Amy Winehouse - "Wake Up Alone" (My favorite track off her B2B album) & "Me & Mr Jones" should have been singles. "Just Friends" should have never been a single...it's my least favorite track off that album.

Lady Gaga - "Dance In The Dark" was such a standout track off of the Fame Monster album. It was supposed to be her 3rd single, but she fought her record label so that she could release "Alejandro" instead which is her worst single to date imo.

MickyDolenz said:

SoulAlive said:

Prince

Housequake

Housequake was the B-side of U Got The Look, so it was on a single. It also got radio play.

Yes,but I think it should have been a single in its own right.....an A-sided single with a video.All they would have had to do is beep out the word "bullshit" and shorten the length a little.I think it would have been a Top 10 smash.

vainandy said:

SoulAlive said:

My list.....

Prince

Private Joy

Private Joy was on the B Side of the "Do Me, Baby" 45.

Yes,but I think it should have been a single in its own right.If this had been a single,I think it would have been Prince's first crossover smash (which "Little Red Corvette" became a year later).The song has alot of pop potential.

MickyDolenz said:

SoulAlive said:

Prince

Housequake

Housequake was the B-side of U Got The Look, so it was on a single. It also got radio play.

Yeah, but Housequake should've been the 2nd single and an 'A' side. It got a TON of play on pop radio in Chicago back in 87 but back then it had to be released as a single to chart...I seriously think it would've been a top 5 single at the time.

Instead we got If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single with no video, thus killing any major commercial momentum the album generated with the title track. Prince's lead off singels were usually spot on back then...however the follow ups usually were terrible.

I think we could use this topic for Sign o the Times alone. ALL of the following should've been released as singles.

Play In the Sunshine

Strange Relationship

Adore

Forever In My Life

SoulAlive said:

vainandy said:

Private Joy was on the B Side of the "Do Me, Baby" 45.

Yes,but I think it should have been a single in its own right.If this had been a single,I think it would have been Prince's first crossover smash (which "Little Red Corvette" became a year later).The song has alot of pop potential.

I Wanna Be Your Lover was a pop hit, which was released before both of those songs. As far as Housequake goes, it wouldn't have gotten any pop radio play, just like If I Was Your Girlfriend didn't. Both Housequake and Adore got R&B radio play.

rialb said:

I'm not a big fan of Britney but this would have been a great single:

It probably doesn't need to be said but half of the Beatles' album tracks would have been a-sides for most groups.

Actually, I am pretty sure Anticipating was released as a single in Europe and didn't make much waves.

Poplife88 said:

Instead we got If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single with no video, thus killing any major commercial momentum the album generated with the title track.

It was a R&B hit. People today forget that other than Purple Rain and maybe 1999, Prince's albums were never really popular like Sting, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie, Journey, Phil Collins, and other big acts of the 1980's. Many of Prince's singles never charted high either. For every one of his big singles, there were 2 or 3 others that flopped.

MickyDolenz said:

Poplife88 said:

Instead we got If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single with no video, thus killing any major commercial momentum the album generated with the title track.

It was a R&B hit. People today forget that other than Purple Rain and maybe 1999, Prince's albums were never really popular like Sting, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie, Journey, Phil Collins, and other big acts of the 1980's. Many of Prince's singles never charted high either. For every one of his big singles, there were 2 or 3 others that flopped.

America is not the world.

MickyDolenz said:

Poplife88 said:

Instead we got If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single with no video, thus killing any major commercial momentum the album generated with the title track.

It was a R&B hit. People today forget that other than Purple Rain and maybe 1999, Prince's albums were never really popular like Sting, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie, Journey, Phil Collins, and other big acts of the 1980's. Many of Prince's singles never charted high either. For every one of his big singles, there were 2 or 3 others that flopped.

"If I Was Your Girlfriend" was a poor choice for a single.I like the song and it's clearly a fan favorite but it's not 'single material' and was ignored by the mainstream.Beginning with 'Parade',I began to notice a pattern.The first single from a Prince album would be a good choice,but the second singles would be an ill-advised choice....

***Parade's first single was "Kiss",which everybody liked,but then he followed it up with "Mountains" instead of the catchier "Girls And Boys".

***SOTT's first single was the title track,which was well-liked,but he followed it up with "IIWYG",a weird,non-commercial track with an unusual message.

***Lovesexy's first single was "Alphabet St",a fun,infectious song that went Top 10 with no problem,but he followed it up with the lackluster "Glam Slam" instead of the superior title track.

There are other examples too.

MickyDolenz said:

As far as Housequake goes, it wouldn't have gotten any pop radio play, just like If I Was Your Girlfriend didn't.

that's debatable,but I know it would done much better than "If I Was Your Girlfriend".In my area,even our local R&B stations didn't really get behind "IWYGF".

Poplife88 said:

Housequake should've been the 2nd single and an 'A' side. It got a TON of play on pop radio in Chicago back in 87 but back then it had to be released as a single to chart...I seriously think it would've been a top 5 single at the time.

Instead we got If I Was Your Girlfriend as the 2nd single with no video, thus killing any major commercial momentum the album generated with the title track. Prince's lead off singles were usually spot on back then...however the follow ups usually were terrible.

I think we could use this topic for Sign o the Times alone. ALL of the following should've been released as singles.

Play In the Sunshine

Strange Relationship

Adore

Forever In My Life

I agree.It was around the time of 'Parade' when I began to question Prince's single choices.He would release a killer first single,then slow down the momentum of the album with a questionable second single."Housequake" is such an obvious second single choice...that song was getting MASSIVE airplay on R&B stations.If it had been a single,it would been a Top 10 smash and kept the album in the Top 10 too.A lackluster second single can kill an album's momentum.Notice that the SOTT album began climbing back up the chart when the third single,"U Got The Look" was released as a single.That song is fun,catchy and has "hit single" written all over it.

SquirrelMeat said:

Michael Jackson - If you don't love me (future number 1!)

Interesting pick. I thought i was the only one that dug that . Meditate on this, i will.

SquirrelMeat said:

MickyDolenz said:

It was a R&B hit. People today forget that other than Purple Rain and maybe 1999, Prince's albums were never really popular like Sting, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Lionel Richie, Journey, Phil Collins, and other big acts of the 1980's. Many of Prince's singles never charted high either. For every one of his big singles, there were 2 or 3 others that flopped.

America is not the world.

Do you mean North, Central, or South America or the United States of America?

MickyDolenz said:

SquirrelMeat said:

America is not the world.

Do you mean North, Central, or South America or the United States of America?

Most United Statesians wrongly label themselves and their Country America, so I was simply playing to the mass arrogance.

hmmm... as much as I love "Housequake", I don't necessarily agree that it would have been the obvious choice for 2nd single. It was a little extreme and "out there" for mainstream radio play on Top 40 stations, IMHO.

I think "U Got the Look" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" should have been 2nd and 3rd. Then at that point, for the 4th maybe take a chance on "Housequake" or something else.

I also agree that "Girls & Boys" for sure should have been the 2nd single from "Parade".

2Nite & This Can't Be Good by Janet

Colonized Mind, Here by Prince (among others)