Prince's newest song is about an internet meme

Prince's single with Zooey Deschanel earlier this year wasn't too well-received among fans, but the singer hopes his next song will be a bigger hit.

One of the songs on his upcoming record, "This Could Be Us," is a response to a meme of the singer and actress Apollonia Kotero on a motorcycle in Purple Rain, the 1984 film about Prince and The Revolution.

The singer told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he was inspired to write the song after the photo went viral with the hashtag #ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin, which then became tied to other awkward couple photos.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Prince's new album, which is currently untitled and doesn't yet have a release date, is his first since 2009. While the internet awaits the track's release, here's the original meme. --Meghan DeMaria