mchl88 said:
IM001 - I hate you! Ever since you posted this I have labored over making my own list. Im actually kidding - its been fun doing this. I've worked on it on and off for the past few weeks.
Decades-wise there’s no surprise. I’ve got 4 songs on here from the 1970s (when Prince released his first 2 albums) 46 songs from the 1980s (including 3 B-sides) 41 songs from the 90s and the last 10 from anything past 2000. (yes I know that adds to 101. Read the list and you’ll see why.) BTW I’m using commercial release date. If I were using recorded date the 80s would have an even bigger lead because some of the songs he recorded in the 80s didn’t get released till 1998’s Crystal Ball collection.
As far as albums go there were a few surprises for me once I tallied the numbers: Sign O The Times and Purple Rain tie with 8 songs on my list which makes sense. But Emancipation does too which only confirms my long standing argument that this would have been a great single album. The difference between Sign O the Times and Emancipation is most of the SOTT songs that didn’t make the list were considered. Other than one or two from Emancipation, nothing that didn’t make the list was even thought about. That album has moments of greatness surrounded by a lot of filler. 1999 is next with 7 songs. Then the Crystal Ball collection and 1998’s New Power Soul album come in with 6 selections. Maybe it was the time of my life when New Power Soul came out (I was going through my divorce) but it surprises me how much of that album made my list compared to something like Around the World In a Day (only 2 songs) and Batman (only 2 songs but oddly enough both in the top 20) Anyway after Crystal Ball and New Power Soul, Parade, Dirty Mind and The Symbol Album have 5 songs and LoveSexy and Chaos and Disorder have 4 (another bit of a surprise.)
I much prefer Prince’s upbeat stuff to his ballads, as will be evident on this list. Prince’s funkier songs are by far my favorite. Which may explain how “I Rock Therefore I Am” makes the list and “Scandalous” doesn’t. I make no apologies for that. It’s my list. So here you go:
100 Starfish and Coffee - I probably agonized more over this selection than any other because whatever went here eliminated about 20 other worthy songs. But this happy diddy from SOTT couldn't not make my list
99 Daddy Pop - great beat and typical overconfident Prince lyrics.
98 Guitar – I’ve seen Prince play this live a few times which probably helps it make my list. It’s a rocker that allows him to show off so runs. And that line, ”I love you baby, not like I love my guitar” is just too good to leave off.
97 Courtin Time - Prince is one of those über talented artists that just like to try different genres from time to time for the hell of it. Here he does a jazz-aged swing song and produces something that could hang with Count Basie and Glenn Miller
96 The Human Body - what an undiscovered gem this is. An infectious dance beat and Prince singing in his highest register.
95 Everlasting Now - didn't think much of the Rainbow Children album but if this is Prince's idea of heaven I'll take an eternity of it.
94 Blue Light - again Prince playing with other genres. We know he can do sultry jams so how about a reggae infused sultry jam. And for good measure
93 Pretzelbodylogic - one of this few newer songs that could hang with the best of his 80s and 90s work
92 Sleep Around - Instead of 3 CDs and 3 hours of music Emancipation should have been 1 14 song collection. And this would have been one of the best tracks on it.
91 Housequake. - Just your typical Prince party romp that finds him as the band leader telling everybody to shut up and listen to the band. And what a band it is.
