Prince (musician)

300px|thumb|right|Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can? Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. Prince was renowned as an innovator, and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and wide vocal range. He was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, disco, psychedelia, jazz, and pop. He went by the name Prince but between 1993 and 2000 he went by an unpronounceable symbol and was referred to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Prince has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. During his career, he produced ten platinum albums, had 40 top ten singles, and promoted singers such as Sheila E., Carmen Electra, The Time, and Vanity 6. He wrote over one thousand songs which have been released by himself, under a pen name, or by another artist. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Quotes 57th Academy Awards Speech for Purple Rain (1985) 57th Academy Award Speech after winning best original song score award, California (March 25, 1985) Thank you very much. This is Lisa and this is Wendy. Want to hold it? [Gives the Oscar to Wendy] This is very unbelievable. I could've never imagined this in my wildest dreams. And I would like to thank the Academy, Mr. Albert Magnoli, my manager Steven. Bob, Joe, Bobby, Mark and Matt, who couldn't be with us today. And most of all, God. Thank you very much. With special thanks2 Clare Fischer 4 Making Brighter the ColorsBlack and White From the closing credits of Under the Cherry Moon (1986), and the liner notes of Parade (1986) At this point, I wouldn't want to jinx it by meeting him. His arrangements are incredible. I just send him a tape, we talk on the phone, and he sends me the finished orchestra tracks. Hear that? I'm gonna get that chord on the radio! Discussing his then nearly decade-and-a-half-long working relationship with arranger Clare Fischer (whom he'd never met, nor ever would meet, face to face), as quoted in the January 2000 issue of Keyboard Magazine, reprinted in Keyboard Presents Synth Gods (2011), edited by Ernie Rideout, p. 97 It's a hurtful place, the world, in and of itself. We don't need to add to it. And we're in a place now where we all need one another, and it's going to get rougher. Tavis Smiley Show, PBS (April 27, 2009). Well, the reason why is because I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses and we've never voted. That's not to say that I don't think Barack Obama - President Obama - is a very smart individual and he seems like he means well. Prophecy is what we all have to go by now. When asked why he doesn't vote, Tavis Smiley Show (April 27, 2009). The internet's completely over. [...] The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you. Daily Mirror: Prince - world exclusive interview: Peter Willis goes inside the star's secret world (5 July 2010) Chris Rock: I love the story of how you turned down an offer to appear in Michael Jackson's music video for, Bad.Prince: You know that Wesley Snipes character? That would've been me. Now you run that video in your mind. The first line in that song is "your butt is mine." Now I said to Michael, who's gonna sing that to whom? 'Cause you sure ain't singing it to me and I sure ain't singing it to you so right there we got a problem. VH1 interview (1997) I've been to the mountaintop. There's nothing there. To Jim Walsh, in context of writing new material.Walsh: I said to him, "Come on, man—don't you want to make another Sign o' the Times, another Purple Rain?" I don't know if I framed it exactly like that, but he said, "No, no—Jim, I've been to the mountaintop. There's nothing there." https://www.gq.com/story/prince-stories Everyone has a rock bottom To Neil Strauss, in their last conversation Song lyrics thumb|Love... Thy will be done I can no longer hide, I can no longer run thumb|You can live your own life and I'll live mineI will never try to keep you downAnd even if I only see you some of the timeI'm just happy when you come around Love... Thy will be done I can no longer hide, I can no longer run No longer can I resist Your guiding light That gives me the power 2 keep up the fight Oh Lord, Love... Thy will be done Since I have found you, my life has just begun And I see all of Your creations as one perfect complex No one less beautiful or more special than the next We are all blessed and so wise 2 accept Thy will, Love, be done. "Love... Thy Will Be Done", co-written with Martika; Martika's version first released as a single (25 July 1991), for the album Martika's Kitchen (26 August 1991); Prince's original demo version sent to her, based on a prayer poem and lyric ideas she had given to him released on Originals (2019) · Official audio of Prince version at YouTube · Martika's 1991 video · Martika in a 2016 performance in Adelaide, Australia For You (1978) You can live your own life and I'll live mineI will never try to keep you downAnd even if I only see you some of the timeI'm just happy when you come aroundAnd even if the sun don't shineI'm warm enough when you're in these arms of mineJust as long as we're together. Just as Long as We're Together Prince (1979) I wanna be your loverI wanna be the only one that makes you come runningI wanna be your loverI wanna turn you on, turn you out, all night long, make you shoutOh, lover! Yeah.I wanna be the only one you come for. I Wanna Be Your Lover There's some talk going 'round townThat you really don't give a damnThey say you really put me downWhen I'm doing the best I canI gave you all of my loveI even gave you my bodyTell me, baby, ain't that enough? Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? Dirty Mind (1980) Now where I come fromWe don't let societyTell us how it's supposed to beOur clothes, our hairWe don't careIt's all about being thereEverybody's going UptownThat's where I wanna beUptownSet your mind free. Uptown Controversy (1981) I just can't believe all the things people say—ControversyAm I black or white? Am I straight or gay? -- ControversyDo I believe in God? Do I believe in me? Controversy Do I believe in God? Do I believe in me?Some people wanna die so they can be free(I said) Life is just a game, we're all just the same...do you wanna play? Controversy C'mon everybody, yeah, this is your lifeI'm talking about a revolution we gotta organizeWe don't need no segregation, we don't need no raceNew age revelation, I think we got a case.<p>I'm OK as long as u are here with meSexuality is all we ever need. Sexuality 1999 (1982) I was dreamin' when I wrote thisSo sue me if I go 2 fast.But life is just a party, and parties weren't meant 2 last.War is all around us, my mind says prepare 2 fightSo if I gotta die I'm gonna listen 2 my body tonight.<p>Yeah, they say two thousand zero zero party over,oops out of timeSo tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999. 1999 I guess I shoulda closed my eyesWhen U drove me 2 the placeWhere your horses run free.'Cuz I felt a little illWhen I saw all the picturesOf the jockeys that were there before me.<p>Believe it or not,I started to worryI wondered if I had enough class.But it was Saturday nightI guess that makes it all rightAnd U say, "Baby, have U got enough gas?" Little Red Corvette I get delirious whenever you're nearLose all self-control, baby just can't steerWheels get locked in placeStupid look on my face.It comes 2 makin' a pass, pretty mamaI just can't win a race. Delirious Purple Rain (1984) thumb|Dearly belovedWe are gathered here today2 get through this thing called life. Dearly belovedWe are gathered here today2 get through this thing called life.<p>Electric word lifeIt means forever and that's a mighty long timeBut I'm here 2 tell UThere's something else:The afterworld.<p>A world of never ending happinessU can always see the sun, day or night. Let's Go Crazy So when u call up that shrink in Beverly HillsU know the one - Dr Everything'll Be AlrightInstead of asking him how much of your time is leftAsk him how much of your mind, baby.<p>'Cuz in this lifeThings are much harder than in the afterworldIn this life,You're on your own. Let's Go Crazy Dr. Everything'll Be Alright will make everything go wrongPills and thrills and daffodils will killHang tough children. Let's Go Crazy I knew a girl named NikkiI guess U could say she was a sex fiendI met her in a hotellobbyMasturbating with a magazine.She said "How'd U like 2 waste some time?"And I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind. Darling Nikki Dig if U will the pictureOf U and I engaged in a kiss.The sweat of your body covers me.Can U my darling,Can U picture this?<p>Dream if U can a courtyard,An ocean of violets in bloom.Animals strike curious poses;They feel the heat,The heat between me and U. When Doves Cry How can U just leave me standing?Alone in a world that's so cold? (So cold)Maybe I'm just 2 demandingMaybe I'm just like my father, 2 boldMaybe you're just like my motherShe's never satisfied (She's never satisfied)Why do we scream at each other?This is what it sounds likeWhen doves cry. When Doves Cry I'm not a woman;I'm not a man.I am something that U'll never understand.I'll never beat U;I'll never lie.And if U're evil I'll forgive U by and by. I Would Die 4 U I never meant 2 cause u any sorrowI never meant 2 cause u any painI only wanted 2 one time see u laughingI only wanted 2 see u laughing in the purple rain. Purple Rain Around the World in a Day (1985) There is a park that is known4 the face it attractscolorful people whose hairOn 1 side is swept backThe smile on their facesIt speaks of profound inner peaceAsk where they're goingThey'll tell U nowhereThey've taken a lifetime leaseOn Paisley Park. Paisley Park I was workin' part-time in a 5-and-dime.My boss was Mr. McGee, huh.He told me several... timesThat he didn't like my kind cuz I was a bit 2 leisurely.It seems that I was busy doin' somethin' close 2 nothin',But different than the day beforeThat's when I saw her, ooh, I saw her,She walked in through the out door ...out door.<p>She wore a raspberry beretThe kind U find in a second hand storeRaspberry beretAnd if it was warm she wouldn't wear much moreRaspberry beretI think I love her. Raspberry Beret Pop lifeEverybody needs a thrillPop lifeWe all got a space 2 fillPop lifeEverybody can't be on topBut life it ain't real funkyUnless it's got that popDig it. Pop Life Parade Under the Cherry Moon (1986) I want to live life to the ultimate high,Maybe I'll die young like heroes die,Maybe I'll kiss you some wild special way.If nobody kills me or thrills me soon,I'll die in your arms under the cherry moon. Under the Cherry Moon Happiness in it's uncut formIs the feeling that I get, you're warm, warmHappy's what I get when we do what we doHappiness, mama, is being with uGood lord. Girls & Boys Women not girls rule my worldI said they rule my worldAct your age, mama (not your shoe size)Not your shoe sizeMaybe we could do the twirlU don't have 2 watch Dynasty2 have an attitudeU just leave it all up 2 meMy love will be your foodYeah.<p>U don't have 2 be rich2 be my girlU don't have 2 be cool2 rule my worldAin't no particular sign I'm more compatible withI just want your extra time and yourKiss. Kiss Sign O' the Times (1987) thumb|Here we are folksThe dream we all dream of… Oh yeahIn France a skinny manDied of a big disease with a little nameBy chance his girlfriend came across a needleAnd soon she did the sameAt home there are seventeen-year-old boysAnd their idea of funIs being in a gang called The DisciplesHigh on crack, totin' a machine gun. Sign o' the Times Here we are folksThe dream we all dream ofBoy versus girl in the World Series of loveTell me, have U got the look? U Got the Look U walked in (I walked in)I woke up (U woke up)I never seen a pretty girl look so tough' baby (baby)U got that look, yes U do (yes U do)Color U peach and blackColor me takin' aback, babyCrucial, I think I wantcha. U Got the Look And I said, baby don't waste your timeI know what's on your mindU wouldn't be satisfied with a one night standAnd I could never take the place of your man. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man Lovesexy (1988) I'm going down 2 Alphabet StreetI'm gonna crown the first girl that I meetI'm gonna talk so sexyShe'll want me from my head 2 my feet. Alphabet St. This feeling's so good in every single way,I want it morning, noon and night of every day;And if by chance I cannot have it, I can't sayBut with it I know heaven's just a kiss away. Lovesexy Batman (1989) I've seen the future and it will beI've seen the future and it worksIf there's life after, we will seeSo I can't go like a jerkSystematic overthrow of the underclassHollywood conjures images of the pastNew world needs spirituality that will lastI've seen the future and it will be. The Future Graffiti Bridge (1990) thumb| Pardon me 4 living, but this is my world 2I can't help that what's cool to us might be strange to u. Pardon me 4 living, but this is my world 2I can't help that what's cool to us might be strange to u.Pardon me 4 breathing, can we borrow some of your air?The problem with u and your kind is that u don't know love is there. New Power Generation Diamonds and Pearls (1991) Gett off - 23 positions in a 1 night stand.Gett off - I'll only call u after if u say I can.Gett off - let a woman be a woman and a man be a man.Gett off - if u want 2 baby here I am (Here I am). Gett Off The Gold Experience (1995) Could you beThe most beautiful girl in the world?Could you be?It's plain to see.You're the reason that God made a girl.Oh, yes, you are. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World Emancipation (1996) It's 2 o'clock in the morning and I just can't sleep Outside the rain is pourin', I'm lonely as can be Maybe 2night'll be different than the nights before I need 2 feel someone beside me, I can't be alone no more Somebody's Somebody, written by Prince, Brenda Lee Eager, and Hilliard Wilson Musicology (2004) I’ve never seen the moon look so lovely as the night I saw it with you.It let me know I’d never seen the moon before. (Never seen the moon before)So many speak of the moon as though it had no flaws.But to compare it to a beauty like yours would give one pause. Call My Name Quotes about Prince thumb| I always thought, how cool the guy is — to rise up and to just get stormed upon — and just bring what he brought —  that was so special. ~ Bruce Rodgers Somebody like Prince, who is so impressive as a human being, it is difficult to not completely canonize him. He is amazing, a gift to humanity. But at the same time, he was a guy we worked with every day and it could get really stressful and annoying. One day he'd come in and be all excited and energetic and happy and want to goof around. The next day he'd walk in really somber with a cloud over his head, mumble into the microphone, and be a dick. Evey show we played, he videotaped and made us watch on the bus afterward. He was charming and funny, but also boring, repetitive and self-absorbed. Lisa Coleman, in Prince and The Parade and Sign o' the Times Era Studio Sessions 1985 and 1986 (2021) by Duane Tudahl [M]ost of the pop music out today I consider to have become a homogenized product. It gets to the point that so much of what is going on is copying everything else that is out, because there is a businessman that knows what he has just sold millions of records with, and so he keeps trying to get every group that comes in to do it, you know. You know, you approach somebody who is well known as a booker or manager, and the first remark will be, "I love what you do, but you would have to change this to this, and that to that, and this to this, in order for me to be able to sell it." Well, by the time you've changed that, of course, it's like everything else that is out there. And when Prince first started sending me songs, I thought maybe that by the time I had done four arrangements that I would have started getting some sort of a repetitive something or other. I have been extremely surprised to find that each one is as different from the last as the next one is going