LittleBLUECorvette said:

Which almost #1 Pop Hit are you surprised didn't top the charts?

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It depends on the songs that were in front of it. And even then, everyone has different tastes. So, regardless of the songs that were in front I'm not surprised at all. Prince wasn't everyone's cup of tea when it came to his studio releases. Especially since the 80s.

suomynona said:

SoulAlive said:

The song that kept "U Got The Look" out of the top spot: "Lost In Emotion" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. I love both songs but I really wanted Prince to reach number one.SOTT was an amazing album that deserved at least one number one hit.

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Ugh, I was not a fan of Lost In Emotion. "A Face In The Crowd" -- also on the same record -- is much better, but again, not what is considered Top 40. Or at least, not in 1987.

suomynona said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Which almost #1 Pop Hit are you surprised didn't top the charts?

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It depends on the songs that were in front of it. And even then, everyone has different tastes. So, regardless of the songs that were in front I'm not surprised at all. Prince wasn't everyone's cup of tea when it came to his studio releases. Especially since the 80s.

I believe Diamonds and Pearls was blocked out of Number 1 by Right Said Fred and Mr. Big, could be mistaken but I'm fairly certain it was a couple of one hit wonders.

Purple Rain should have made it to Number 1.

[Edited 5/17/16 16:29pm]

I can't believe Purple Rain didn't reach number one the same for Tasperry and Sign. And this year PR almost reach number one again, but now it just disapeared.

Purple Rain kinda stuns me. HUGE album, HUGE movie, followed up 2 #1 singles...and is blocked by Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Now, I actually like that song (and Wham!/George Michael), but...it sure as hell ain't no Purple Rain (though I am aware of how huge Wham! were at the time).

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Prince has had five chart topping singles in his career. And almost equally, has a few which just missed out on that coveted position. Which almost #1 Pop Hit are you surprised didn't top the charts? #2 Purple Rain - 1984 #2 Raspberry Beret - 1985 #3 Sign 'O' The Times - 1987 #2 U Got The Look - 1987 #3 Diamonds & Pearls - 1991 #3 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - 1994

Purple Rain - not surprising - very long song for its day; harder to fit into Top 40

Rasberry Beret - He basically sabotaged any chance it had to number 1 with the whole no singles thing and thereby delaying the video and killing momentum

Sign O The Times - just too political for a lead off single to conquer the charts

U Got the Look - Would've been number if the second single, but following If I Was Your Girlfriend it's amazing it made it to number 2

Diamonds and Pearls - to this day I still don't get it, "Would you be a happy boy or a girl???" Who are they singing about??

The Most Beautiful Girl - the story at the time was it only jumped up because it was discounted to 99 cents; The Artist wanted to make sure he had a hit; just too effeminate to conquer the charts.

I have a theory why the song "Purple Rain" didn't reach Number One: there was no video for it.Even though Prince was red-hot in 1984,a music video was crucial in those days in order for a song to reach its full potential.I also think Sheila E's "The Belle Of St. Mark" suffered (commercially) from not having a music video.Remeber this was 1984: the height of the MTV music video craze.

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[Edited 5/18/16 1:25am]

Well, chart peaks don't really tell the whole story. 'Purple Rain' going to #2 is probably more impressive than 'Let's Go Crazy' going to #1 because it was (a) the third single, (b) long, even in radio-edit, and (c) issued after millions of people had already bought the album (albeit this has less impact on charts in the USA than in most countries).

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'Raspberry Beret' was a guaranteed #1 hit if he'd issued it (with that awesome video) in advance of the album, as with nearly every other release of the period. Instead, just to piss off Warners he issued the album with no single, and then later the single. Still went to #2.

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Sign o' the Times reeling off three top-10 hits was really impressive, given how many records Prince had been releasing over the previous three years. And the song 'Sign o' the Times' getting to #3 is really cool, because it's such an unusual track. As someone mentioned, had 'U Got The Look' been issued second (or first), it was almost surely a #1.

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I remember 'Diamonds & Pearls' on the US charts after 'Cream' had hit #1. It stalled at #3, as mentioned above, but as I recall it hung around the top-5 and top-10 for a long time. That was a very popular single.

sro100 said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Prince has had five chart topping singles in his career. And almost equally, has a few which just missed out on that coveted position. Which almost #1 Pop Hit are you surprised didn't top the charts? #2 Purple Rain - 1984 #2 Raspberry Beret - 1985 #3 Sign 'O' The Times - 1987 #2 U Got The Look - 1987 #3 Diamonds & Pearls - 1991 #3 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - 1994

Purple Rain - not surprising - very long song for its day; harder to fit into Top 40

Rasberry Beret - He basically sabotaged any chance it had to number 1 with the whole no singles thing and thereby delaying the video and killing momentum

Sign O The Times - just too political for a lead off single to conquer the charts

U Got the Look - Would've been number if the second single, but following If I Was Your Girlfriend it's amazing it made it to number 2

Diamonds and Pearls - to this day I still don't get it, "Would you be a happy boy or a girl???" Who are they singing about??

The Most Beautiful Girl - the story at the time was it only jumped up because it was discounted to 99 cents; The Artist wanted to make sure he had a hit; just too effeminate to conquer the charts.

Sooo you boil it down to Prince being "too effeminate" and singing about a "boy or a girl"? TMGITW and Diamonds and Pearls were huge hits regardless of if they reached no. 1 (the former did in the UK), plus it's not like Prince got his other no 1s dressed like a tattooed lumberjack. Frankly, the reasons you give say more about you than about anyone else.

Aerogram said:

sro100 said:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Prince has had five chart topping singles in his career. And almost equally, has a few which just missed out on that coveted position. Which almost #1 Pop Hit are you surprised didn't top the charts? #2 Purple Rain - 1984 #2 Raspberry Beret - 1985 #3 Sign 'O' The Times - 1987 #2 U Got The Look - 1987 #3 Diamonds & Pearls - 1991 #3 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - 1994

Purple Rain - not surprising - very long song for its day; harder to fit into Top 40

Rasberry Beret - He basically sabotaged any chance it had to number 1 with the whole no singles thing and thereby delaying the video and killing momentum

Sign O The Times - just too political for a lead off single to conquer the charts

U Got the Look - Would've been number if the second single, but following If I Was Your Girlfriend it's amazing it made it to number 2

Diamonds and Pearls - to this day I still don't get it, "Would you be a happy boy or a girl???" Who are they singing about??

The Most Beautiful Girl - the story at the time was it only jumped up because it was discounted to 99 cents; The Artist wanted to make sure he had a hit; just too effeminate to conquer the charts.

The Most Beautiful Girl certainly wasn't too effeminate to conquer the U.K charts, where it gave him his one and only number one. It was number one in 5 countries in all and actually sold over 700,000 copies in the states...more copies than some other songs that actually hit number one in America that year. I'd say it pretty much conquered the charts.

[Edited 5/20/16 9:47am]

Yewdale said:

sro100 said:

Purple Rain - not surprising - very long song for its day; harder to fit into Top 40

Rasberry Beret - He basically sabotaged any chance it had to number 1 with the whole no singles thing and thereby delaying the video and killing momentum

Sign O The Times - just too political for a lead off single to conquer the charts

U Got the Look - Would've been number if the second single, but following If I Was Your Girlfriend it's amazing it made it to number 2

Diamonds and Pearls - to this day I still don't get it, "Would you be a happy boy or a girl???" Who are they singing about??

The Most Beautiful Girl - the story at the time was it only jumped up because it was discounted to 99 cents; The Artist wanted to make sure he had a hit; just too effeminate to conquer the charts.

The Most Beautiful Girl certainly wasn't too effeminate to conquer the U.K charts, where it gave him his one and only number one. It was number one in 5 countries in all and actually sold over 700,000 copies in the states...more copies than some other songs that actually hit number one in America that year. I'd say it pretty much conquered the charts.

[Edited 5/20/16 9:47am]

I know full well how it did in the U.K. In the video he looks like some kind of female grassshopper alien; a very effeminate look.

In fact, the only reason it charted as high as it did in the U.S. is because he did a 99 cent promotion.

I'm not discusiing if it's a good song or not, the OP, as discussing songs that didn't hit 1. You and the Ernest Radio Experience seem to take things in odd ways.

Aerogram said:

sro100 said:

Purple Rain - not surprising - very long song for its day; harder to fit into Top 40

Rasberry Beret - He basically sabotaged any chance it had to number 1 with the whole no singles thing and thereby delaying the video and killing momentum

Sign O The Times - just too political for a lead off single to conquer the charts

U Got the Look - Would've been number if the second single, but following If I Was Your Girlfriend it's amazing it made it to number 2

Diamonds and Pearls - to this day I still don't get it, "Would you be a happy boy or a girl???" Who are they singing about??

The Most Beautiful Girl - the story at the time was it only jumped up because it was discounted to 99 cents; The Artist wanted to make sure he had a hit; just too effeminate to conquer the charts.

Sooo you boil it down to Prince being "too effeminate" and singing about a "boy or a girl"? TMGITW and Diamonds and Pearls were huge hits regardless of if they reached no. 1 (the former did in the UK), plus it's not like Prince got his other no 1s dressed like a tattooed lumberjack. Frankly, the reasons you give say more about you than about anyone else.

Dr. Ernest Radio Experience it says NOTHING about me. I'm analyzing things that kept songs from being bigger hits. Period Dr. Freud.

sro100 said:

Yewdale said:

The Most Beautiful Girl certainly wasn't too effeminate to conquer the U.K charts, where it gave him his one and only number one. It was number one in 5 countries in all and actually sold over 700,000 copies in the states...more copies than some other songs that actually hit number one in America that year. I'd say it pretty much conquered the charts.

[Edited 5/20/16 9:47am]

I know full well how it did in the U.K. In the video he looks like some kind of female grasshopper alien; a very effeminate look.

In fact, the only reason it charted as high as it did in the U.S. is because he did a 99 cent promotion.

I'm not discussing if it's a good song or not, the OP, as discussing songs that didn't hit 1. You and the Ernest Radio Experience seem to take things in odd ways.

On second thoughts... life's too short.

[Edited 5/20/16 14:13pm]