Summary
Prince Rogers Nelson, a legendary American musician, revolutionized pop music with his genre-bending “Minneapolis sound,” blending rock, soul, R&B, and more. A prolific singer, producer, and songwriter, he released 39 studio albums, sold over 100 million records, and won seven Grammys. Beyond iconic hits like “Diamonds and Pearls” and “Little Red Corvette,” Prince championed artists’ creative autonomy, famously changing his name to a symbol to assert ownership over his work. His androgynous presentation also pushed societal boundaries. Though he passed in 2016 at 57, his profound musical and cultural legacy continues to influence generations, with posthumous releases ensuring his timeless artistry endures.
- How Prince Changed Pop Music
- The Essential Prince Songs
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
INGLEWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 19: Prince performs live at the Fabulous Forum on February 19, 1985 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Prince Rogers Nelson, known as “Prince,” was one of the greatest American musicians of all time.
He pioneered a genre-bending sound out of Minneapolis. Prince was a singer, producer, songwriter and multi-dimensional artist, with hits such as “Diamonds and Pearls” and “Little Red Corvette” redefining music for entire generations.
Known for leading an ideological shift within the music industry, pushing for artists’ creative autonomy and ownership over the rights to their own music, Prince changed his name to a symbol to distinguish himself legally as another entity and became recognized as “The Artist (formerly known as Prince).”
His mother was a social worker and his father a jazz musician. Prince’s music pioneered what’s known now as the Minneapolis sound, pulling from rock, soul, jazz, blues, R&B, hip hop, funk, gospel and electronic sounds. Prince wrote his first song at age seven on his father’s piano, and signed to Warner Brothers Records at age 19, soon releasing albums For You (1978) and Prince(1979).
Prince released 39 studio albums and hundreds of singles, won seven Grammys and sold over 100 million records worldwide before his death in April 2016 after an accidental drug overdose. He was 57 years old.
His legacy live on through his music. Prince’s estate plans to release a posthumous album on Aug. 28, titled Timeless. It has 10 unreleased recordings which spanned throughout his musical career. There are other posthumous albums, too including Piano & A Microphone(2018), Originals (2019) and Welcome 2 America(2021).
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I’ve put together a list of the top 25 that should not be missed. From emotional to energetic, Prince’s greatest hits are never ending and timeless.
25. “So Dark (remix)” by Prince
The track “Dark” originally appeared on Prince’s fifteenth album, Come,in 1994. In 1998, the song was remixed and named “So Dark” for another Prince album, taking on the form and groove of R&B and neo-soul , stepping away from the song’s original jazz-forward notes and intonations. “So Dark” is a good place to start with Prince for listeners who are new to the sound, a solid entry point with a bouncy tempo.
- Release year:1998
- Album:Crystal Ball
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:N/A
24. “Controversy” by Prince
The bass- and synth-heavy song “Controversy” doubles down on the 1980s classic funk electronic sound Prince came to be known for pioneering. Layered with unique vocals, fun adlibs, and a tail end verse of rapping, “Controversy” is perfect for the dance floor at the club or at home.
- Release year:1981
- Album:Controversy
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:70
23. “Mountains” by Prince and The Revolution
From the album, Parade,and the soundtrack to the romantic comedy film, Under the Cherry Moon, “Mountains” was written by Prince and The Revolution band members Wendy & Lisa. The song feels very much like an accompaniment to a visual story with a syncopated rhythm complimented by actors on a screen.
- Release year:1986
- Album:Parade
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:23
22. “Baby I’m a Star” by Prince
Originally released on Prince’s iconic soundtrack album, “Baby I’m a Star” is a song worthy of rockstar status. Purple Rain,the movie synonymous with Prince, is a 1984 rock musical very much mirroring the artist’s personal life through the lens of the movie lead, “The Kid.” According to The Prince Vault, “in 1989, Tim Burton used “Baby I’m A Star” in a rough draft of the Batman movie, during a scene where The Joker leads a parade of large balloons, to indicate the kind of music he wanted in that scene. Once Prince was brought in to provide the music [for Batman], he provided “200 Balloons” as a replacement, which was eventually replaced itself by” “Trust.”
- Release year:1984
- Album:Purple Rain
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:N/A
21. “Xotica” by Prince
“Xotica” is a sexy jazz instrumental tune from Prince’s entirely instrumental album, released only as a digital download. The song itself features a laid back drum groove, soulful saxophone and a panning electronic piano.
- Release year:2023
- Album:Xpectation
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:N/A
20. “Black Sweat” by Prince
“Black Sweat” is from Prince’s 2006 album, and was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
- Release year:2006
- Album:3121
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:60
19. “Mr Nelson” By Prince with Lianne La Havas
A floaty sounding song with a reggaeton backbone sped to the bpm of electronic dance music, “Mr. Nelson” is a unique journey Prince takes with UK-based singer Lianne La Havas.
- Release year:2015
- Album:HITNRUN Phase One
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:N/A
18. “The Beautiful Ones” By Prince
A love song on Purple Rain, “The Beautiful Ones” was originally recorded in the early 1980s, however many associate the song with Mariah Carey’s cover on her 1997 album Butterfly manifesting as a duet with R&B group Dru Hill.
