Songs that should have been singles:

"Private Joy"

"Lovesexy"---Prince ruined the success of this album by choosing a lame second single ("Glam Slam") instead of the dynamic title track.

"And God Created Woman"---instead of the so-so "Morning Papers".

I agree with the person who said that "She's Always In My Hair" should have been on ATWIAD.I would have removed the filler track "Tambourine" to make room for it.

"Housequake"---yeah I know it was a B-side,but I think it should have been an A-side single.It would have been a strong second single,instead of "IIWYGF" (a good song,but much too weird to be a single).

"Sleep Around"---don't most of us agree that this should have been the first single from Emancipation?

i agree with sleep around completely

"Acknowledge Me" made a really big impact on me when I first heard it on "The Beautiful Experience" TV special. I was surprised that it didn't even end up on a record until it appeared on Crystal Ball.

If I remember correctly, "So Far So Pleased" never became a single due to some sort of contractual obligations that Gwen Stefani had at the time (was No Doubt promoting a record of their own at the same time?). That could have been just a rumour at the time as well.

SoulAlive said:

squirrelmeat said

Girls & Boys should have been the worldwide second single off Parade. It was funky and modern and plugged the up and coming film. Mountains bombed because it didn't fit with the current radio and you couldn't dance to it.

I agree! I was having this same debate with someone on another thread last week (lol)."Girls & Boys" was such an 'obvious' choice for the second single.It would have followed "Kiss" straight into the Top 10."Mountains" is a good 'album track' but it doesn't have that extra something to become a hit single.I don't even think it's very catchy.

Girls and Boys is one of his best tunes ever. It is not a traditional top 40 song, but yet it is catchy. It has aged very well because it dosen`t have the typical sound from the 80`s (like the songs of Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Wham etc). It is a odd and funky litle number, a kind of song that seperates him from from the other superstars from the 80`s.

song of the heart = hit ...

MickyDolenz said:

there's always been agism in radio as far as top 40 goes.

I can't really say that's true.Look back in the 80's when Aretha franklin,Tina Turner,Paul Simon and Patti Labelle all had huge hit lps and singles.They were in their late 40's early 50's then.Cher keeps coming back.

Spinlight said:

PurpleLove7 said:

'Hit' from who's point of view though? Radio? Critics? Us?

There's not an album that's been released where you can't grab at least 'one track' that wouldn't do well on the radio (Urban Radio / Top 40).

I totally disagree with ya Spin ...

Isn't "hit on the radio" implied?

... so if a song is on the radio it's a 'Hit' ??? (Urabn Radio and Top 40)

Spinlight said:

MaddMaxx said:

i'm originally from the u.s., and grace got plenty airplay in my area.

No, she didn't. If she had, she woulda had a hit. And this ain't about Grace fuckin Jones. It's about Prince. And he doesn't do hits.

actually grace got airplay in my area too.they still play pull up to the bumber(mostly old school stations and what not)but grace got played on rnb stations,just like prince.(back to the original post subject)its not so easy to say that prince didnt have alot of hits.is a hit only a hit if it hits on pop stations only?

missed oppurtunities:

should have worked on Bad

not releasing adore as a single.it is probably his most played song on radio ever.it gets regular airplay to this day on rnb stations and always has.it would have sold a ton.

making club music.prince from 79-92 had a dance hit each year.those same big dance hits are also his biggest pop and/or rnb hits as well.he should have kept it up.releasing his remixes to clubs like he used to.it would have kept him cutting edge ,because it always has

would be hits:

the beautiful ones

computer blue

girls and boys(some air play though )

adore

strange relationship

the black lp

rebirth of the flesh

elephants and flowers

the continental

billy jack bitch

SoulAlive said:

Songs that should have been singles:

[b]"Private Joy"[/b]

"Lovesexy"---Prince ruined the success of this album by choosing a lame second single ("Glam Slam") instead of the dynamic title track.

"And God Created Woman"---instead of the so-so "Morning Papers".

I agree with the person who said that [b]"She's Always In My Hair"[/b] should have been on ATWIAD.I would have removed the filler track "Tambourine" to make room for it.

"Housequake"[/b]---yeah I know it was a B-side,but I think it should have been an A-side single.It would have been a strong second single,instead of "IIWYGF" (a good song,but much too weird to be a single).

[b]"Sleep Around"---don't most of us agree that this should have been the first single from Emancipation?

And i would add Right Back Here In My Arms, off of Emancipation. That kind of upbeat r&b was popular @ the time, and also Its Gonna Be Lonely of the Prince album

P.S had no idea Housequake was never an official hit, maybe the b-side thing should have tipped me off

khemseraph said:

MickyDolenz said:

I can't really say that's true.Look back in the 80's when Aretha franklin,Tina Turner,Paul Simon and Patti Labelle all had huge hit lps and singles.They were in their late 40's early 50's then.Cher keeps coming back.

