• Track: Little Red Corvette
• Artist: Prince
• Album: 1999
• Year: 1982

Lyrics:

I guess I should’ve known by the way
You parked your car sideways that it wouldn’t last
See, you’re the kinda person that believes in makin’ out once
Love ’em and leave ’em fast

I guess I must be dumb
‘Cause you had a pocket full of horses
Trojans and some of them used
But it was Saturday night, I guess that makes it all right
And you say, “What have I got to lose?”

‘Cause you had a pocket full of horses
Trojans, and some of them used

And honey, I say Little Red Corvette
Baby, you’re much too fast
(Oh)
Little Red Corvette
You need a love that’s gonna last

I guess I should’ve closed my eyes
When you drove me to the place where your horses run free
‘Cause I felt a little ill when I saw all the pictures
Of the jockeys that were there before me

Believe it or not, I started to worry
I wondered if I had enough class
But it was Saturday night, I guess that makes it all right
And you say, “Baby, have you got enough gas?”, Oh yeah

Little Red Corvette
Baby, you’re much too fast
(Yes, you are)
Little Red Corvette
You need to find a love that’s gonna last
(Oh, oh)

A body like yours oughta be in jail
‘Cause it’s on the verge of bein’ obscene
Move over, baby, gimme the keys
I’m gonna try to tame your little red love machine

Little Red Corvette
Baby, you’re much too fast
Little Red Corvette
Need to find a love that’s gonna last, hey hey

Little Red Corvette
Honey, you got to slow down
(Got to slow down)
Little Red Corvette

‘Cause if you don’t, you’re gonna run your little red corvette
Right in the ground
(Little Red Corvette)
Right down to the ground
(Honey, you got to slow down)

You, you, you got to slow down
(Little Red Corvette)
You’re movin’ much too fast, too fast
Need to find a love that’s gonna last

Girl, you got an ass like I never seen, ow
And the ride
I say the ride is so smooth, you must be a Limousine

Ow, baby, you’re much too fast
Little Red Corvette
You need a love, you need a love that’s, uh, that’s gonna last
(Little Red Corvette)

Babe, you got to slow down
(Y got to slow down)
Little Red Corvette
‘Cause if you don’t, ’cause if you don’t

You’re gonna run your body right into the ground
(Right into the ground)
Right into the ground
(Right into the ground)
Right into the ground
(Right into the ground)

Well, I hadn’t planned on this being a tribute blog, but with the passing of yet another music icon today, I feel compelled to pay tribute to Prince Rogers Nelson, otherwise known to us as Prince, or for a while, as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Musically, Prince lost me in 1985 in what I call his “Raspberry Beret” career stage. However, his two prior albums—1982’s 1999, and 1984’s Purple Rain—will forever remain etched in my memories of high school and of our big plans for playing 1999 on December 31, 1999, and partying between now and then like it was still the 1980s. Of course, by the time 1999 arrived, most of us had spouses, kids, mortgages, and Y2K world meltdown issues to worry about, so those dreams of playing 1999 and partying our socks off didn’t come to fruition (at least not for your wayward author).

For me, Prince will forever remain the soul/R&B/funk/rock god that he was earlier in his career, and less of the poppy, dance floor god that he was through the meat of his career. No disrespect to the man intended. He oozed talent and stardom; it’s just that what he was oozing from 1985 until his untimely death in 2016 just wasn’t my thing, you know?

At any rate, I will never forget standing in the dining service line at Ball State University’s Elliott Hall in 1986 with some friends and needing to explain to a young lady in line ahead of us that no, Little Red Corvette was indeed not a song about a Corvette or even a car. I don’t think she believed me. To this day, I wonder if she’s ever really listened to the lyrics and thought, “Jeepers, that guy from Jeep Hall who told me Little Red Corvette was not a song about a little red Corvette was right—and he was doggone cute. (Okay, maybe not the cute part, but you get the gist.)

During Prince’s musical career that spanned five decades, he released 39 studio albums, five soundtrack albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, 17 video albums, and 12 extended plays. He released 97 singles. There aren’t many artists who can boast numbers like that—especially ones who aren’t in their 70s.

So, as I have said too many times this year (Glenn Frey, David Bowie, Merle Haggard, Lemmy Kilmister, Maurice White (Earth Wind & Fire), Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane), and Dale “Buffin” Griffin (Mott the Hoople), Godspeed, good sir. Thank you for the memories. I know every note of both 1999 and Purple Rain by heart. I’ll now leave you with the words of the man himself. I hope these words are read aloud at his funeral (from the intro to Let’s Go Crazy). And if they’re not read at Prince’s funeral, please read them at mine—and do it with gusto, please.

Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
2 get through this thing called life

Electric word life
It means forever and that’s a mighty long time
But I’m here 2 tell u
There’s something else
The afterworld

A world of never-ending happiness
U can always see the sun, day or night

So when u call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
U know the one, Dr. Everything’ll Be Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby

‘Cuz in this life
Things are much harder than in the afterworld
In this life
You’re on your own

And if de-elevator tries to bring u down
Go crazy – punch a higher floor

If u don’t like the world you’re living in
Take a look around u
At least u got friends

U see I called my old lady
for a friendly word
She picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
(Sex, sex) is all I heard

Are we gonna let de-elevator
Bring us down?
Oh, no Let’s Go!

Let’s go crazy

Video:

Here is the official video for Little Red Corvette:

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