90 Mountains - Love this foot-stomping romp from Parade and I love how The Revolution appeared on a cloud to sing this song over the credits of Under The Cherry Moon
89 Get Yo Groove On - A breezy dance song from Emancipation that makes me wanna move
88 Free - I was 16 years old when the 1999 album was released and I thought this song was pretty powerful, including the opening sounds of soldiers marching and that innocent, almost shy, singing style Prince employs. Today the lyrics don't seem quite as impactful - still with lines like "I know my heart is beating the drummer tells me so" I understand why I always drawn to this song
87 Pop Life - This is a song that not only shows off Prince's sense of humor but his optimism as well. I love the philosophy that not everyone can be on top yet we can all be funky (and our life can have pop)
86 Adore - You won't see a lot of Prince's ballads on this list. While I recognize that he writes great ones I just prefer his more upbeat, funkier or rocking songs. But Adore stands out as one of his best sultry ballads
85 Little Red Corvette - A song that in my opinion suffers from over exposure. Sure it's great and the lyrics demonstrate not only Prince's raunchiness but also his sense of humor but I hear this song so often on Syrius' 80s channel that I have to admit I've changed the station at times
84 Crimson and Clover - A cover song on this list? Yep. It's such a great version of an awesome song (did Tommy James write any bad ones) and gives Prince a chance to wail on guitar
83 Acknowledge Me - A song that inexplicably was removed from the Gold Experience (it would have been the 3rd best song on the album) and didn't see the light of day till Prince released The Crystal Ball, this song has one of the hardest drums beats you'll ever hear.
82 My Computer - Prince released Emancipation just as the World Wide Web was blowing up. This song captured some of that early innocence that we all had with this brand new invention. "I scanned my computer looking for a site, make believe it's a better world, a better life." Of course this song also has a very sad line in it where Prince says he's got a child and he has a lot to explain. Prince and Mayte were pregnant when he was making that album and I guess Prince figured by the time the song came out that line would be true . . .
81 Sexy MF - Only Prince. That's all I can say. Only Prince could sing this song and have everyone go, yup, instead of, what an asshole.
80 Soft and Wet - The only song off Prince’s debut album that makes my list but not out of any obligation. In my opinion this is the song off that 1978 album that revealed this 19 year olds potential. He’s not going to be a disco artist and he’s not just going to sing about dancing. He’s going to push the boundaries and sing explicitly but he’s going to wrap it all up with an infectious beat and rhythm.
79 Head/Sister - Am I cheating by putting these two songs together? If you had the vinyl of Dirty Mind you'd know I'm not. Sister is just an extra minute and a half of saliciousness after Head's raunciness. These themes might not seem that scandalous today but in the early 80s there weren't a lot of songs about blow jobs, S&M and incest
78 I Like Funky Music - Ironic that this song isn't funkier but still I like the chanted chorus and, yes, I'll admit it, Doug E Fresh's rapping too
77 Let's Work - An early example of Prince's genius. Go listen to this all the way through. Amazing bass work right. Great synthesizers too. And that foot stomping drumbeat, incredible too. It's all Prince. He wrote it, performed every instrument and sang lead and back up. And the song still stands up today as a classic 80s party song.
76 Lady Cab Driver - Prince gets into a taxi with a female driver. He's lonely (but he knows that's no way to be). They make love and Prince dedicates each thrust to something different ("This is 4 the women, so beautifully complex. This 1's 4 love without sex"). And it takes place over eight and half glorious minutes on side 4 of the 1999 album.
75 Sexual Suicide - Prince was so prolific in the mid 80s that even though he was producing an album a year for himself and a bunch of others for "protege bands" amazing songs like this wound up being shelved. This song begins with classic Prince scream before launching into a frenetic drum beat. It's a gorgeous romp that culminates with Prince saying "somebody flip me over."
74 Darling Nikki. - Haunting. That's what I've always thought of this song. I don't find it sexual (not compared to so many other Prince songs) I find it haunting, angry, even scary. There's talk of castles and devices and grinding and whatever she does to Prince his body will never be the same. And then there's the backwards lyrics at the end. All very strange and wonderful.
73 New Power Soul - Another invitation song to kick off an album - this time not to a party but to a concert featuring Prince's latest band (New Power Generation or NPG). Love the beat and the oft repeated chant "get freaky, let your head bob."
72 New Power Generation - A funky call to arms but instead of violence Prince declares "Making love and music's the only things worth fighting four!" Now that's a revolution I can get behind.
