This should be the time of Prince -- sorry, The Artist.

The term "Y2K" itself is an uncannily Artist-worthy acronym, but with music fans still name-checking "Prince's 1999," you'd have thought that song would be inescapable by now.

Well, no dice.

What promised to be the most overplayed song of 1999, 1999 remains conspicuous by its absence.

The Artist himself has been out and about in interviews lately, poised for a comeback with new album Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, which is set for release early in 2000. It's his first disc since signing with Arista earlier this year.

But, after priming fans with two Las Vegas concerts on Jan. 1 and 2 of 1999, the erstwhile Purple One didn't, pardon the cheeseball reference, party like it was 1999 at all. Instead, he laid low, biding his time while preparing Rave for release.

Meanwhile, his hopes that former label Warner wouldn't cash in on the song 1999, which originally came out on his 1982 double album of the same name, came true.

The Artist's back catalogue remains in Warner's possession since his acrimonious split with the label four years ago.

He's claimed to have recorded a new version and completed seven remixes of the song, all the while fighting to gain ownership of the master recordings. And the Artist this week announced he would retire the song after a concert to be broadcast on Pay Per View tonight.

Then again, the reasons for our 1999-less 1999 could be as simple as this: It would have been just too obvious. Advertisers steered clear of the theme. At least one fan Web site, called Don't Want To Party Like It's 1999, was set up to encourage fans to protest and boycott any overuse of the song.

Says one industry insider: "It's really a song for last year. It has nothing to do with the year 2000."

For his part, The Artist says he wrote the song in anticipation of a coming Apocalypse. The year was just a catchy symbol.

"When I came up with that date, I just thought, 'Wouldn't the future be a trip if things keep going in this direction?' " The Artist was quoted as saying in a recent interview with on-line rock magazine Addicted To Noise.

"I was thinking, 'Y'all can't stop this!' ... I just wanted people to know that I'm cool and not afraid. If you can say it, it's so."

Same goes for you in the meantime.

Might as well get it out of your system now:

Don't worry, I won't hurt U

I only want U 2 to have some fun

I was dreaming when I wrote this

Forgive me if it goes astray

But when I woke up this mornin'

Coulda sworn it was judgment day

The sky was all purple, there were people runnin' everywhere

Tryin' 2 run from the destruction

U know I didn't even care

'Cuz they say two thousand zero zero party over, oops out of time

So tonight I'm going to party like it's 1999

I was dreamin' when I wrote this

So sue me if I go 2 fast

But life is just a party, and parties weren't meant to last

War is all around us, my mind says prepare 2 fight

So if I gotta die I'm gonna listen 2 my body tonight

Yeah, they say two thousand zero zero party over, oops out of time

So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999

Yeah

Lemme tell ya somethin'

If U didn't come 2 party,

Don't bother knockin' on my door

I got a lion in my pocket, and baby he's ready to roar

Yeah, everybody's got a bomb, we could all die any day

But before I'll let that happen,

I'll dance my life away

Oh, they say two thousand zero zero party over, oops out of time

We're runnin' out of time

So tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999 ... etc.