- Release year:1984
- Album:Purple Rain
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position: N/A
17. “Delirious” by Prince
“Delirious” gained serious momentum and traction, dropping right after Prince’s hit “Little Red Corvette” from the same album. “Delirious” follows a standard 8-bar blues, telling the story of lust through sneaky sexual metaphors.
- Release year:1999
- Album:1999
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:8
16. “Sexy M.F.” by Prince
“Sexy M.F.” is an uptempo funky jam reminiscent of the James Brown sound. A confident and playful song with lyrical styles flowing from rapping to spoken word from the artist’s 14th studio album noted as an unpronounceable iconic symbol.
- Release year:1992
- Album:Love Symbol
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:66
15. “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince
“Let’s Go Crazy” is the ultimate energy opener and was in fact the lead song on both the album and the film Purple Rain,and for many live Prince concert performances. With a fun, upbeat and danceable rhythm, “Let’s Go Crazy” is a perfect unwind song.
- Release year:1984
- Album:Purple Rain
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:1
14. “I Wanna Be Your Lover” by Prince
The lead single from his second album,“I Wanna Be Your Lover” captures the true essence of the artist complete with a brightly backlit, disco-inspired video with Prince front and center singing into the camera with severe eye contact and emotive dances.
- Release year:1979
- Album:Prince
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position: 11
13. “Cream” by Prince & The New Power Generation
“Cream” is a sexy number with a video to match the sentiment of a sexual revolution mainstream pop music elicited in the 1990s.
- Release year:1991
- Album:Diamonds and Pearls
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:1
12. “Pop Life” By Prince
“Pop Life” is a playful look at the conundrum of being in the spotlight. The seventh song from the artist’s seventh album, the track was
- Release year:1985
- Album:Around The World In A Day
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:7
11. “U Got Look” by Prince
A percussion-heavy song with both electric drums and hand drums performed by world famous drummer, Sheila E, “U Got The Look” is from Prince’s Sign o’ the Times album.
- Release year:1987
- Album:Sign o’ the Times
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position: 2
9. “So Blue” by Prince
A beautiful acoustic side of Prince, “So Blue” is a somewhat unpredictable ballad that starts off fast and rolls out slowly, romantically even. A nice break from the multiple instrument the artist is known for using in his song, “So Blue” showcases Prince’s vocal talent and soul.
- Release year: 1978
- Album:For You
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:N/A
8. “Purple Rain” by Prince
Perhaps one of the most iconic songs by Prince as the name of his 1984 album and pop culture movie phenomenon with the same name, “Purple Rain” defines the artist’s sound at the height of his career.
- Release year:1984
- Album:Purple Rain
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:2
7. “Sometimes It Snows In April” by Prince
Already 30 years into the music business by the time, Prince had a special skill for reemerging with something new and raw.
- Release year:2002
- Album:One Nite Alone…Live!
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:N/A
6. “Kiss” by Prince
“Kiss” is considered one of Prince’s best songs by critics and fans alike. AmericanSongwriterranked the song number three on their list of the 10 greatest Prince songs in 2022, and in 2021, Rolling Stone ranked “Kiss” No. 85 in a list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
- Release year:1986
- Album:Parade
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:1
5. “The Most Beautiful Girl In the World” by Prince
A love song every lady wants to hear, “The Most Beautiful Girl in World” is an honest exclamation of love and beauty – something Prince is known for in all of his music.
- Release year:1995
- Album:The Gold Experience
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:3
4. “Little Red Corvette” by Prince
In 1983, Billboardcalled Prince’s hit song“Little Red Corvette” a “racy rock number” and it’s true – it is exactly that. A song for any generation, the melody and content speaks to real aspects of being human. The second single from Prince’s 1999, the song was, in 1983, Prince’s highest charting track and the first to reach number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
- Release year:1983
- Album:1999
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position: 6
3. “Raspberry Beret” by Prince
As one might guess, the song is about a women — a woman who wears a raspberry-colored beret. In the iconic the video, the woman in question is played by actress Jackie Swanson who later played Kelly Gaines on the TV show Cheers. “Raspberry Beret” appeases every audience and the first single from was part of Prince’s seventh album.
- Release year:1985
- Album:Around The World In A Day
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:2
2. “When Doves Cry” by Prince
“When Doves Cry” was written “to match the theme of a particular segment of the film that involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair” by the film’s director Albert Magnoli. “When Doves Cry” was Prince’s first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single in the. U.S. and charted worldwide and was a top selling single in 1984 accordingly to Billboard.
- Release year: 1984
- Album:Purple Rain
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:1
1. “Diamonds and Pearls” by Prince
A masterpiece of a song, “Diamonds and Pearls” is a sprawling sonic composition that hits on every emotion only Prince could.
- Release year:1991
- Album:Diamonds and Pearls
- Billboard Hot 100 peak position:3
An advocate for self expression, Prince presented as androgynous, pushing the boundaries of identity and sexuality through his music, lyrics, creative prowess and multi-genre sound. Prince’s music, cultural presence and influence has impacted decades of music lovers, changed the way the music industry and artists think about the business, and will forever be immortalized as one of the greatest musicians of all time.
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