Image: Paisley Parkâ, âWarner Bros. via youtube
About This Quiz
Before Lady Gaga and after Elton John, there was one artist who consistently pushed the envelope while wearing avant-garde fashion and performing memorable tunes: Prince.
He was born in 1958 in Minnesota. Prince's parents were already involved in the music scene - his father, John L. Nelson, was a jazz musician, and his mother, Mattie Shaw, was a jazz singer - and they helped him get early exposure. He released his first album at the age of 20 and became known for his raw, sensual lyrics. In 1985 he became an Academy Award winner: "Purple Rain" was his film debut, and it earned him many awards and accolades.
As the entity that was Prince became larger than life, he started to face troubles, including a name change: after having disputes with his recording label, he legally changed his name to a symbol so he could sign with a new label and release singles at the pace that he was requiring. On April 21, 2016, Prince suddenly passed away in his Minnesota home at the age of 57.
So do you think you can remember the lyrics to some of Prince's songs? Throw on that raspberry beret, rev up your little red Corvette, and head on out to the Grafitti Bridge!
"I was working part time at a five and dime. My boss was Mr. McGee."
"He told me several times that he didn't like my kind."
With a late spring release, "Raspberry Beret" was a perfect summer jam. Talking about a teenage crush and love, this funky song won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography.
"She walked in through the out door, out door."
"'Cause I was a bit too leisurely."
"She wore a raspberry beret."
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"Dream, if you can, a courtyard, an ocean of violets in bloom..."
"How can you just leave me standing?"
"They feel the heat, the heat between me and you."
"Animals strike curious poses."
As part of the "Purple Rain" soundtrack, "When Doves Cry" was certain to get some kind of radio attention. Unsurprisingly, when it came to the video, network executives were a little rattled: they thought that the video made to accompany this raw sensual song was a little too risque.
"Alone in a world that's so cold."
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"If I gave you diamonds and pearls, would you be a happy boy or girl?"
"And everything you'll look for you'll find."
"Which one of us is right, if we always fight?"
"There will come a time when love will blow your mind."
"If I could, I would give you the world."
As the title track of Prince's 13th album, "Diamonds and Pearls" was a sweet song about a man pledging his love to his prospective mate. Contrary to its title, "Diamonds and Pearls" didn't promote materialistic gifts: it illustrated the desire to give the world to the one you love.
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"I never meant to cause you any sorrow. I never meant to cause you any pain..."
"It's such a shame our friendship had to end."
"I only wanted to one time see you laughing."
In 1985, Prince was able to add an Academy Award to his mantle. "Purple Rain" won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score. Out of the nine tracks on this soundtrack, six of them are still popular today.
"Laughing in the purple rain."
"I never wanted to be your weekend lover."
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"I was dreaming when I wrote this, forgive me if it goes astray..."
"The sky was all purple, there were people runnin' everywhere."
"So tonight I'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine."
"But when I woke up this morning, could've sworn it was Judgement day."
If you're looking for an alternative to the last night on Earth party song, "1999," you can visit the version recorded by hippy band Phish. Released in 1982, "1999" was one of many songs discussing the end of the world: "99 Luftballoons" was released in 1983 by German artist Nena, and "It's the End of the World As We Know It" was released in 1987 by R.E.M.
"Say two thousand zero zero, party over, oops, out of time."
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"This is it. It's time for you to go to the wire. You will hit..."
"'Cause you got the burning desire."
"Cream" was a single from Prince's 1991 album, "Diamonds and Pearls." It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video in 1992, beating out Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's "Good Vibrations" and En Vogue's "Never Gonna Get It."
"You're filthy cute and baby you know it."
"You got the horn so why don't you blow it?"
"Look up in the air, it's your guitar."
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"I just can't believe all the things people say. Controversy!"
"Do I believe in God, do I believe in me?"
"I can't understand human curiosity."
"Am I black or white, am I straight or gay?"
With a song titled "Controversy," it should be no surprise that Prince would prove that he was an expert in creating scandals and trouble wherever he went. Some of his controversies included minute things, like his use of makeup on stage (something that was unheard of until the 1980s), and later, his dispute with Warner Bros. would be something that any soap opera would admire.
