‘Two Princes’ is a song by American rock group Spin Doctors, released in 1992 as the second single from the group's debut album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991). The song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box Top 100. Outside of the US, it topped the charts in Iceland and Sweden, and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The group filmed two different music videos for ‘Two Princes’; one of them was in black-and-white. One of the videos was directed by Richard Murray and premiered in February 1992. The song was ranked No. 41 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"; conversely, it was ranked No. 21 on Blender magazine's "50 Worst Songs Ever"
The Spin Doctors are a New York group led by Chris Barron, who rocked a very dishevelled look at the time. They were tagged an "alternative" band, which was good for marketing purposes, since it made them sound edgy. Really, they were a rock band with pop appeal, and in 1993 there was a huge demand for their sound, especially among Top 40 radio stations who were pushing back against the tide of hip-hop. Their first single, ‘Little Miss Can't Be Wrong,’ was a modest hit, climbing to #17 in the US. ‘Two Princes’ did far better, becoming their biggest hit and best-known song. Both songs were composed by the entire band: Baron, Aaron Comess, Eric Schenkman and Mark White.
Chris Barron is a literature fanatic, which played a part in this song. In a Songfacts interview, he explained: "I loved The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I was really into fantasy fiction and stuff like that. I wrote that song when I was 19, so I was still coming out of childhood, and as a child I loved wizards and kings and queens and princess and princesses and stuff like that. And I loved Shakespeare - I already was way into Shakespeare. So I gravitated towards that kind of imagery just because I liked books and poems from that period of time."
The "just go ahead now" refrain came a guy named Mickett Wilder, who was the older brother of bass player Dave Wilder and a friend of the band. They all looked up to him, so Mickett set the trends in terms of how they would dress and talk. Barron was working as a busboy when he reconnected with a girl he liked from high school, who wanted to meet up with him that night. When his shift ended, he ran into Mickett and told him about it. "Just go ahead with that. Just go ahead now," Mickett kept telling him.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic named ‘Two Princes’ one of the "best tracks" of the album. Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "The Doctors' growing legion of fans will devour this treat from Pocket Full of Kryptonite within seconds." Randy Clark from Cash Box commented, "This crunchy rock/funk groove hints of the same raw, unpolished but infectious street quality of the early Rolling Stones except with an unspoiled and urgent alternative style."
Label – Epic
Songwriters – Mark White, Eric Schenkman, Chris Barron, Aaron Comess
Producers – Frank Aversa, Mark White, Eric Schenkman, Chris Barron, Aaron Comess
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Yeah
One, two princes kneel before you
That's what I said now
Princes, princes who adore you
Just go ahead now
One has diamonds in his pockets
And that's some bread now
This one said he wants to buy you rockets
Ain't in his head now
[Verse 2]
This one, he got a princely racket
That's what I said now
Got some big seal upon his jacket
Ain't in his head now
You marry him, your father will condone you
How 'bout that now?
You marry me, your father will disown you
He'll eat his hat now
[Chorus]
Marry him, or marry me
I'm the one that loves you, baby, can't you see?
I ain't got no future or family tree
But I know what a prince and lover ought to be
I know what a prince and lover ought to be
[Verse 3]
Said
If you want to call me "baby"
Just go ahead now
And if you like to tell me "maybe"
Just go ahead now
And if you wanna buy me flowers
Just go ahead now
And if you would like to talk for hours
Just go ahead now
[Verse 1]
Said
One, two princes kneel before you
That's what I said now
Princes, princes who adore you
Just go ahead now
One has diamonds in his pockets
And that's some bread now
This one who wants to buy you rockets
Ain't in his head now
[Chorus]
Marry him, or marry me
I'm the one that loves you, baby, can't you see?
I ain't got no future or family tree
But I know what a prince and lover ought to be
I know what a prince and lover ought to be
[Bridge]
Said
If you want to call me "baby"
Just go ahead now
And if you would like to tell me "maybe"
Just go ahead now
And if you wanna buy me flowers
Just go ahead now
And if you would like to talk for hours
Just go ahead now
[Verse 3]
And if you want to call me "baby"
Just go ahead now
And if you would like to tell me "maybe"
Just go ahead now
And if you would like to buy me flowers
Just go ahead now
And if you would like to talk for hours
Just go ahead now
[Verse 3]
If you want to call me "baby"
Just go ahead now
And if you like to tell me "maybe"
Just go ahead now
And if you want to buy me flowers
Just go ahead now
And if you like to talk for hours
Just go ahead now
[Outro]
Oh oh, baby!
Just go ahead now
Oh oh!
Just, just go ahead now
Just go ahead now
Oh, your majesty!
Just go ahead now
Come on, forget the King and marry me!
Just go ahead now
Come on, come on, come on
Just go ahead now
Go ahead now, yeah
Just go ahead now
And if you want to buy me flowers
Just go ahead now
Yeah just go ahead now baby
Just go ahead now