For many reasons, especially post Warners Prince has failed to notch major hit songs despite many worthy candidates. Black Sweat is one that has been discussed of late and I agree it should have been a hit. Here are 10 others that come to mind that I believe should have become major hits. What do you think and what would you add?

- Anna Stesia

- Strange Relationship

- The Max

- The Continental

- Endorphinmachine

- Letitgo (should have hit bigger)

- Mountains (should have hit bigger)

- LoveSign

- 1000 Xs & Os

- Another Love

When You Were Mine is a big one for me whenever this question arises. His popularity at the time maybe wasn't enough to catapult it to number one or anything, but it definitely had hit and single written all over it, though I guess it differs in that regard from the ones you've mentioned as it was for some reason never released as a single.

"Electric Intercourse."

I don't think he ever released it as a single or on an album AFAIK. It is the most transcendent ode about trying to shock one special person with static electricity and a Lifesaver in the dark at the same time ever.

[Edited 6/14/16 15:12pm]

Lady Cab Driver

Strange Relationship

Housequake

Forever In My Life

Lovesexy

Joy In Repetition

The Question of U

The Morning Papers (should have been bigger)

Endorphinmachine

Come (edit it down and get something nasty on the radio)

Damned If I Do (good light rocker)

...
to name a few.

Agree with a lot of these.

I shall add

17 days

1000 Xs & Os

Call My Name It won a Grammy but not much airplay

Cinnamon Girl

Girls and Boys

Space

In another dicussion it was mentioned that Prince did not do very well with releasing singles from his albums. I do think that Prince was more concerned with albums than with singles.

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

When You Were Mine is a big one for me whenever this question arises. His popularity at the time maybe wasn't enough to catapult it to number one or anything, but it definitely had hit and single written all over it, though I guess it differs in that regard from the ones you've mentioned as it was for some reason never released as a single.

It kind of was a single though. For Cyndi Lauper -- in Canada.

• Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
• Man O' War
• She Loves Me 4 Me
• The Marrying Kind
• Call My Name
• Fallinlove2nite (with Zoey)
• The Greatest Romance
• 1000 Xs & Os
• Clouds
• U Know
• Rock n Roll Love Affair(the HNR version)
• Vicki Waiting (the live one from NPGMC)
• Future Baby Mama
• Black Muse
• Dance 4 Me
• Dark
• Shhhhh

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

Private Joy

Automatic

Lovesexy

Girls And Boys

The Future

319

And God Created Woman

Live 4 Love

Endorphinmachine

So Far So Pleased

Sleep Around

[Edited 7/11/20 21:55pm]

I think that it has been released in 1986 Last Heart would have been a hit, same thing for Sexual Suicide.

Late / post Warner Era:

Acknowledge Me

Love Sign should have been a mega hit..

Dionne

Sex In The Summer

My Computer

When U love somebody

So far so Pleased

Baby knows

The Sun the Moon and Stars

Wherever U go, whatever U do

Supercute

A Million Days

...

[Edited 6/15/16 2:07am]

this is what should have been big hits with the proper promotion :

I'M YOURS

BAMBI

LADY CAB DRIVER

THE BEAUTIFUL ONES (instead of TAKE ME WITH U)

THE CROSS

AND GOD CREATED WOMAN

SO FAR SO PLEASED

U KNOW

WAY BACK HOME

HARDROCKLOVER

SHUT THIS DOWN

Y'all have listed some great songs especially Strange Relationship, The Morning Papers, Girls and Boys, Hardrocklover, and Way Back Home. I would add:

Space

Pop Life

Love 2 the 9s

Eye Hate U

Freaks On this Side

Push it Up

1000 Xs And Os

Look At Me, Look At You

Baltimore

When U Love Somebody - I thought this would have been a great summer hit

Come On

So Far So Pleased

The One U Wanna See

Rock N Roll Love Affair

Lovesexy

Underachieving Chart Performers

1. Letitgo-would have been bigger but no promotion and released in the heat of the WB battle
2. New Power Generation-Thieves was a Top 10 hit but the movie tanking and a really late video and commercial avaialbility of the single (which was neccessary to chart) doomed this one
3. Mountains- UTCM bombing killed the momentum, flew up to the mid-20s and just sort of lifted out of the charts
4. Anotherloverholenyohead- 3rd single from soundtrack to low performing movie project--never had a chance
5. Good Love-What a great pop song that just wasnt' pushed to radio for some reason
6. Fallinlove2nite-I know there is a lot of disagreement about this song on the site but tnhis was a solid chance at Prince getting back on the pop charts, a pretty amazing achievement for anyone over 40 these days
7. Black Sweat-Should have been a hit
8. Gold-A song that had everything you would want in a radio hit---except for record comapny support

