Prince

Released: November 9, 1999

Songwriter: Prince

Producer: Prince

[Verse 1]
I never thought you would be the one
That I'd want to run to
I never thought you would be the one
That would make me care
And even though you done me wrong
For some strange reason I can't explain
I get happy knowing you phoned
Because your voice could kill my every pain

[Refrain]
Why do we play this silly game?

[Verse 2]
I never thought you would be the one
That I'd want to give to
A diamond ring, anything
That you ask me to
But there you were, bragging to your friends
Making up a story that's so lame
That I was down to be your sugar daddy
One way ticket to ghetto fame

[Refrain]
Why do we play this silly game?

[Verse 3]
Every other night you weren't at home
Out in the streets, just acting grown
Never with a bodyguard or chaperon
Then I hear a rumor that breaks my heart
Instead of taking care of yourself
You are tearing yourself apart
Now why you want to
(Why you want to, why you want to)
Now why you want to go and do that, love?

[Refrain]
Why do we play this silly game?

[Verse 4]
I never thought you would be the one
(That I'd want to run to) that I'd want to run to
I never thought you'd be the one
That would make me care
No matter how far I run
I'll never be the same (I'll never be the same)
In the end, in the end, there's only us to blame

[Refrain]
Why do we play this
Why do we play this silly
Why do we play this silly game?

Tell me why
Oh why
Why do we play this silly game?

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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