby, baby, baby, baby
I want you
Yes I do
"The Beautiful One," by Prince & The Revolution, is a song about the pain and confusion of unrequited love. Prince is begging his love interest to choose between him and another man, but he is so caught up in his emotions that he doesn't even care who she chooses--he just wants her to make a decision so he can stop obsessing over her. He pleads with her not to waste his time or "lose his mind," and asks her to stay with him tonight. He even proposes the idea of marriage, but it's clear that he's just throwing anything he can out there to try and get her attention.
The heart of the song lies in the chorus, where Prince sings about "the beautiful ones." He paints a picture of these people as being so stunningly gorgeous that they can't help but hurt others with their beauty. These are the people that Prince feels he can never compete with--he sees himself as less beautiful and less valuable than they are. He even says that they "always smash the picture," meaning that they always manage to destroy any hope of a relationship because of their beauty.
Overall, "The Beautiful One" is a song about the desperation and pain that come with unrequited love. Prince is pleading with his love interest to choose him, but he knows deep down that he'll never be as beautiful or as desirable as "the beautiful ones" that he's competing with.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, baby, baby
Addressing someone important to him, someone he wants to please
What's it gonna be
Asking this person to make a decision
Is it him or is it me?
Asking if he is the chosen one, or someone else
Don't make me waste my time
Urging this person not to play games with him, as he values his time
Don't make me lose my mind baby
Warning that he could be driven to madness if this person continues to toy with him
Can't you stay with me tonight
Asking this person to spend the night with him
Don't my kisses please you right
Questioning if his affections are up to par
You were so hard to find
Acknowledging that this person is rare and special
The beautiful ones, they hurt you every time
Admitting that people who are physically stunning can cause pain because of their allure
Paint a perfect picture
Describing an ideal image
Bring to life a vision in one's mind
Bringing to reality a perfect image in the mind
Always smash the picture
Admitting that in the end this ideal image is never reality
If I told you baby
Contemplating confiding in this person
That I was in love with you
Revealing his love
If we got married
Presents a hypothetical scenario based on his love
Would that be cool?
Asking if this hypothetical situation is desirable
You make me so confused
Admitting to being unsure and confused because of this person's conflicting signals
You always seem to lose
Admitting that he always falls short in this person's eyes despite his best efforts
Baby, baby
Repeating the person's name, showing his fondness of her
What's it gonna be baby?
Urging the person to make up their mind
Do you want him?
Asking if this person wants someone else
Or do you want me?
Asking if this person wants him instead
Cause I want you
Confessing that he desires this person
Tell me, babe
Asking for honesty
I gotta know, I gotta know
Expressing a need for knowledge to make a decision
Listen to me
Urging this person to pay attention
I may not know where I'm going (babe)
Acknowledging his uncertainty about the future
I said I may not know what I need
Admitting to not understanding his desires
One thing, one thing's for certain baby
One thing is absolutely clear: he wants this person
I know what I want, yeah
Affirming his earlier statement
And if it please you baby
Only if this person wants him too
Please you, baby
He wants to satisfy and make this person happy
I'm begging down on my knees
Shows his willingness to go to great lengths for this person
I want you
Reiterating his desire for this person
Yes I do
Affirming once again his desires
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind