Prince

Released: May 10, 1988

Songwriter: Prince

Producer: Prince

[Verse 1]
Oh, pick it up!
There's a bass guitar in this
Grenade Launcher roars in a television sky
Tell me how many young brothers must die

[Chorus]
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on

[Verse 2]
Little Talk Johnny blew the big score
The gang nailed his feet to a wooden floor
Nuclear Ban never stays in tune
They all know the words but the music is doomed

[Chorus]
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on

[Verse 3]
A bass guitar in spider webs, longing for the funk
Uzi gun takes his place in a wagon trunk
(get off me, punk, you ain't sexy)
Stealing ladies purses then setting them a'flame
M&M killers playing Mickey Mouse games

[Chorus]
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on
Dance on, dance on

[Verse 4]
It's time for new education
The former rules don't apply
We need a power structure that breeds production
Instead of jacks who vandalize
Detroit - what's happening?

[Outro]
What color is your money today?
Get your money straight
Everybody dance on

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.

more tracks from the album

87-91

From the albums

Lovesexy (1988)
87-91 (1991)

Prince popular songs

Dance OnPrince

Prince

87-91