Alexa De Paris

Da Bang

Condition of the Heart

Sex In the Summer

My Computer

1000 X's and O's

U Know

La La La...He He Hee

Peach

gandorb said:

luvgirl said:

gandorb said:

Boys and Girls (should have been the 2nd sing off of Parade)

I Hate you (bigger than it was)

PaisleyPark

The Beautiful Ones ( a favorite of many but not a hit)

The Morning Paper (should have been 2nd single off of Love Symbol after 7)

Housequake (yes it is weird but it's palyfulness and funkiness could have still made it a hit)

Several songs off or 3121 should have been hits on urban and Urban AC radio if not pop radio

Peach

"The Beautiful Ones" I know right! How was that not a hit?! [Edited 6/23/16 21:18pm]

I dunno. Too many blockbuster songs on that album?

When I saw Purple Rain, my first reaction was "Dude, slow your roll. You met her yesterday and she jumped into the lake because she wanted to be in the band and you went window shopping together and maybe you made out once" It could have just as easily ended with her running the other way.

It kind of turns to musical mush if the vocals aren't just right. And you can't just casually scream the end of the song.

Iamtheorg said:

Peach

YES!!!

ForeverPaisley said:

Iamtheorg said:

Peach

YES!!!

Peach was top 10 in The Netherlands, but see that it didn't even got into the top 100 in the US??

skipthecharades said:

ForeverPaisley said:

YES!!!

Peach was top 10 in The Netherlands, but see that it didn't even got into the top 100 in the US??

I'm peachy for Peach! It is somewhat simlar to the later Cream in that it was straightforward and catchy, and we know how big that one was. I wonder if it didn't get much of a push at radio after Pink Cashmere, the other new song on the Hits collection, underperformed. While I like PC, I think Peach would have done better on pop radio (PC was a hit on urban stations)

HardcoreJollies said:

For many reasons, especially post Warners Prince has failed to notch major hit songs despite many worthy candidates. Black Sweat is one that has been discussed of late and I agree it should have been a hit. Here are 10 others that come to mind that I believe should have become major hits. What do you think and what would you add?

- Anna Stesia

- Strange Relationship

- The Max

- The Continental

- Endorphinmachine

- Letitgo (should have hit bigger)

- Mountains (should have hit bigger)

- LoveSign

- 1000 Xs & Os

- Another Love

My Love Is Forever

Free

The Beautiful Ones

Nothing Compares 2 U - He and Rosie sing it so much better than does Sinead O'Connor.

Call My Name (should have hit bigger)

Te Amo Corazon

skipthecharades said:

ForeverPaisley said:

YES!!!

Peach was top 10 in The Netherlands, but see that it didn't even got into the top 100 in the US??

So it was a hit then

gandorb said:

skipthecharades said:

Peach was top 10 in The Netherlands, but see that it didn't even got into the top 100 in the US??

I'm peachy for Peach! It is somewhat simlar to the later Cream in that it was straightforward and catchy, and we know how big that one was. I wonder if it didn't get much of a push at radio after Pink Cashmere, the other new song on the Hits collection, underperformed. While I like PC, I think Peach would have done better on pop radio (PC was a hit on urban stations)

Peach should have been on par with the popularity of Kiss

206Michelle said:

MattUK said:

I think there are actual reasons why many of the songs didn't become hits. Basically, they didn't appeal to mass audiences of casual listeners!

HardcoreJollies said:

- Anna Stesia

- Strange Relationship

- The Max

- The Continental

- Endorphinmachine

- Letitgo (should have hit bigger)

- Mountains (should have hit bigger)

- LoveSign

- 1000 Xs & Os

- Another Love

.

For example, I disagree with ALL of these choices. None of seem like hit singles to me, with the possible exception of 'Strange Relationship', but even in the context of its time (Prince's peak) it wouldn't have been seen as one of his stronger ones and might not have done very well.

.

'Anna Stesia' is far too slow and left-of-center for radio in 1988 (when 'Alphabet St.' didn't even make the top-5, there's no way this would have been, say, top-20). 'Endorphinmachine' doesn't have a strong enough hook, and its mix of "rock" and "soul singer" would have put off radio programmers in the late-grunge era who wouldn't know how to slot it into programming formula. 'The Continential'? No way. 'Mountains' was a very poor choice for a single, and deservedly flopped.

.

The two that do stand out to me (as others have mentioned) are 'When You Were Mine' and '17 Days'. Even 'When you Were Mine', though, in 1980, would have confused radio since Prince was basically known as a soul-pop guy in a G-string, and pop/rock programmers would have been confused. '17 Days' was certainly strong enough to be a hit A-side, but it goes down comfortably as maybe his best-ever B-side, on the flip of maybe his best-ever A-side.

.

I could see maybe 'Gold' as a big(ger) hit if it was properly edited down and promoted well. Would have helped if Prince hadn't been releasing three albums a year and confusing casual listeners.

Kind of surprised 'Gold' wasn't more of a hit. It has all the makings to be one.

Telecaster5 said:

The question of U

We can funk

Anna Stesia

Mountains

Da bang

Poom Poom

Love

Strange Relationship

Tamborine

YES!

Recent songs I think would have been hits when released in the 80's or 90's (album and singles drive market and no streaming): clouds, breakdown, rocknroll loveaffair, crimson and clover

Songs which I expected to be bigger hits: musicology and black sweat

Starfish and Coffee

Breakfast Can Wait

Black Sweat

A Million Days

Girls and Boys

Gold

Mountains

-------------------------

I'm shocked to see these songs on some folks' lists as they were in HEAVY rotation on Black radio. May not have been "chart toppers" but they were huge hits. Adore is considered a Black anthem.