"Some people want to die so they can be free."
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"I can't disguise the pounding of my heart, it beats so strong."
"I don't care, pretty baby."
"I don't care where we go."
"It's in your eyes, what can I say? They turn me on."
The final track off of the "Purple Rain" soundtrack, "Take Me With U" took the 25 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and the 40 slot on the Billboard Hot Black Singles Chart.
"I don't care what we do."
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"Hey baby, where you going? No, please don't rush off so soon..."
"Breakfast can wait!"
"Finally my eyes open, I dream about you all night long."
"But I just wanted to tell ya, I think you're great."
"If you leave me like this, what I'm gonna do..."
"Breakfast Can Wait" was a track off of Prince's "Art Official Age" album, released in 2014. This was the second collaboration between the Warner Bros. label and his NPG label. The first? 1995's "The Gold Experience."
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"All seven and we'll watch them fall..."
"One day all seven will die."
"I am yours and you are mine."
"No one in the universe will ever compare."
"They stand in the way of love and we will smoke them all."
"7" was released on the "Love Symbol Album" in 1992, right after Prince had his fallout with Warner Bros. It was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B video, losing to En Vogue's "Free Your Mind."
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"What's the matter with your life? Is the poverty bringing you down?"
"Tell me, what's the matter with your world?"
"Is the mailman jerking you around?"
After the success of "Purple Rain," Prince released "Around the World in a Day." Under the guise of a pop song, "Pop Life" took a hard look at the culture of the hard-partying 1980s. Prince recorded this cynical and often overshadowed work that showcased his songwriting skills.
"Tell me, what's underneath your hair."
"Did he put your million dollar check in someone else's box?"
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"All of my purple life, I've been looking for a dame..."
"You're a sinner, I don't care."
"I just want your creamy thighs."
"That would want to be my wife."
Interesting fact: After seeing George Clinton & the Parliament-Funkadelic perform, Prince recorded "Erotic City." In 1996, George Clinton & the Parliament-Funkadelic performed a cover of that song. Kinda cool, huh?
"Every time I comb my hair, thoughts of you get in my eyes."
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"I don't want to take my clothes off, but I do..."
"I got a job to do."
"I don't want to dance too hard..."
"I don't want to turn nobody on, unless it's you."
"Black Sweat" was released as a download first, before it came out as a track on Prince's album "3121." A live version of the track was Prince's last official release before he died in 2016.
"I'm hot, and I don't care who knows it."
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"Could you be the most beautiful girl in the world? It's plain to see you're the reason that God made a girl."
"When the day turns into the last day of all time."
At the time of the release of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," Mayte Garcia, Prince's wife at the time, released "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World," which was recorded on the NPG label. After the release of that single, she performed on a handful of television shows.
"How can I get through days when I can't get through hours?"
"I can say I hope you are in these arms of mine."
"Who'd allow, who'd allow a face to be soft as a flower?"
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"Believe it or not, I started to worry, I wondered if I had enough class..."
"I guess I should have known."
"Little red Corvette, baby, you're much too fast."
"But it was Saturday night, I guess it makes it all right."
Unlike many of Prince's songs that are mainly about sex, "Little Red Corvette" was a song that encouraged a young woman to slow down and find a love that was worthy of her time and energy.
"You need a love that's gonna last."
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"I wouldn't lie to you, baby, it's mainly a physical thing..."
"There's something about the things you do that keeps me satisfied."
"This feeling that I got for you, it makes me want to sing."
"I Feel for You" was originally recorded by Prince on his debut album in 1979, however in the 1980s, Chaka Khan had immense success with this song: it spent 26 weeks on the Billboard charts and peaked in the number three slot.
"Baby baby, when I look at you, I get a warm feeling inside."
"I feel for you, I think I love you."
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"You walked in, I woke up. I've never seen a pretty girl look so tough, baby..."
"Color me taken aback."
"You got that look."
In addition to supplying the vocals to "U Got the Look," Sheena Easton, who performed with Prince as part of his band, The Revolution, has had many successes since the band broke up. She's had several different acting roles on television and portrayed Rizzo in a Broadway production of "Grease."
