I struggled deciding which song to fill this first slot with, because it meant that several other worthy candidates wouldn't make it. I decided to go with this B-side to the "Raspberry Beret" single. So other good songs like "Pink Cashmere," "Scandalous," "When You Were Mine" and "Irresistible Bitch" ultimately became casualties, but they're worthy of honorable mention, nonetheless.
The Gold Experience was released in 1995 and was one of the few Prince albums to stop at gold (and not go platinum) since his early days. This was the premier single from it, although a hit from the previous year, "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World," was included on the album for good measure.
There are only two songs on this list that Prince didn't write, and this 1996 remake of Joan Osbourne's 1995 hit is the first of them. From his Emancipation album.
This song takes on new meaning given Prince's untimely death - in April. Another sad tale in Prince's repertoire, this song speaks of the death of the character Christopher Tracy in the movie Under The Cherry Moon.
The song with only one verse, one chorus and this suggestive dialogue that kicked things off:
Lisa: "Wendy?"
Wendy: "Yes, Lisa."
Lisa: "Is the water warm enough?"
Wendy: "Yes, Lisa."
Lisa: "Shall we begin?"
Wendy: "Yes, Lisa."
Man, I still miss Wendy and Lisa.
And it sure didn't matter yesterday. A cautionary tale with just enough of Prince's continuing messages of spirituality thrown in.
And it sure didn't matter yesterday. A cautionary tale with just enough of Prince's continuing messages of spirituality thrown in.
This is the most underrated single in Prince's classic repertoire of hits - in my opinion. It was also the last top 40 hit to be billed under Prince & the Revolution.
This not-much-talked-about tune hails from the 1988 album, Lovesexy. This song, with its pensive, spiritual lyric set against a funky drum track, gave its parent album some added depth, even though the singles from it didn't do as well as his previous efforts.
This was Prince's last #1 pop hit, and aside from "Batdance" it's considered one of his worst. But it's just good enough to make this list (which should tell you that "Batdance" didn't.)
This is the first of several tracks from Prince's 1999 album on this list. It was a natural third single from the album given Prince's pop crossover success in 1983. It gave him his second top-ten pop single and peaked at #8.
This song was released in 1988 from Lovesexy, the album that emerged in the wake of Prince's abandoned Black Album (which was made available six years later). Alphabet St. reached the top ten on both the pop and R&B charts.
From Prince's fifth album, 1999, came this sexually charged, keyboard and drum machine-heavy track. It was Prince at his most vulgar, up to that point (in 1982). The above video is rare and classic.
A beautiful song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed was done justice by Prince, from his 1996 Emancipation album. This is the second of the two songs on this list that Prince didn't write.
This Sign O' the Times single was the last to be released from the album, and netted Prince another top ten on the pop charts in 1988.
This 1986 slice of psychedelia had offbeat keyboard riffs, finger cymbals and lyrical references to a fictional or metaphorical park that later became the namesake of Prince's own record label and studio - where Prince died on April 21, 2016.
Another explicit funk/new wave track from his Dirty Mind album. No need to explain what the song is about...it's Prince!
This funky disco track was released as a single from his second album, Prince - but not here in the U.S. It was issued as a single in Japan and the U.K. In America, we delighted in it as an album track.
Prince brought back the finger cymbals for this one. When this song reached #7 in 1993, it joined a small group of records that peaked at the same position named in their titles. Several #1 songs have done it, and at least two #2s have as well. "7" was his last big hit with the New Power Generation.
The 12" extended dance mix for this top-10 R&B hit was a classic. It was famously infused with a snippet of its hit predecessor, "Controversy," the title track of the album featuring both tunes.
This Sign O' the Times tune had a driving rhythm track and all the bravado Prince could muster. The above videoclip is classic!
This second single from the 1985 album Around The World In A Day reached the top ten on both the R&B and pop charts.
Is your girlfriend (or boyfriend) a better friend to her (or his) platonic friends than she (or he) is to you? That's what Prince wrote this song about in 1987 (off the Sign O' the Times album).
This Prince duet with Appollonia from Purple Rain wasn't the leading lady's only musical contribution to the movie. Another was "Sex Shooter," which won her a Razzy award in 1985 (that's not a good thing, by the way).
Prince at his downright nastiest. You know those Parental Advisory labels that have now been on records for decades? You can partially thank this song and Tipper Gore for those. Oh, and how many of you owned the vinyl album and tried to play it in reverse on your turntable so you could understand the "hello, how are you...I'm fine...Know that the Lord is coming...soon" message at the end?