to be different. Some of them are like little art songs. Some of them have dealt with heavy things like friendship and death. I mean, death of a friend. And yet, some of them are as baudy as... Clare Fischer, being interviewed, circa 1985, by Ben Sidran, as quoted in Talking Jazz With Ben Sidran, Volume 1: The Rhythm Section (1992, 2006, 2014) I've talked to him on the phone, received notes through the mail, but I've never seen him face to face. I sent him my last LP and I understand that he turned his head away as he took the disc out, saying, "I don't want to see what he looks like. I have this image and I don't want to destroy it." So there's a certain amount of mystery involved. I suppose if he knew I were a gray-haired, older guy with a big paunch, he might say, "Oh, that ruins it." Clare Fischer, on his working relationship with Prince, as quoted in "He Arranges, Composes, Performs: Fischer: A Renaissance Man Of Music" by Zan Stewart, in The Los Angeles Times (May 14, 1987) Prince is intelligent. He never visits the studio when I am working for him; and I have never met him in person. He sends me memos and we talk over the phone. Once I sent him my Grammy-winning CD. I heard from people that were present at the time that while he took out the disc he looked away from the cover, saying, 'I don't want to know what he looks like. It is working just fine as it is.' Prince does not want to meet me because he knows that the minute he walks into a studio he will start interfering. It is uncommon that a person with such a strong ego realizes that I have an ego too. Clare Fischer, as quoted in "Clare Fischer: The Best Kept Secret in Jazz" by Maarten De Haan, in Artist Interview (1998) Last night I was watching TV.I was watching Arsenio Hall.And he had Prince on.I wanna—What a character he is!Holy cow!Entertainer.Singer.And he can dance.He's a little bitty guy.He had a weird beard.I tell ya it was—I couldn't explain it. Phil Rizzuto, from The Prince, as published in The Village Voice (September 18, 1991), directly quoting Rizzuto's remarks made during the second-inning at-bat of Billy Ripken vs. Yankee starter Eric Plunk, at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium; reproduced in O Holy Cow: The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto (1993), ed. Tom Peyer and Hart Seely, p. 102 The morning of the game, I opened the curtains in my hotel room, and Oh my God — it was like a scene from Moby Dick — it was like the winds were blowing the palm tress, the rains were one of those Miami rainstorms which would just not relent ... were in this truck, sitting behind Don Mischer, and I remember Don said, put me off the phone with Prince. Don says, "I want you to know it's raining" — and Prince, like: "Yes it's raining" — and "Are you OK?" And Prince was like "Can you make it rain harder?" — and I thought Right on! … To me its about one guy in front of a hundred thousand people, and a hundred million people on television, and its your moment to be "Prince — at the Super Bowl", and Mother Nature is dropping thousands and thousands of gallons of rain. I always thought, how cool the guy is — to rise up and to just get stormed upon — and just bring what he brought —  that was so special. Bruce Rodgers, production designer on the Super Bowl XLI halftime show (4 February 2007), commenting on it, in "Prince Performs “Purple Rain” During Downpour — Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show" I think Prince was heads, hands and feet about all the rest of them, I thought he left (Michael) Jackson in the dust. Prince was way beyond that. But how pathetic that he killed himself. Don't kid yourself, that's what he did. Slowly, I'll grant you … but that's what drugs and alcohol is: a slow death. Gene Simmons, about Prince's death. (May 10, 2016) Isn’t the artist’s characteristic to surprise and often to be where no one expects him? What seems certain in any case is that Prince was no exception to the rule. While he was internationally known as a singer, guitarist and dancer, he took the initiative of playing solo piano on stage at concerts held at his Paisley Park studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, in the United States and Australia. (…) Prince had no alter ego. Neither in his extravagances, nor in his ultra-sophisticated and perfectionist showman performances. Nor even in his final improvisations on the piano..." Jean-Pierre Thiollet, in Improvision so piano'' (P comme Prince) (2017). ISBN 978-2-35055-228-6 External links 0002239 Profile at AllMusic Lyrics of Prince songs Billboard chart history profile at Find a Grave Category:Actors from Minnesota Category:Guitarists from the United States Category:Pianists from the United States Category:Multi-instrumentalists Category:Rock singers Category:Singer-songwriters from the United States Category:Music producers from the United States Category:Film directors from the United States Category:Vegetarians Category:Pop singers Category:R&B singers Category:African Americans Category:Articles with bare URLs Category:1958 births Category:2016 deaths Category:People from Minneapolis Category:Best Original Song Academy Award winners Category:Drummers from the United States Category:Bassists Category:Jehovah's Witnesses from the United States Category:Golden Globe Award–winning musicians Category:Brit Award winners