71 Let's Pretend We're Married - Never knew or could tell if Prince was trying to be funny when he sang "let's pretend we're married we'll go all night" but I've always known what he meant when he sang "I sincerely wanna fuck the taste out of your mouth." This is one of those early Prince songs where he was mixing sexuality and spiritually because after all that talk of fucking Prince declares "I'm in love with God, he's the only way." An amazing song from the amazing 1999 album.
70 Freaks On This Side - Much of the 1998 Newpower Soul album has a very spontaneous feel to it and this track is a great example. Featuring Prince's oft used concert call out "freaks on this side" which he uses to perk up a crowd, this song has a "written and recorded in five minutes" feel to it. And it makes me happy every time I hear it.
69 Partyup - This tracks closes Prince's amazing 1980 album "Dirty Mind." It's the album I heard as a 14 year old and thought, holy shit this guy's amazing. This is a party anthem that opens with the line "we don't give a damn we just want to jam" and closes with the chant "You're gonna have to fight your own damn war cause we don't want to fight no more." I relished in that as an awkward kid trying to find his way through his awkward teens. And I still do.
68 'The Ballad of Dorothy Parker - Prince takes a bath with a waitress named Dorothy Parker but he leaves his pants on because he's kinda going with someone. I never could figure out if they did it or not but what does it matter with a song this simple and beautiful. Dorothy Parker has always reminded me of The Beatles song "Norwegian Wood" and both leave the sex act open to debate.
67 Sign O The Times - The title track of Prince's greatest album, this song is probably Prince's best attempt at speaking to social issues. He never mentions AIDS by name but everyone in 1987 knew what that big disease with the little name was. And though he doesn't resolve anything (he chalks it all up to a Sign of the Times) there is a feeling of abandon when he sings "a man ain't happy truly till a man truly dies." This isn't a happy song which in the rarefied air of the late 80s made it stand out - which maybe should have been a sign of the times.
66 Had U - in 1978 Prince released his first album on Warner Brothers records titled "For You" with an opening track of the same name. 18 years later, after a tumultuous run on Warner Brothers he released his last album for that label. The last track on that album is a simple and haunting song called "Had U." The symmetry is too perfect to deny and the lyrics are so simple and honest they include everything from "begged you" to "disappointed you" to "fuck you" and finally to "had u." Pure genius
65 I Wanna Melt With U - A techno sounding dance track that describes sex as slow and slippery, bathing in each other's hips and of course melting together. All that and it turns out she was a virgin. Only Prince.
64 3121 0 I love any Prince song (and there are plenty of them) where he invites me to a party. Prince wrote 3121 while he was staying in LA (which may explain the Hotel California-esque line "you can come if you want to but you can never leave") and this slow and funky song has always been a favorite of mine.
63 Positivity - Prince's 1988 album Lovesexy was a direct result of his last minute pulling of The Black Album because he felt it was too dark. Lovesexy is the anthesis, it is upbeat and positive album and this 7 minute track that closes it asks the simple question, Have you had your plus sign today? Every time I hear this song I answer with a resounding yes!
62 $ - Not much that Prince has produced in the last 10 years can hang with his best stuff of the 80s and 90s but there's something about this song about a hot chick and what you'd do to impress her that makes me happy.
61 Raspberry Beret - Despite what my sister has revealed to me about this song it's still one
of my all time favorites by Prince.
60 Controversy - Prince kicked off his fourth studio album with this song which addressed
some of the questions that were swirling around him at the time. And by the end of the song
Prince tells us he just wishes there were no black and white and no rules.
59 All The Critics Love U In New York - Another extended song from the 1999 album,
this one featuring the Prince motivational chant: body don't wanna quit gotta get another hit.
58 Mad Sex - Funky song with a sick bass line all about great sex? Yup, that's our Prince.
57 The Jam of the Year - This song kicks off Prince's 1996 opus Emancipation. It's a funky call to arms including a shout out to the DJ. Not much on Emancipation would live up to this opener but it was indeed the jam of the year.
56 I Feel For You - Everyone knows Chaka Kahn's cover version but Prince's original version from his second album is a pretty good song and a solid signal of where Prince was heading as an artist.
