The band went nameless for almost three years while supporting Prince live and appearing in his music videos. Chapman and Cymone left in the early 1980's and were replaced by Lisa Coleman on keyboards and Brownmark on bass. The first album on which The Revolution performed was the 1982 Prince release, 1999, which has the band's moniker written in reverse on the back cover.
When the 1999 Tour ended in 1983, Dez Dickerson left the band for religious reasons and was replaced by Lisa's childhood friend and soon-to-be lover Wendy Melvoin on guitar. The first album officially released as Prince & The Revolution was Purple Rain in 1984, which sold over 16 million copies in the United States alone.
The band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Wendy Melvoin & Lisa Coleman formed a particular creative bond with Prince and greatly influenced the band's output during the rest of their tenure. The band achieved two number-one Billboard 200 albums (Purple Rain & Around The World In A Day), six top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and won three Grammy Awards.
In 1985, members of the soon-to-be-defunct group The Family (which, in turn, included former members of another group, The Time) joined The Revolution, along with people from Sheila E.'s band. This included the addition of three dancers/vocalists/comic foils (known as The Bodyguards).
The last lineup of Prince & the Revolution was informally known as the Counter-Revolution and consisted of:
- Jerome Benton (The Bodyguards)
- Atlanta Bliss (trumpet)
- Greg Brooks (The Bodyguards)
- Lisa Coleman (keyboards, piano and vocals)
- Doctor Fink (keyboards and vocals)
- Eric Leeds (saxophone)
- Brown Mark (bass guitar and vocals)
- Susannah Melvoin (backing vocals)
- Wendy Melvoin (guitar and vocals)
- Prince (lead vocals, guitar, and piano)
- Wally Safford (The Bodyguards)
- Miko Weaver (guitar)
- Bobby Z. (drums)
The Revolution was officially disbanded by Prince in 1986 after the Hit N Run tour, which supported Parade, the soundtrack for the movie Under the Cherry Moon. Melvoin and Coleman went on to a successful career as Wendy & Lisa.
Tamborine
Prince & The Revolution Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Prettiest thing in life I've ever seen
Close my eyes what's it like
What's it like inside your tambourine?
Oh my God, there I go
Falling in love with the face in a magazine (uh oh, not again)
All alone by myself
Tambourine
Long days, lonely nights
Tambourine
Long days, lonely nights
Tambourine
I don't care for one night stands
With trolley cars
That juggle seventeen
I just want to settle down and
Play around
My baby's tambourine
Tambourine what are you
Why are you the star of
All my dreams
(Star of all my dreams, are you a good tambourine)
Are you good, are you bad
Are you just unnecessary means
Tambourine
Trolley cars
Long days, lonely nights
Too bad we're not allowed to scream (yeah, yeah, too bad)
Guess that I'll stay at home
All alone and play my tambourine
Tambourine, tambourine, tambourine, tambourine
The tambourine
The opening lines of Prince & The Revolution's song Tamborine makes a reference to the beauty of someone else, and the singer is drawn to them. The singer then wonders what it is like to be inside this person's tambourine, indicating that perhaps they feel like they are being played by someone else's tune. The tambourine in this context seems to symbolize the singer's desire to be with someone but also a sense of loneliness that they feel. Later, the singer acknowledges that they do not care for casual affairs and want to settle down and "play around" with their partner's tambourine. The lyrics here are suggestive of wanting to engage in sexual activity with their partner.
The chorus of "long days, lonely nights" suggests that the singer is longing for human connection and are questioning the worth of their instrument in the grand scheme of things. However, the song ends with them finding solace in their own company, "guess that I'll stay at home all alone and play my tambourine." This line could mean that after going through the cycle of wanting someone else's attention and then realizing the loneliness at the core of it, the singer has been able to find peace and happiness within themselves, staying true to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh my God here you are
Expressing surprise and awe at the presence of someone, perhaps a lover or an idol
Prettiest thing in life I've ever seen
This person is the epitome of beauty for the singer
Close my eyes what's it like
Wondering what it's like to be inside the person's world
What's it like inside your tambourine?
Using the metaphor of a tambourine, the artist is curious about what it's like to be in the person's inner circle
Oh my God, there I go
Continuing the expression of surprise and awe, with a hint of skepticism or self-awareness
Falling in love with the face in a magazine (uh oh, not again)
Realizing that the object of affection is merely a fantasy or an image, and being aware that this is a recurring pattern for the singer
All alone by myself
Feeling isolated or disconnected from real-life relationships
Me and I play my tambourine
Turning to music or self-expression as a means of coping with loneliness
Tambourine
Repeating the metaphor of the tambourine to symbolize the artist's inner world
Long days, lonely nights
Describing the empty or unfulfilling aspects of the artist's life
Tambourine
Repeating the symbol of the tambourine, perhaps as a mantra or coping mechanism
I don't care for one night stands
Rejecting superficial or casual relationships
With trolley cars
Perhaps referencing the noise or commotion of city life, and contrasting it with the simple pleasure of musical expression
That juggle seventeen
Suggesting chaos or confusion, and implying that the number 17 is arbitrary or meaningless
I just want to settle down and
Expressing a desire for stability or commitment
Play around
Using wordplay to suggest both musical playfulness and a lack of seriousness
My baby's tambourine
Using the metaphor of a tambourine to represent a lover or a partner
What are you
Questioning the nature or purpose of the tambourine as a symbol
Why are you the star of
Asking why the tambourine has such prominence in the singer's thoughts or feelings
All my dreams
Suggesting that the tambourine represents an ideal or a goal for the artist
(Star of all my dreams, are you a good tambourine)
Continuing the contemplation of the tambourine's symbolic meaning, and questioning whether it is a positive or negative influence
Are you good, are you bad
Asking whether the tambourine represents something desirable or undesirable
Are you just unnecessary means
Questioning whether the tambourine is a frivolous or meaningless symbol
Trolley cars
Repeating the image of trolley cars, which might indicate a harsh or distracting environment
Long days, lonely nights
Repeating the phrase from earlier in the song, suggesting a cyclical or repetitive pattern
Too bad we're not allowed to scream (yeah, yeah, too bad)
Expressing frustration or suppressed emotion, perhaps relating to the unfulfilling aspects of the singer's life
Guess that I'll stay at home
Implying a sense of resignation, and perhaps suggesting that the singer has given up on finding fulfillment elsewhere
All alone and play my tambourine
Returning to the refrain from earlier in the song, and suggesting that this is the best the artist can hope for in terms of self-expression or satisfaction
Tambourine, tambourine, tambourine, tambourine
Repeating the refrain to emphasize its importance and symbolic meaning
The tambourine
Concluding with a repetition of the phrase, and perhaps suggesting that the tambourine still holds some mystery or significance for the singer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Prince Rogers Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind