When I was younger, I thought When Doves Cry was horrifically overrated. I thought that 1999 or Little Red Corvette should have been his first #1 hit single.

I got tired of hearing about the song not having a bassline. I got tired about hearing how unique it was for the time. I didn't really see the significance of it.

I never really "got it", until one day when I heard it on the radio. I was like "OOOOHHH, Now I get it"!!!

After that I realized how great and how innovative the song actually was. I wish it didn't take me 20+ years to figure that out.

Another song that I disliked when I was younger was Adore. I didn't really like to many songs that Prince used his falsetto in besides Kiss. To me, Sign O' the Times ended after It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night.

But then came my teenage years. I had my first real girlfriend, and my hormones were out of control.

I was completely head over heels for this girl. One day I was listening to Sign, and I decided to let Adore play.

Man, those lyrics punched me right in the face!!! He pretty much wrote what I was feeling at the time, just 12 years earlier.

That's the great thing about growing up as a Prince fan. You find a song that compleltely relates to whatever you're going through.
[Edited 6/21/09 1:15am]

This happened some time ago. And it isn't really that I ever HATED it, I just didn't get it. And then after many years had passed, it came onto my airwaves one day and socked me right between my eyes: BAM! (...in classic Emeril Lagasse fashion...) "Elephants & Flowers" is The Bomb!

Never hated but didn't really feel "Condition of the Heart" for a long time, then it hit me and became a steady fave - but it has now drifted again a little.

Swa

Sometimes It Snows In April

Parade was the first cd I ever bought. There was a defect that made this song skip and I never replaced the cd because I didn't care for the song. Maybe I too closely identified the song with the movie I detested. But hearing the song live for the first time changed my perspective on the song.

I've also learned to enjoy Under the Cherry Moon for what it is!

The first time I heard Dirty Mind the first thing that came to my head was "Why'd I waste my money on this sh*t for?" I thought it was extremely overrated & didn't deserve all the praise it gets from the org. I don't know what changed but now I can play it back to front, side to side, all day everyday and not get sick of the bloody thing ..

Honorable mentions ..

Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance
Let's Have a Baby - This song didn't stand out to me at all untill I saw the Oprah interview & the bit where this song was included and what it meant to him ..
Raspberry Beret
Let's Pretend We're Married
Something In The Water .. - Now, it's one of my all time faves
Purple Rain - I really didn't see what the fuss was about, untill I listened to the full song right up on my ipod one night .. These days I have to listen to the song completely as it ain't the same without the end

I used to always skip "The Beautiful Ones" but now I've come to appreciate it for some reason. It's cool to rediscover an old tune you never liked before. It's sorta like getting to hear it for the first time.