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Onedayi’mgonnabesomebody​The Time

Released: August 25, 1982

Songwriter: Prince

Producer: Prince

[Verse 1: Morris Day]
One day I'm gonna be somebody, one day I'm gonna be rich
I'm gonna say my prayers and work real hard, so that I never have to dig a ditch
The only way I'd work at a car wash, is if I owned the whole damn place
But if gettin' to the top means washin' a car, I'd be scrubbin' with a smile on my face

[Chorus: Morris Day & The Time]
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna stand out in a crowd
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna make somebody proud
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna stand out in a crowd
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna make somebody proud

[Verse 2: Morris Day]
One day I'm gonna be a star, I'm gonna do whatever it takes
Why should I starve when I could be elsewhere, makin' what the rich man makes?
If I should die before I'm rich, I pray the Lord my soul to keep
But if I'm rich before I die, I wanna work 'cause nothin' comes cheap

[Chorus: Morris Day & The Time]
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna stand out in a crowd
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna make somebody proud
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna stand out in a crowd
One day I'm gonna be somebody, gonna make somebody proud

[Bridge: Morris Day]
Somebody bring me a mirror, so I can look at my cash
Somebody bring me a mirror, so I can look at my cash

[Outro: The Time]
We don't like new wave

​The Time

The Time grew from the seeds of the Minneapolis music scene in the early 1980’s, galvanized by the creative drive and commercial success of rock-soul juggernaut Prince. The band began as the fruit of a wager Prince made with band leader Morris Day over the song “Partyup” (originally by a band called Enterprise). After the song’s success, Prince agreed to help Morris put together a band.

The nucleus of The Time consisted of drummer Jellybean Johnson, keyboardists Jimmy Jam and Monte Moir, and bassist Terry Lewis, pulled from their local band Flyte Tyme. Guitar demigod Jesse Johnson endeavored to join Prince’s band, but that band didn’t need a guitarist, so he shuffled into The Time’s lineup. Jerome Benton was a promoter from the aforementioned band Enterprise, and was eventually brought on as a comic foil to Morris Day for their stage act.

The band’s debut self-titled album featured two Top 10 R&B hits with “Get It Up” and “Cool.” Their follow-up What Time Is It? delivered an even higher chart peak with “777-9311”. But the band truly hit their stride once featured in Prince’s blockbuster music film Purple Rain. Their songs “Jungle Love” and “The Bird” from the film would become huge R&B and dance hits and propel their third album Ice Cream Castle to #3 on the R&B charts.

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What Time Is It?

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