55 She's Always In My Hair - One of Prince's best B sides, this is a song with an infectious beat and rhythm so who cares if you can't tell whether "she's always in my hair" is a compliment or not.
54 Can't Stop This Feeling I Got - The first song on the Graffitii Bridge album is upbeat and catchy. Unfortunately neither the album nor the movie of the same name lived up to this great opening.
53 Get On the Boat - Love the funky horns and "Love Train" type message in this song
52 Life Can Be So Nice - A great upbeat song from Parade with an awesomely positive message.
51 Style - This slinky track from Emancipation is nothing more than a list of things Prince considers to be stylish. And who better to get this advice from? “Style - is loving yourself to everyone else does too.” Preach on P!
50 My Name Is Prince - After sampling some of his earlier hits Prince kicks off his 1993 Symbol album with the declaration "My name is Prince and I am funky. My name is Prince the one and only.” The songs rocks. The song brags. The song is Prince personified.
49 Take Me With You - A pop-duet to help launch Purple Rain. Even when Prince is blatantly selling out he's a genius.
48 If I Was Your Girlfriend. - It doesn't get much more seductive than this.
47 Anna Stesia. If Prince ever starts a religion he's already got some hymns written. This one’s the best. God love is love. Love is God. If only it were that simple
46 Funky Design. What can I tell you. Prince’s funky stuff is my favorite. Just can’t get enough of that hard hitting 96 BPM sound.
45 I Would Die For You Part of the grand finale of Prince's masterwork Purple Rain. This song always gets me going.
44 Dirty Mind - After his first 2 albums Prince sought to redefine himself as more than just a pop/R&B artist. With Dirty Mind he introduced elements of punk and the burgeoning New Wave scene but of course with a Prince-ly attitude and raunchier lyrics. This song, the title track, kicked the album off and is still one of his best early 80s songs.
43 Dig You Better Dead. From his last Warner album Chaos and Disorder this song never makes it obvious who wants who dead but with an infectious hook like this who cares?
42 Alphabet Street - A pop song that taught men how to give cunnilingus. Only Prince
41 LoveSexy - Prince wanted the entire LoveSexy album to be a religious experience and this song, the title track is a great example. It's starts as a typical dance number but then ends with some chanting and tying many of the themes of the album together. This is an amazing musical collage.
40 Let's Go Crazy - I prefer the extended version with the piano break down (similar to the version you hear in the beginning of the movie) but even if I can only hear the regular version this song still kicks ass.
39 1999 - Most artists who write about the world ending focus on looking back at the good things and maybe having some regret about the days they'll miss. Prince says Let's party! After all we could all die here today but before I let that happen, well, you know the rest.
38 Movie Star – I’m usually not a fan of spoken lyrics but when they're this hilarious I'll take em. Movie Star was written in the mid 80s when Prince was just that. He's off to a club one night and the hilarity ensues from there.
37 When You Were Mine - Before Cyndi Lauder had a hit with this Prince did an upbeat version of this quirky, post-relationship song. She cheated on him and wore his clothes but he'd still take her back because he loves her more than he did when they were together. But my favorite line of the whole song is "when you were mine, you were kinda sorta my best friend."
36 Cloreen Bacon Skin - 15 minutes of Prince and Morris Day jamming on drums and bass and having some fun about an ugly woman named Cloreen Bacon Skin? Sounds like torture till you hear that beat and grinding bass. Then, you're all in.
35 Baby I'm a Star. The amazing part about this song is that when he wrote it he was barely a star but by the time most of America heard it he was huge. Talk about a self fulfilling prophesy! Oh and "Take a picture sweetie I ain't got time to waste." One of Prince's greatest lyrics.
34 Love Sign. There's a simplicity about this song that I just love. Prince sings the lyrics in something just louder than a whisper. And the lyrics are pure love and optimism.
33 Delirious - One of Prince's best upbeat romp. The album version is great but when he breaks this out and does this live it's something special.
