Prince

Released: September 24, 1982

[Verse 1: Prince, (Lisa), Dez, (All)]
(I was dreamin' when I wrote this
Forgive me if it goes astray)
But when I woke up this morning
I could have sworn it was judgement day
The sky was all purple
There were people runnin' everywhere
(Tryin' to run from the destruction
And you know I didn't even care)

[Chorus: Prince (All)]
'Cause they say...
(2000 zero zero party over oops out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)

[Verse 2: Prince, (Lisa), Dez, (All)]
(I was dreamin' when I wrote this
So sue me if I go too fast)
But life is just a party
And parties weren't meant to last
War is all around us
My mind says prepare to fight
(So if I gotta die
I'm gonna listen to my body tonight)
Yeah

[Chorus: Prince (All)]
'Cause they say...
(2000 zero zero party over oops out of time
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)

[Verse 3: Prince, (Lisa), Dez, (All)]
Lemme tell ya somethin'...
(If you didn't come to party
Don't bother knockin' on my door)
(I got a lion in my pocket
And baby he's ready to roar)
Everybody's got a bomb
We could all die any day, Oh
(But before I'll let that happen
I'll dance my life away)

[Chorus: Prince (All)]
'Cause they say...
(2000 zero zero party over oops out of time)
We're runnin' outta time
(So Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)
So tonight we gonna, we gonna...Ow!
Say it one more time
(2000 zero zero party over oops out of time)
No, no...
(Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999)
So tonight we gonna, we gonna...Woo!

[Outro: Prince, (Lisa), (All)]
Yeah, 1999 1999
Don'tcha wanna go? 1999
Don'tcha wanna go? 1999
We could all die any day1999
I don't wanna die
I'd rather dance my life away

An American singer-songwriter, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and actor that produced 22 RIAA-platinum albums during his 40-year career, Prince may be known for one of many different things – his turn as “The Kid” in the iconic film/album/8 ½ minute ballad “Purple Rain”, being the writer behind the acclaimed anthem “Kiss,” rivaling Michael Jackson at the pinnacle of his career, being the inspiration behind censorship laws, or being the artist addressed as an unpronounceable symbol throughout the 1990s—but while many know of Prince, most don’t fully understand the impact his legacy left on this world.

Going by many aliases throughout his life, Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 7, 1958 with his father’s (John L. Nelson) stage name as his own given one. Growing up, Prince suffered from serious epileptic seizures at a very young age, but he had wrote his first composition of many by age seven, and outside of his love for basketball, he wanted music to be his purpose in life. His tumultuous childhood, witnessing alcoholism and abuse, caused him to find refuge in neighbor André Cymone’s home in his teens, where the two competed in local band competitions, leading to Prince’s introduction to Morris Day alongside music with his cousin’s band 94 East, leading him to be courted by record labels and ultimately signed to Warner Bros. Records with complete creative control; at 19, his debut album, For You (1978) was released – Prince played all 19 instruments on the record.

Influenced by the likes of Miles Davis, Rick James, and James Brown, Prince desired to form a music dynasty and after the success of his next albums – the platinum-selling Prince (1979), the sexually-charged Dirty Mind (1980), and politically-motivated Controversy (1981) – he negotiated for the ability to form his own label and manage artists of his own. Prince’s trademark sexual/religious rhetoric within pop-and-dance, funk-rock sound gained him a following, but his opening slates for Rick James and The Rolling Stones were both negatively received and facing bankruptcy, the young artist began to reach for mainstream popularity. Cashing on the drug-influenced doomsday mania of the times, 1982’s 1999 easily achieved that mainstream appeal, landing him on MTV, music charts, and radio stations across the world.

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