Prince

Songwriter: Prince

Producer: Prince

She wants a place in heaven
But she cannot face the truth
She lives on a rope of self-pity
It only requires a noose

Why are the ones so afraid to live
Much more afraid to die?
It's as easy to imagine laughing

When you really hear a cry
And they sound the same
In hell, they sound the same
You want a place in heaven

Maybe you're already there
Life's what you make it, stop whining baby

Love comes to those who care
There must be children in heaven
Ones who know nothing from hate

Three year-old leaders of all colors
I'd feel safer with them in control, control, control, control
Three year-olds in control

We all want a place in heaven
Suites of that level are few
Let's not be lazy, there's no room service

It's all up to me and you
Let's not be lazy, there's no room service
It's all up to me and you

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

Sign O’ the Times (Super Deluxe)

From the album

Sign O’ the Times (Super Deluxe) (2020)

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Prince

Sign O’ the Times (Super Deluxe)