32 It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night - Prince leading an 8 minute Parliament-esque funk party complete with Oh-We-Oh chants and a Sheila E rap.
31 Wasted Kisses - Remember when hidden tracks on CDs was a thing? This is a hidden track that's always haunted me. Why did I waste my kisses on you baby? Prince asks and at first it sounds like a post break up lament. But then the sirens start and the heart monitor machine goes from beeping to a steady tone and you realize it's much more ominous.
30 Dinner With Delores - Great beat. Great rhythm. And hilarious lyrics. Introduce the carpet to something other than your knees. Indeed.
29 Peach - Prince brazenly rocks out about a woman so hot she'd turn a gay preacher into a sinner.
28 Musicology - Prince kicked off his 2004 album Musicology (his last great album IMO) with this awesome title track. It's an ode to old school music with name checks to Earth, Wind and Fire, James Brown Sly's Stone, Chuck D and Jam Master Jay.
27 I Wanna Be Your Lover. This is Prince's first great song. An awesome beat, catchy R&B melody and Prince's high falsetto telling a woman to forget all the other guys and give in to his advances. He can't say "I ain't got no money" anymore but other than that his message hasn't changed much through the years.
26 Gold - This is the finale on The Gold Experience. I think it was Prince’s way of trying to write a “Purple Rain Part Two” and as you can see from my positioning here I think he came pretty damn close. Sure it’s not as iconic at PR but it’s got all the elements: the slow build, soaring guitar solo, chanted lyrics.
25 Purple Rain This song is a religious experience. When he plays it live he often channels Hendrix in the guitar solo. It’s Prince’s anthem and it should probably be in my top 10 but for me it’s just slightly over played
24 The Beautiful Ones. If there's a song with more passion in it I've never hear it. Baby baby baby listen to me . . .
23 When Doves Cry - I feel like I’m bunching up the Purple Rain songs here but it’s not on purpose. These are the best songs from his best single album (see what I did there) so it makes sense so many of them start landing towards the top of the list.
22 17 Days - I always felt like this was the sequel to Nothing Compares 2 U (even though it was probably written before that) Prince is still counting the days since a bad breakup but he’s gone from sad to bitter. He sits in his lonely room with his last 2 cigarettes and his broken heart and imagines his ex with another lover. The beat is urgent and the synthesizer work is pure mid-80s Prince. Incredible song that somehow couldn’t find its way onto an album. Just another great B-side.
21 Bambi - An early sign that Prince was more than just an R&B artist. He rocks out on this (especially when he plays it live) and sings about trying to turn a lesbian straight (can’t you understand, it’s better with a man.) Not sure what that final line means (about making her bleed) but Prince was 21 when he wrote this so he can be forgiven I guess.
20 - Thieves in the Temple This song starts Midtempo and smoldering but then continues to build in energy and when the guitar kicks in it really takes off. It’s one of the few saving graces on the entire Graffitti Bridge album.
19 Erotic City - Prince has had some amazing “B-sides” in his career but this one has to be the best. If any other artist produced a song this infectious and sexy it would be the lead single off their album. With Prince this got relegated to a B side (to Let’s Got Crazy – how’s that for a single!) And I know Prince wasn’t the first writer to use “funk” as a play on words for “fuck” but he does it so well here you’re really not quite sure what Sheila E is singing back there. Is it “We can funk until the dawn” or . . .
18 I Rock Therefore I Am. This is a guilty pleasure of mine. The lyrics are cliche and the rap cringe worthy but there's something about the beat and Rosie Gaines' backing vocals and that line, "I don't need you to tell me I'm in the band" that gets me every time
17 Prettyman - Another “Hidden Track” that’s as good as anything else on the disc. This is Prince just vamping. Having fun and letting Maceo Parker do his thang. Prince could have a million epitaphs but “Don't hate me cuz I'm beautiful” should definitely be in the running.