Songs that Could Have/Should Have Been Hits

1. The Beautiful Ones---Not released as a single, of course would have been a massive hit
2. Willing and Able- Premier the video at the Super Bowl pre-show and then switch the single to MDM2N, not sure the logic there. I love Money and it was a Top 20 hit but so somber.
3. And God Created Woman- I just love this somg so much, too religious probably for a mainstream hit but as hooky and memorable as it comes
4. So Far So Pleased- Should have been first single choice for Rave
5. Vicki Waiting--Better choice for second single than Partyman
6. Elephants and Flowers- Pop song sound but too religious for secular pop radio
7. In This Bed I Scream-So damn catchy...just too personal to release
8. The 1 U Want 2 C--Just sounded like a hit song

[Edited 6/15/16 7:12am]

I think the topic is endlessly fascinating/debatable/frustrating... So weird what songs have or have not caught the public's fancy over the years, Prince or otherwise.

To this day, I cannot believe "The Arms of Orion" was not at LEAST a top ten hit. I know it scraped into the Top 40, but it had 'mega mainstream smash' written all over it. Perhaps if there had been a music video, since those were still pretty influential in terms of commercial success in '89.

From 'Lovesexy,' I always thought "Dance On" would've fared much better as a single than either "Glam Slam" or "I Wish U Heaven" (in the U.S. - I think those were more successful singles in the U.K.?)

It's weird how hit singles don't necessarily equate 'best songs' and vice versa...

I think it has been mentioned many times as a missed opportunity for a single, but "Girls and Boys" as a follow up to "Kiss" might've worked well and helped keep momentum going for 'Parade.' I love "Mountains" and "Anotherlover..." but I was never surprised they didn't quite make it on the charts.

Dazza said:

The One - got loads of Airplay in the UK, but was not released. Lovesign - ditto Come On Shy Lovesexy Walk don't walk - I always imagined a really colourful video Race Call my name She loves me for me Man 'o' war Lolita - been listening to this a lot lately Clouds Black Muse Baltimore

Come On for sure should have been a massive hit.

Pheremone

When You Were Mine

Let's Work

Baby, I'm a Star (famous song, but not a single, PR could have been milked like Thriller)

She's Always in My Hair (if it had made the album and been a single)

Girls & Boys (love "Mountains," but this was a better choice for 2nd single)

Hot Thing (this made the Hot 100 as a B-side; imagine if it had been been an A)

Adore (got airplay as only an album cut; SOT promotion stopped too soon)

Housequake (was big in clubs)

Lovesexy (love this song; much catchier than 2nd and 3rd singles from album)

The Question of U (reportedly considered to be lead single; a real beauty)

Willing & Able

The Continental
Love Sign

P Control (not for radio; but could have been big club hit; it's become a cult classic; even at karaoke)

319

Shy

Chaos & Disorder

Face Down (too bad EMI folded as this was coming out)

Mad Sex (would have been a fun summer '98 song)

Oh the list of this will for me always keep growing, but the ones lately that boggle my mind that weren't SMASH HITS:

FUNKNROLL - How the HELL was that not on top of the charts?!

And

A Million Days - what an amazing song, the voice, the lyrics, the musical arrangement. WOW.

It is a puzzle that Girls & Boys didn't become a hit.

So mny songs though. There are some from every album that I think this.

His recent albums though, like mentioned FunkNRoll sounds like an instant smash hit but nope.

And RNR Love Affair, feels like it should've made an impression too.

https://youtu.be/08tyBdLg6u0

I think Prince was more concerned about album sales than he was hit singles, and in retrospect he would've benefitted from a more 70s style marketing strategy (post Purple Rain), instead of the lead single with accompanying video for MTV approach that Warner Brothers utilized for most of the 1980s and early 1990s. That's not to say that having "Kiss" be the lead single for Parade wasn't effective on some level, but perhaps in the long run it would've been more effective to market the entire album the way Prince's favorite albums and artists from his childhood were marketed. Led Zeppelin never had a hit single, but their songs have been getting constant radio airplay for the last 40 years, and they continue to be one of the biggest selling artists of all time.