There's always an exception (ie. Frank Sinatra's Somethin' Stupid, Chuck Berry's Ding A Ling), but in general younger acts rule. Tina & Aretha did a similar thing to Carlos Santana with doing duets with young acts (Eurythmics, Bryan Adams, George Michael, etc). There was also an older audience who still bought a lot of records then, who aren't being marketed to today. Kenny G was really popular in the late 1980's, but his main audience was middle aged, and he didn't get a lot of play on Top 40 stations. He was on adult R&B and Adult Contemporary radio. Mannheim Steamroller and Yanni also sold a lot of records, but their sales weren't based on radio airplay or singles. You can say the same thing about metal acts like Iron Maiden, Metallica, & Ozzy Osbourne whose sales weren't based on radio play either. But today (in the US), it's unlikely that an older performer will get play on youth stations unless they do collabs with rappers or young singers and producers like Santana or Charlie Wilson did.

Prince had his best single success when you could actually go to a record store and buy the single. It was a combination of many factors...

- the desire for the single being released

- the curiousity of what the b side would be

- the collector in all of us that had to have the actual disc/cassette/CD

- the anticipation of the 12" and the remixes to follow

That world no longer exists. It's all about downloads and shared files between fans.

NYC was fantastic back in the day with Tower Records being open till midnight and you could spend all day going through records and 7 inches looking for stuff from your favorite artists. You were building a music collection. Now you're just making room on your harddrive for the next 'single'.

HonestMan13 said:

Prince had his best single success when you could actually go to a record store and buy the single. It was a combination of many factors...

- the desire for the single being released

- the curiousity of what the b side would be

- the collector in all of us that had to have the actual disc/cassette/CD

- the anticipation of the 12" and the remixes to follow

That world no longer exists. It's all about downloads and shared files between fans.

NYC was fantastic back in the day with Tower Records being open till midnight and you could spend all day going through records and 7 inches looking for stuff from your favorite artists. You were building a music collection. Now you're just making room on your harddrive for the next 'single'.

CO SIGN 1000% !

I don't understand this thread.

Who cares what would or could be a hit.

Everybody has their own fave songs and performances. And aren't those very personal?

To me they are.

I don't value on the bases of ever have been a hit or not.

I value them for the music, lyrics or memory.

Please, epxlain to me the need for P to make hits. Does he has financial problems, so he needs to sell more? That's the only reason I can think of to even care about how many other people bought that song or album.

I get laughed at for my P addiction. Quote from tonight: "That's why we love you JJ, all of your quarky things, like your love for P music."

I guess they are right, I am quarky in my opinions. However, I do believe in that. And I don't believe that the masses are allways right (eg. buying records, so a song becomse a hit)

Why is it important that P should have hits? Really?

dJJ said:

I don't understand this thread.

Please, epxlain to me the need for P to make hits. Does he has financial problems, so he needs to sell more? That's the only reason I can think of to even care about how many other people bought that song or album.

Why is it important that P should have hits? Really?

Artists generally has two motivations. To have their music heard and/or to make a living. To do either you need hits.

If P didn't want hits, he could have flipped burgers and made albums in his bedroom. He wanted people to hear his music. So he wants hits, directly or as promotion to sell albums.

No sane artist makes music and he wants to flop.

All this thread is doing is looking at the choices made in picking hits and what could have been better choices.

Whats hard to understand?

I guess I don't understand to push any music onto ears that don't want to listen.

dJJ said:

I guess I don't understand to push any music onto ears that don't want to listen.

I bet most artists would say they are the ears they would most like to influence.

SquirrelMeat said:

dJJ said:

I don't understand this thread.

Please, epxlain to me the need for P to make hits. Does he has financial problems, so he needs to sell more? That's the only reason I can think of to even care about how many other people bought that song or album.

Why is it important that P should have hits? Really?

Artists generally has two motivations. To have their music heard and/or to make a living. To do either you need hits.

If P didn't want hits, he could have flipped burgers and made albums in his bedroom. He wanted people to hear his music. So he wants hits, directly or as promotion to sell albums.

No sane artist makes music and he wants to flop.

All this thread is doing is looking at the choices made in picking hits and what could have been better choices.

Whats hard to understand?

According to this site Prince hasn't had a hit in 17 years and he's hardly lining up for public assistance. At this point in his career a hit song is not necessary but it would be welcomed i'm sure.

HonestMan13 said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Artists generally has two motivations. To have their music heard and/or to make a living. To do either you need hits.

If P didn't want hits, he could have flipped burgers and made albums in his bedroom. He wanted people to hear his music. So he wants hits, directly or as promotion to sell albums.

No sane artist makes music and he wants to flop.

All this thread is doing is looking at the choices made in picking hits and what could have been better choices.

Whats hard to understand?

According to this site Prince hasn't had a hit in 17 years and he's hardly lining up for public assistance. At this point in his career a hit song is not necessary but it would be welcomed i'm sure.

Because he had enough hits 25 years ago to trade on the back of it. Prince would love a hit today I'm sure, just to prove a prove a point.

I'm still lost. What actually is a hit?

Defintion please, for those who never concerned about hits?

dJJ said:

I'm still lost. What actually is a hit?

Defintion please, for those who never concerned about hits?

I don't think you'll find a definitive answer.

It could be a record that sells a lot. I could be a record that reaches a wide audience. It could be both.