16 Kiss - Yeah it’s one of his biggest hits and as a DJ it’s one of the few I actually play at events but there’s something about this song, the chicken scratch guitar and that drumbeat that seems to have no bottom and Prince’s impossibly high falsetto that makes this an all time great.
15 319 Why does this song haunt me so? I can’t ever hear those numbers, or wake up on March 19th, and not start signing this. And “how’d you get your legs to do that?” is one of the all time funny/sexy lines ever.
14 Life O The Party - Maybe it’s because of my chosen profession but man this song speaks to me on so many levels – including Candy Dulfer’s sax playing.
13 AnotherLoverHoleInYourHead – You need another lover like you need a hole in your head. I can never sit still when this song comes on.
12 Pope - Opening with that great Bernie Mac sample (I ain’t scared a you mother fucker) this song launches into an amazing funk groove that never lets up. The scratching is awesome and Prince’s singing/rapping is spot on. You can be the president. I’d rather be the Pope. Never understood what he meant but who cares when it’s this funky.
11 Come On - After my divorce I found myself in a situation trying to win the love of a younger woman who was kinda going with a guy her own age. Prince came to my rescue with this song: “I know you got a young man but he can’t do it like me.” Indeed. I never did win her love but this song gave me the confidence to move on to other endeavors.
10 Electric Chair - One of the last songs Prince wrote for The Batman soundtrack this song plays with the idea of temptation and guilt in such a cunning way. I still can’t sing the line “If a man is considered guilty for what goes on his mind then give me the electric chair for all my future crimes” with the same cadence that Prince does but it’s not from lack of effort.
9 Now - When this song explodes out of the seque on The Gold Experience with the ear shattering “NOW!” it’s always a high point for me. This is the kind of groove I could listen to forever.
8 Sometimes It Snows In April - Saddest song Prince ever wrote. Maybe the saddest song anyone’s ever written. And the acoustic guitar sets the somber tone perfectly
7 7 - Not sure anyone really knows what this song is really about but with a lyric like “I am yours now and u are mine - And together we'll love through - All space and time” does it really matter? This song is exotic and beautiful.
6 Days of Wild - It doesn’t get much funkier or vulgar than this - no matter which version you hear. I’ll go with the 9 minute live one he released on Crystal Ball. Hold on to your wigs. These are the days of wild
5 Money Don't Matter 2 Nite - I read once that Prince over modulated his lyrics when he sang this (he had the mic too hot) but he didn’t rerecord it because he thought it sounded good. I’m so glad he did that. When this song comes on when I’m running I feel like Prince is singing this directly to me. And that one line” And u think u got it bad . . .” What a gut check
4 Batdance - I love the fact that Howard Stern loves this song too. He actually spent a whole segment of one of his shows talking about it and playing it and breaking it down and basically saying only someone as creative as Prince could have this many tempo changes in one song. It’s an entire audio-collage in one song – including some awesome dialogue from the movie. Just amazing!
3 Face Down - The studio version of this off Emancipation is great and would land this song in my Top 20. What puts this song third on my list is the live version from NYC January 1997 (which Prince released on a cassette single) I didn’t see that specific show but I saw a few on that tour and he ripped up Facedown and turned it into a showcase for his bass slapping just like on the cassingle. Tell them to bury you facedown so they can kiss yo ass!
2 I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man - Of course I’m talking about the 6+ minute version of this song on SOTT (not the edited version they released as a single) The version where Prince gets to wail away on guitar and prove he can hang with anyone on the axe (and I do mean anyone.)
1 Gett Off - Gett Off gets to number one on my list because it’s the quintessential Prince funk song for me. Incredibly funky beat? Check. Infectious melody that you’ll be humming the rest of the day? Check. Brazen sexuality? Check. Sense of humor? Check. Ripped up guitar solo? Check. James Brown shout out? Check. Gett Off has all that plus it starts with a signature primal Prince scream. Give me the extended remix of this song off the CD single and a mile to run and I’ll meet you there.
Very nice reading i had, thanks.
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