If I was Your Girlfriend

Housequake

Anotherloverholenyohead (even my mother who did not get Prince jammed to this song)

Beautiful Ones??

Adore???

ThePanther said:

I think there are actual reasons why many of the songs didn't become hits. Basically, they didn't appeal to mass audiences of casual listeners!

HardcoreJollies said:

- Anna Stesia

- Strange Relationship

- The Max

- The Continental

- Endorphinmachine

- Letitgo (should have hit bigger)

- Mountains (should have hit bigger)

- LoveSign

- 1000 Xs & Os

- Another Love

.

For example, I disagree with ALL of these choices. None of seem like hit singles to me, with the possible exception of 'Strange Relationship', but even in the context of its time (Prince's peak) it wouldn't have been seen as one of his stronger ones and might not have done very well.

.

'Anna Stesia' is far too slow and left-of-center for radio in 1988 (when 'Alphabet St.' didn't even make the top-5, there's no way this would have been, say, top-20). 'Endorphinmachine' doesn't have a strong enough hook, and its mix of "rock" and "soul singer" would have put off radio programmers in the late-grunge era who wouldn't know how to slot it into programming formula. 'The Continential'? No way. 'Mountains' was a very poor choice for a single, and deservedly flopped.

.

The two that do stand out to me (as others have mentioned) are 'When You Were Mine' and '17 Days'. Even 'When you Were Mine', though, in 1980, would have confused radio since Prince was basically known as a soul-pop guy in a G-string, and pop/rock programmers would have been confused. '17 Days' was certainly strong enough to be a hit A-side, but it goes down comfortably as maybe his best-ever B-side, on the flip of maybe his best-ever A-side.

.

I could see maybe 'Gold' as a big(ger) hit if it was properly edited down and promoted well. Would have helped if Prince hadn't been releasing three albums a year and confusing casual listeners.

I appreciate your perspective and contrary view but have to assert my disagreement. As a DJ and entertainment writer/critic as well as all-around music nut for many years I picked and predicted hit songs and was really good at it. There is often a certain quality hit records have in that they are accessible, memorable, catchy and stick in your head and/or get you moving. The selections I offered here for the most part conform with those qualities and I stand by them as ones that should have been either significant hits or at least become bigger than they did. In most cases it was a lack of promotion and radio support that doomed them. Some others that have been mentioned but I add to my list include: Come On, Peach, I like It There, Screwdriver and New Power Generation. I have noticed many mentioning Girls and Boys and Anotherloverholeinthehead. While both of those are among my faves too, I could not see either one being a big hit. I think they were both way ahead of their time and too innovative to have been big hits at that time. Kiss, off that same album for example, is much simpler and more easily digested by the average pop fan. So off Parade I think Mountains had the best shot due to its more easily absorbed nature. I will say the most innovative and "leftfield" Prince song ever to become a big hit was When Doves Cry. It was so unconventional but super catchy. 7 had some similar qualities but was not released soon enough and pushed hard enough, apparently due to Prince's own idiosyncracies. Anyway, more food for thought.

"Hide The Bone" and "Love Sign" could have been major hits in the mid-90s,if these songs had been released under different circumstances

Forgot to mention, Acknowledge Me is another one I think sounded like a hit.

When you think about it seriously, these all the 7 tracks that REALLY could have been hits :

- I'm YOURS

- BAMBI

- LADY CAB DRIVER (instead of DELIRIOUS)

- THE BEAUTIFUL ONES (instead of TAKE ME WITH U, or even after)

- BABY I M A STAR

- SOMETIMES IT SNOWS (instead of ANOTHERLOVER)

- THE CROSS (instead of IIWYG).

Especially BEAUTIFUL ONES and THE CROSS, you like it the 1st you hear it.

[Edited 6/30/16 5:10am]

The Morning Papers

RODSERLING said:

When you think about it seriously, these all the 7 tracks that REALLY could have been hits :

- I'm YOURS

- BAMBI

- LADY CAB DRIVER (instead of DELIRIOUS)

- THE BEAUTIFUL ONES (instead of TAKE ME WITH U, or even after)

- BABY I M A STAR

- SOMETIMES IT SNOWS (instead of ANOTHERLOVER)

- THE CROSS (instead of IIWYG).

Especially BEAUTIFUL ONES and THE CROSS, you like it the 1st you hear it.

[Edited 6/30/16 5:10am]

Agreed, I'm Yours should have been hit as well as Lady Cab Driver. I'll take it any day over Delirious.

wouldntulove2loveme said:

The Morning Papers

Already released, it was a top 40 hit IIRC, not bad for a 4th single. I always thought the beiginning of the song was promising, but it felt short after the first chorus. In my opinion, in the same kind of song, AND GOD CREATED WOMEN had more chance to be a hit.

Thinking of the catchy sing somg melody and often more teenage passion oriented lyrics often needed for a pop hit, I think "Electric Chair" could have been a contendor.

I also wish "Housequake" had been an A-side single (they would have had to censor the "bullshit" back then.)

ufoclub said:

HOUSEQUAKE and ELECTRIC CHAIR couldn't have made the top 40. HOUSEQUAKE would have made like HOT THING (#87), and ELECTRIC CHAIR would have performed far worst than PARTYMAN (#18).

Honestly I have to say Last Heart is possibly one of his catchiest songs EVER and was a HUGE missed opportunity....that song alone would have been MASSIVE had it been released! I also remember being disappointed in 87 that Strange Relationship wasn't a single. I think it could have been an awesome follow up to the title track instead of If I Was Your Girlfriend (which I love but not as single)

[Edited 7/1/16 10:12am]

[Edited 7/1/16 19:18pm]

I just heard Hot Summer, somehow missed it until now. How the heck was that not released and promoted as a summertime hit? It was tailor made. Very catchy, similar to Cream.