"Color you peach and black."
"Crucial, I think I want ya."
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"Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today, to get through this thing called life."
"Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down? Oh, no let's go!"
"If you don't like the world you're living in."
"Electric word life, it means forever and that's a mighty long time."
As part of the "Purple Rain" soundtrack, "Let's Go Crazy" hit number one and then re-charted following his death. Some fans have speculated that this song is about heaven and hell.
"She picked up the phone, dropped it on the floor."
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"I'm not a woman. I'm not a man..."
"I'm not your lover. I'm not your friend."
"I'll never beat you. I'll never lie."
"No need to worry. No need to cry."
"I am something that you'll never understand."
Looking for an alternative version of Prince's "I Would Die 4 U"? Missing Persons' Dale Bozzio made a new remix of the song in 1999, Brit rocker Space Cowboy reinvented it in 2002, and most recently, Lydia Loveless added a country spin on it in 2015.
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"I used to cry for Tracy 'cause I wanted to see him again, but sometimes, sometimes life ain't always the way..."
"And all good things, they say, never last."
"Sometimes I wish life was never ending."
"Sometimes I feel so bad, so bad."
"Sometimes it snows in April."
"'Sometimes It Snows in April" was a track off off Prince's "Under the Cherry Moon" soundtrack. "Under the Cherry Moon" was filmed in black and white, an homage to film noir. It featured Prince as well as Kristin Scott Thomas, who went on to get roles in "Gosford Park" and "The English Patient."
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"Since you've been gone, I can do whatever I want. I can see whomever I choose."
"I said nothing can take away these blues."
"Nothing compares to you."
"I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant."
Originally performed by Sinead O'Connor, Prince and the New Revolution performed "Nothing Compares 2 U" in 1993. Other artists have performed covers of this tune, including former Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell.
"I go out every night and sleep all day."
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"He never had respect for money it's true. That's why he never wins..."
"Just when you think you've got more than enough, that's when it all up and flies away."
"Money don't matter 2 night: it sure didn't matter yesterday."
He just pushes her away in a huff and says, 'Money don't matter 2 night.'"
"That's why he never ever has enough to treat his lady right."
Prince's 1991 "Diamonds and Pearls" album had a recurring theme: materialism doesn't matter, love does. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" makes no exception, but in the case of this song, Prince also gets a little political: he briefly discusses a child fighting for oil, which many consider one of the main factors in the Gulf War.
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"All hail, the new king in town. Young and old, gather 'round."
"Black and white, red and green."
Prince had two songs on the soundtrack for Tim Burton's "Batman." The first, "Batdance," spent 12 weeks on the charts, reaching the number two slot at its zenith. The second, "Partyman," wasn't as successful, but it featured sound bites from both Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger, who played the Joker and Vicki Vale, respectively.
"The funkiest man you've ever seen."
"Rock a party like nobody can."
"Somebody holler if you wanna party!"
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"We're all alone in a villa on the Riviera: that's in France on the south side..."
"In case you cared, out of all yo friends I want to be the closest."
After "Diamonds and Pearls," Prince wanted to shake things up instead of putting out something safe. The "Love Symbol Album" was released as a response and the first track didn't fail in this quest. With a title like "Sexy MF," there was no way that this song would get regular play on the radio unedited. A censored version of this song was created for broadcasting, where instead of saying the title, a signature Prince shriek was played.
"When it comes to life, to be this man's wife, you got to be well educated on the subject of fights."
"That's why I tell you things, so you'll be the mostest."
"Are you up on this? If so, then you can get up off hug and a kiss."
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"Ah, yeah... I keep your picture beside my bed."
"How come you don't call me anymore?"
"I always thought our love was so right."
"And I still remember everything you said."
"How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?" appeared on the soundtrack for the Spike Lee film, "Girl 6." Alicia Keys's "Songs in A Minor" featured a cover version that helped secure her as a mainstay in the R&B community.
"I still light the fire on a rainy night."
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"Love come quick! Love come in a hurry! There are thieves in the temple tonight."
"I can hang if you're around."
"They don't care where they kick, just as long as they hurt you."
