Prince

Released: June 20, 1989

Songwriter: Prince

Producer: Prince

[Verse 1]
I saw your friend first
That's who I danced with
All the time I was watching you
The music rocked us
Our eyes locked-thus
Making us see a trippy picture shoo

[Chorus]
If a man is considered guilty
For what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
For all my future crimes, oh

[Verse 2]
You whispered something
It took my mind out like a
G flat major with an E in the bass
Your face looked so good
I wanted to touch your mouth
My brain is jacking all over the place

[Chorus]
If a man is considered guilty
For what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
For all my future crimes, oh

[Verse 3]
Let's take a drive, love
So we can make up our minds, love
To commit the crimes of passion
That sets us free
Me loving you, you loving me
Me loving you, you loving me
The electric chair

[Verse 4]
I saw your friend first
That's who I danced with
All the time I was watching you
The music rocked us
Our lives shocked us
Making us see a trippy picture shoot
I've got to have it
Somebody

[Chorus]
If a man is considered guilty
For what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
For all my future crimes, oh

[Outro]
You know I'm guilty, yeah
For all my future crimes
Guilty
For all my future crimes
And if you don't really love me
Then give me the electric chair, oh!
Electric chair

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

Batman

From the album

Batman (1989)

Prince popular songs

Electric ChairPrince

Prince

Batman