25 greatest Prince songs ever
Legendary rock star, Prince, as iconic for his gender-bending costumes and overt sexuality as his infectious hooks, died on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57. His musical legacy cannot be overstated. These are 25 of his greatest songs.
"1999" was Prince's longest-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in 1982, it was a vision of the apocalypse in which "the sky was all purple," and fans loved it.
24. "Alphabet St."
"Alphabet St.," the first single off Prince's 1988 album Lovesexy,is a blues song at its core. Mix that with a slew of samples and a rap by Cat Glover, and you've got a funky top 10 hit about a man picking up a cute lady in his father's Thunderbird.
23. "7"
This guitar-based track off Prince and The New Power Generation's 1992 album, Love Symbol,is a rallying cry for love over hate.
"All 7 and we'll watch them fall / They stand in the way of love / And we will smoke them all."
22. "I Could Never Take The Place...
The fourth single off Prince's 1987 album, Sign "☮" the Times,"I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man" is a top 10 hit about a one night stand that never gets off the ground.
21. "I Would Die 4 U"
The fourth single off the smash hit album, Purple Rain,"I Would Die 4 U" is a driving, jolty track about professing your love to a flawed person, despite their flaws. Its lyrics also delve into the complexities of gender identity that were so often center stage at Prince's performances:
"I'm not a woman / I'm not a man / I am something that you'll never understand"
20. "Delirious"
The third hit single from "1999," "Delirious" is an uptempo story about a beautiful woman's incapacitating charms.
19. "Pop Life"
The second single off 1985's Around the World in a Day,"Pop Life" is a mid-tempo, smooth bass groove about the power of positivity.
18. "Erotic City"
The B-side to 1984's "Let's Go Crazy," "Erotic City" is an experimental track known for its infectious keyboard riff, sexual references and thinly veiled use of one of America's favorite curse words: "We can funk until the dawn, making love 'til cherry's gone / Erotic City can't you see, thoughts of pretty you and me."
"Erotic City" is also notable for its use of Prince's voice at normal speed, sped up and slowed down, so that he could sound like three different singers at the same time.
17. "The Beautiful Ones"
The number three track on Purple Rain,"The Beautiful Ones" is a haunting and climactic musical tale of unrequited love, which begins with gentle falsetto vocals and ends with Prince screaming for answers from his lover.
16. "Thieves in the Temple"
From the 1990 soundtrack to the movie, "Graffiti Bridge," "Thieves in the Temple" is a booming track, notable for its syncopated beats, layered vocals and Middle Eastern melodies.
15. "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
Released in August 1979, "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was written and recorded in haste after Prince's debut album, For You,failed to generate a hit single. This disco-pop track was exactly what the doctor (or rather, Warner Bros.) ordered, becoming Prince's first top-40 hit.
14. "Partyman"
The second single from Prince's 1989 "Batman" soundtrack, "Partyman" features horn samples and the artist's iconic sped-up "Camille" vocals. Perhaps as a testament to its quality, the upbeat number features prominently in the accompanying Michael Keaton-Jack Nicholson caped crusader film.
13. "Darling Nikki"
The number five track off the Grammy Award-winning album Purple Rain,"Darling Nikki" was never released as a single, but it accumulated a cult following for its explicit lyrics about sex and masturbation.
12. "Diamonds And Pearls"
The title track off Prince's 1991 album, Diamonds and Pearls,this edgy ballad is an ode to the supremacy of love.
11. "Little Red Corvette"
The number two track off the iconic 1982 album 1999,"Little Red Corvette" was Prince's first Top 10 single in the U.S. Paring a slow synth buildup with a full-on rock chorus, the song paints an evocative picture of a pedal-to-the-metal one-night stand.
10. "Sign 'O' The Times"
A topical departure from his work on love and lust, "Sign 'O' The Times" deals with some of America's ugliest realities. From drug addiction to street gangs, this 1987 track catapulted heavy issues into the mainstream discussion and straight up to the number three spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
9. "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World"
The lead single off of Prince's 1995 album The Gold Experience,"The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" is a falsetto-laced love song, widely believed to be written about Prince's then-fiancé Mayte Garcia.
8. "Purple Rain"
Featuring one of the greatest guitar solos of all time, this epic 1984 single is a 7-minute-long power ballad about a friendship-turned-heartbreaking romance.
7. "U Got The Look"
The number 10 track off Prince's 1987 album, Sign 'o the Times,"U Got The Look" is a heavily saturated 12-bar rock song about a romantic interaction in a nightclub. Featuring both live percussion and heavy drum beats, it skyrocketed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
6. "Raspberry Beret"
In "Raspberry Beret," the singer is working in a five-and-dime, when he meets a girl who wears little more than a second-hand raspberry beret. They drive off on his bike; have a sexual encounter; and though "the first time ain't the greatest," the singer "wouldn't change a stroke" about it.
5. "Batdance"
The hit single from 1989's "Batman" film, "Batdance" was a funk-hip-hop-rock fusion that incorporated actual dialogue from Michael Keaton's Batman and Jack Nicholson's Joker over its driving beats. Anything but conventional, fans loved it. "Batdance" became Prince's fourth number-one single.
4. "Cream"
The number four track off 1991's Diamonds and Pearls,"Cream" featured some of Prince's most sexually explicit lyrics. From an opening verse with the lyrics, "U got the horn so why don't u blow it," to a hook repeating, "Cream / Get on top... Cream / Don't u stop / Cream," this isn't your parents' love song. Perhaps that's why it skyrocketed right to number one.
3. "Let's Go Crazy"
The number one track off Purple Rain, "Let's Go Crazy" opens with funeral organs and the lyrics, "Dearly beloved / We are gathered here today / 2 get through this thing called life." Undoubtedly one of Prince's most popular songs, this riff-driven rock song became his second number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
2. "Kiss"
Prince's third ever number one single, "Kiss" was released in 1986 as part of the album Parade.It shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on the strength of its funk-influenced groove and catchy hook:
"You don't have to be rich / To be my girl / You don't have to be cool / To rule my world / Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with / I just want your extra time and your...Kiss"
1. "When Doves Cry"
The breakout single from Prince's 1984 album Purple Rain,"When Doves Cry" was a worldwide hit and the artist's longest running number one in the U.S. Simultaneously tackling a complicated family dynamic and a passionate young love affair, the song is daring and anything but ordinary.
"When Doves Cry" was reportedly the last song Prince wrote for Purple Rain, and he played every single instrument on the track; a musical tour de force that will surely serve as a proud legacy.