A song off of the "Graffiti Bridge" soundtrack, "Thieves in the Temple" was one of the only good things to come from that experience. Rotten Tomatoes ranks "Graffiti Bridge" at a 19%, making it only slightly better than "Howard the Duck," which scores 15%.
"Love, if you're there, come save me."
"I feel like I'm looking for my soul."
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"She said, 'How would you like to waste some time?' And I couldn't resist when I saw little Nikki grind."
"She said, 'Sign your name on the dotted line.'"
"She took me to her castle, and I just couldn't believe my eyes."
If you're looking for an alternate version of Prince's "Darling Nikki," the Foo Fighters covered this song in 2003. When they approached Prince about releasing this version to American audiences, Prince refused to give them those rights, saying they should write their own songs. But then in 2007, he performed "Best of You," a Foo Fighter staple, to a Super Bowl crowd.
"I woke up the next morning, Nikki wasn't there."
"Call me up whenever you want to grind."
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"I ain't got no money. I ain't like those other guys you hang around."
"There ain't no other."
"I wanna turn you on, turn you out."
"It's kinda funny, but they always seem to let you down."
"I Wanna Be Your Lover," which appeared on the album "Prince," was his first Top 40 hit on the Billboard charts. It made its way all the way up to the number 11 slot.
"I wanna be your lover."
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"My name is Prince and I am funky."
"Without a pistol, without a gun, when you hear my music you'll be havin' fun."
"I did not come to funk around, till I get your daughter I won't leave this town."
"When it comes to funk, I am a junky."
"My name is Prince, the one and only."
In 2017 the Love Symbol guitar, more than likely used to perform "My Name Is Prince," was set to be auctioned at Guernsey's Auction House. The opening bid? $100,000. Other items that had been auctioned in the past included boots, guitars and handwritten notes.
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"You don't have to be flirty, Mama..."
"Don't have to be rich, to be my girl."
"Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with."
"I know how to undress me."
A memorable scene in the film "Pretty Woman" incorporated one of Prince's most recognizable songs. Julia Roberts's Vivian Ward performs an off-key performance of "Kiss" while soaking in a sudsy bathtub.
"Maybe you could be mine."
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"Are you wasting my time? Are you just being kind?"
"Don't go give me one of your lines."
"Say what you mean, mean what you say."
"This is not a love song."
"Oh no baby, my love isn't blind."
While this is not 100% Prince, he collaborated with Madonna to create "Love Song," a sultry song on Madonna's album, "Like a Prayer." A song about a lover's quarrel, this duet insists that it isn't a love song throughout.
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"Hey, lover, I got a sugarcane that I want to lose in you..."
"And all I want to hear is your sweet love sighs."
"Tell me that you love me girl."
"Baby, can you stand the pain?"
"Soft and Wet," from Prince's debut album "For You," reached 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the first of many hits of his life. Not too bad for a first try!
"All I want to see is the love in your eyes."
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"I had everything I needed, but now my life is so blue..."
"You meant the world to me."
"For You" was Prince's debut album, featuring "So Blue," recorded in 1977. Prince obsessed over this project. Aside from the horn section, Prince played every instrument on the album.
"I, oh, I feel just like the sky."
"I spend my day, I spend my day crying over you."
"I'm so blue."
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"Get the funk up! Go, go, go with a smile!"
"I wanna bust that body."
"Batdance."
Because "Batdance" is part of the soundtrack for Tim Burton's "Batman," Prince was able to sample several lines from the movie. In its sister song, "Partyman," only a few lines were used; however about half of "Batdance" are lines from the film spliced together.
"Haven't you ever heard of the healing power of laughter?"
"Who's gonna stop 200 balloons?"
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"When you were mine, I gave you all of my money."
"I know that you're going with another guy."
"You didn't have the decency to change the sheets."
"Time after time, you done me wrong."
"When You Were Mine" was a track off of Prince's 1980 album "Dirty Mind." As a B-side to the more successful "Controversy," it gained more steam when performed by a different artist. Cyndi Lauper released "When You Were Mine" as the final single off of "She's So Unusual."
"I love you more than I did when you were mine."
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