Prince

Released: September 17, 2020

Songwriter: Prince

Producer: Prince

[Intro]
Whoa-oh-oooh
Whoa-oh-oooh

[Verse 1]
People say you got big money, tell me, is it true?
They tell me that they'll wait in line, just to get a date with you
'Bout how you gave a hundred dollars to a skid-row bum
Well let me tell you something, baby, if you think I'm dumb

[Pre-Chorus]
If money's all you got, I don't want it
If you can't me hot, I don't need you 'round
If you can't turn me on, I don't need it
I need a lover that's strong, I don't got time to fool around

[Chorus]
I need a man
I need a real man
I need a man
I need a M-A-N, real man

[Verse 2]
They say you got a fancy car, a real Mercedes-Benz
They tell me that Springsteen is one of your best friends
Money don't make no man, sucker, get up off that funk
Let me tell you one more time in case you think I'm drunk
[Pre-Chorus]
If money's all you got, I don't want it, oh
If you can't me hot, I don't need you 'round
If you can't turn me on, I don't need it, no
I need a lover that is strong, I ain't got time to fool around

[Chorus]
I need a man
I need a real man
Think I don't?
I need a man
I need a M-A-N, real man, whew, yeah

[Ad lib]
Give it to me
Give it
Is it alright if I play this thing?
Get out my way now

[Refrain]
The only way to get me hot
I need a lover with a lot
A little money don't hurt
But I'd rather have a body that works

[Pre-Chorus]
If money's all you got, I don't want it, mmm
If you can't me hot, I don't need you around
If you can't turn me on, I don't need it, no
I need a lover that is strong, ain't got time to fool around

[Chorus]
I need a man, oh
I need a real man
Think I don't?
I need a man, yeah
I need a M-A-N, real man
I need a M-A-N, real man
Say it again
M-A-N, real man
One more time
M-A-N

[Refrain]
The only way to get me hot
I need a lover with a lot
A little money don't hurt
But I'd rather have a body that works

[Outro]
Work
Work
Hold on
Give it to me!
Ow!
Give it to me!
Work!
Skip the change, keep grooving
Ow
Work
Uh
Need a man, yeah
M-A-N, real man
Ow, give it to me

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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