For what it's worth, Prince makes six appearances in the Rolling Stone Top 500 songs of all time list.

http://www.rollingstone.c...1/500songs

52 When Doves Cry
108 Little Red Corvette
143 Purple Rain
212 1999
299 Sign O’ the Times
461 Kiss

it's kinda seven, isn't it? isn't "nothing compares 2 U" in the list? i could be wrong, but...

Nothing compares to U by Sinead O'Connor is #162, so our boy made the list again as a songwriter.

He's high up there on number of entries.

Um...When Doves Cry is a better song than Little Red Corvette, Purple Rain and Sign 'O' the Times?

I would rank 'em like this:

1. Sign 'O' the Times
2. Purple Rain
3. Little Red Corvette
4. Kiss
5. 1999
6. When Doves Cry

While I understand the importance of WDC in terms of innovation, I personally think it's a highly overrated song.

Scanning the list looks like Prince wins this battle of 80's Icons

Prince- 6 songs
Michael Jackson - 2 (Billie Jean , Beat It)
Madonna - 1 (Like A Prayer)

newpower99 said:

Unless you want to count U2 w/ 7 songs. (Technically they would b tied w/ Prince
if U count Nothing Compares 2 U (wriiten by Prince).

interesting. I will say I'm surprised and impressed that they included Sign O The Times!

newpower99 said:

Sure does, but are any of these artists songs their best?

Not a chance.

Again the loathsome RS goes for the obvious. Prince has better B-sides than some of the songs they've selected. Why do they just pick songs that were singles?

Predictable crap.


[Edited 11/22/04 11:20am]

alexandernevermind said:

So, I got 5 out of 6...I had thought Controversy would have been up there (though I was straining to think of a 6th song...as it could have been a few others like D&P or Cream) Sign O the Time makes perfect sense.

newpower99 said:

Now that lil list is a bigger shocker than Prince's list (Hell Prince having 6 on the list now looks shocking)...MJ only 2? I think that Thriller and Don't stop till you get enough shoulda been on there. Madonna's is even more shocking...no Like a Virgin, Material Girl, Vogue, Ray of Light..a dozen others?

superspaceboy said:

On rare occasions Rolling Stone does know what they're talking about. I like the list. It's not perfect and some may not be in MY correct order, but it's a good list nonetheless.

These lists are always a waste of time, it's just another way to make art into a game, a competition, a joke. What's the greatest song of all time? Whatever makes you feel the way you felt the first time you cried listening to music.
It's different everyday!

superspaceboy said:

I would have also liked more Madonna but I'm glad "Like A Prayer" made it over "Like A Virgin". "Into the Groove" is certainly one of the biggest most influentail dance records out there but I guess that shows how snobby Rolling Stone is.

this same magazine didn't list Prince as one of the best guitarists -- they lost a lot of credibility on that one

Snap said:

:roll:Predictable, is right Markk--

Why the hell is Kiss in the 400s?

Why is SOTT so low on this damned list ?

How is he not on the list for best guitarists? and b. Who was, star?

After all he did for the Conservative Crusade against obscene music, this is what the hell shows up on the list? Where the hell is the raunchy stuff?
[Edited 11/22/04 13:22pm]

Marrk said:

Because it would go over the heads of RS's casual fans.

Yes, yes, lists are inherently bogus, Rolling Stone sucks, etc. etc....

Actually, over the past year RS has given out the complete list of people who were surveyed to create the list...as opposed to the old days when it was not only a secretive corporate process, but it's been alleged that Jann Wenner (publisher of RS) used to edit the results rather freely. That's why a Billy Joel song ("Uptown Girl") made the top 100 the last time they did this (1988).

I was just looking at their album list from a year ago...it's disappointing that Purple Rain has fallen out of favor (mid-90's on the list). I bet if they did the poll today it would be higher...

Beat It, is just wrong..MJ has tons of better songs
Surely, 'Don't Stop 'till U get enough' is much more of a landmark..

Prince should have had more then 6 songs ONLY 6???

alexandernevermind said:

What about:
Adore
Let's Go Crazy

which are 2 more simple songs everyone on the planet knows, they were hits & pop culture/the media has heard of. Forget about all the really great songs real fans know.

'adore' is too interesting a choice, and 'let's go crazy' is too edgy a choice. the only reason SOTT got in the list is because they like to call it the 80s version of 'what's going on'.

--
In my purple world after a reccount of the votes, the poll ended!


NO 1 - BAMBI
NO 1 - JOY IN REPETITION
NO 1 - LET,S WORK
NO 1 - ADORE
NO 1 - D.M.S.R
NO 1 - GETT OFF




.

They're also so wrong in most of their stories regarding the songs for example Prince did not have any guitar solo that they talk about in Little Red Corvette or nmaybe im just wrong but I was sure that was Dez

Interestingly enough, Rolling Stone makes my list of all time least favorite magazines but I guess they know what a hit is.

Marrk said:

Hehehe. Even though I think the magazine is riding the wave of it's own history, I think you forget this is still a magazine that writes to readers that will only know most these artists by their hits.

Only nerds like us, that faithfully buy everything their musical hero puts out know the songs that others dont, like them b-sides you refer to.

But do remember that even while we are tired of listening to these songs over and over again on the radio, these are still the songs the masses remember him from.

And not from a concert tickets/new cd tie-in as a stunt that proppeled Musicology into the charts where it did not belong.

im surprised billie jean didnt beat when doves cry.... when i think of the 80s i think of mr jackson and billie jean is the 1st song i think of. Im also surprised it is not higher on the list due to its overall popularity and the overall greatness that that ablbum had. just a thought tho not dissin prince cuz afterall whos the musician? y yes prince not mr jackson lol

The list is about right. Controversy shoulda been on it i think, and kiss should of been higher on the list.

As for When Doves Cry, man that is just about the best modern rock song ever!
its a timeless classic, it will be around and enjoyed by many way past im dead.

As for MJ and Maddona , comon they were just passing fads, hated them then, dont think about them much now.They are the popular 50's teenybopper doowop artist of our time, lol whatever that means, lol

ElectricBlue said:

Yep! Agree!

Anxiety said:

ur not, but considering "the family" first interpreted this song, it should have not been mentioned as a prince protege flop, the arrengement was beautiful.