I sometimes think about how future generations will look back at Prince's musical heritage.

What about if 100 years from now people will look back at this music, and have to point out 1 song that makes clear what Prince's stands for, what song will they choose?

Personally i have a tie here: Automatic and When Doves Cry.

Automatic has the creative use of the Linn-drum, the interlocking synthmotifs, the typical vocal harmonies in the background, a dark, broody funkieness, minimal elements used with great effect to create a hypnotizing piece of electrofunk.
Not only this shows all key-elements of the Minneapolis sound, IMO the way Prince 'handles' the different elements of the arrangement has also been very influential on followers like: Jam and Lewis, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Beck, the electroclash movement and the french disco-funk of artists like Daft Punk (in a broader context: 1999 is probably his most influential album to date).

When Doves cry shares some elements of Automatic: a creative use of the linn drum, unsettling background vocals, a dark atmosphere, a certain minimalism (leaving the bass out of the arrangement!), but this song also goes further then Automatic.
It has more rock-influences (use of a raw guitarsound) and the razor-sound of the intro and the semi-classical keyboard-solo point forward to the more psychedelic, experimental songs he delivered in the second halve of the eighties.
In that sense it also is a blueprint for the efforts of Prince in the second halve of the eighties to create long, suite-like compositions (Crystal Ball, All my dreams, Lovesexy, Positivity).

I find it hard to decide which song is in essence the most essential, so i keep it with a tie.

I am curious about your picks.

Every single non Prince fan said to me "I KNOW U LOVE PEUPLE RAIN" although I hardly play that song and dont even know the words.

So as 4 that ... Purple Rain is definitley the essential Prince anthem of all times. Just as Like A Virgin for Madonna and Billie Jean for Mike. Those are the "they better NOT get off the stage and NOT SING..."trademarks that will always be stamped in2 their lives forever more.

But in your situation When Doves Cry. It went #1, it has everything from Mpls Sound to guitar to the Prince adlibs in falcetto that is Prince trademark.

Automatic is a nice song but will hardly be remembered, hell no non P fan rememebrs that one.

I agree, Purple rain it is. Prince has tried many times to get away from that song but his audiences will never let him leave the building without doing it. On Jay Leno he called it the albotross around his neck.

Purple Rain will be the anthem.


But When Doves Cry is the one they're going to be studying in college and shit

I'm gonna go with 1999!
I'm thinkin that its gonna make a come back in the year 2099.

Purple Rain.

It's the cross-over rock anthem of his career the only Prince song I've EVER heard at a biker bar.

He has not recorded it yet!
[Edited 7/29/07 19:03pm]

Purple Rain...

for better and worst.

for everyone saying Purple Rain.... 23 years later, which do you hear on the radio more often? it or When Doves Cry? or Kiss? or Little Red Corvette? or Let's Go Crazy?


i hear all of those songs much, much more than i ever hear Purple Rain.


in 100 years, it think that's going to still be the case.

Raze said:

are you creating a new sub-category within this thread cause there's a difference between "what is the essential prince song" and "what's the most played prince song".

sosgemini said:

"essential" when it comes to songs means a cross between popularity and quality, i'd think.

Quinn319 said:

I think 1999 too. That song captures a zeitgeist that makes it something that will be, in my opinion, be considered essential.

Plus, it introduced a new idiom into the language: "X like it's X" ("party like its ..." The latest issue of Wired, for example, gives tips on how make photos look old-timey. The last line in the article is "Now you're ready to print like it's 1899." I see similar phrases used all the time.

When Doves Cry. Case closed

My name is PRoince. beakos it,s funky two dance two and it invent hiphop[ music

My mom only really listens to country music. Back in 2004, when I told her I was going to a Prince concert, the only song she knew Prince sang was "Purple Rain". So I would have to say "Purple Rain" is the essential Prince song. It's the one he will always be remembered for.

well im gonna say JUGHEAD

Billie Jean. definitely. Then maybe Sign O' the Times.

the most quoted song, most played song is....

KISS

Purple Rain. Duh.

CNNBREAKINGNEWS said:

For all of the awesome things that Prince has done musically and for all of the sounds that have been attributed to him, everything always seems to come back to "When Doves Cry," which would be my vote.

You all know the story already about the bass line and having that removed. The casual music listener has no idea that this song is unique in that way because it has such a groove to it regardless. But I am always reading about how "genius" that song was just because Prince messed with it like that.

Getting rid of the bass in a pop-funk song is huge. It'd be the same as an animated film winning the Best Picture Oscar (or something like that).

WHEN DOVES CRY!

Keith/Kacey

the song appearing most in popular culture (last week Christie Brinkley was trying to sing it - on a "The Soup" clip):

ufoclub said:

I gotta say it will probably be Kiss!

Butchersdog said:

im not even gonna say nuffin else

When Doves Cry is his signature work of genius by some way IMO. Its perfection.

shit, i'm gonna say Adore, because it's the quintessential Prince ballad, and he's just as important balladeer as funkateer.

emilio319 said:

Agreed.

CNNBREAKINGNEWS said:

That's a thought. What most have suggested on the board thus far is overplayed overkill. It be interesting to see what other suggestions come up.

Purple Rain
When Doves Cry
Kiss

All three.

ufoclub said:

Yeah. I agree. Kiss is more likely to be the one.
It's a big hit and a very good example of Prince's innovations in pop music. It was immediately considered as a kind of "standard" when it came out. Either public and critics love it. In Europe you still can hear it sometimes on the radio or in a disco.


...well, indeed, if I look at the tread about "first line of sign "o" the times" I could also change my mind (too funny)