Prince last significant hit was cinnamon girl top 40 most countries. It was a well written, but also a controversial hit, thinking out side the box. Maybe with more promotion it could have been top 10. But this is the last song i remember, and sounded like a hit, but not played on radio, as you know.

I actually heard The One U Wanna C a few times on Belgian radio. I suppose it could have went further with a bit more push from the label as I don't think it was an official single.

Probably the last new song of his I ever heard on the radio around the time of release.

[Edited 7/27/21 8:22am]

In the States "Black Sweat" made a little noise. The video got significant play and it charted at number 60 primarily from iTunes sales. It might have sold more but he bundled it as a double digital single (with a higher price) with "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed", which might have discouraged some people who only wanted "Black Sweat".

It wound up being his last Hot 100 hit in his lifetime, although "Future Baby Mama" reached number 39 on the R&B chart in 2007.

[Edited 7/27/21 10:29am]

renfield said:

In the States "Black Sweat" made a little noise. The video got significant play and it charted at number 60 primarily from iTunes sales. It might have sold more but he bundled it as a double digital single (with a higher price) with "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed", which might have discouraged some people who only wanted "Black Sweat".

It wound up being his last Hot 100 hit in his lifetime, although "Future Baby Mama" reached number 39 on the R&B chart in 2007.

[Edited 7/27/21 10:29am]

If Prince was under contract with a major label and the label owned the masters. I assure you that Blacksweat would have been a top ten hit. Radio would have played the song. Heavy rotation is what gets you the hit. Although, 3121 was a number one album on the charts. Lotusflow3r was a number one album (independent, rock charts, etc).

Dance 4 Me had worldwide hit written all over it. It was remixed for dance floors and even had a video shot for it.

But he'd already moved on...

kewlschool said:

kewlschool said:

renfield said:

In the States "Black Sweat" made a little noise. The video got significant play and it charted at number 60 primarily from iTunes sales. It might have sold more but he bundled it as a double digital single (with a higher price) with "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed", which might have discouraged some people who only wanted "Black Sweat".

It wound up being his last Hot 100 hit in his lifetime, although "Future Baby Mama" reached number 39 on the R&B chart in 2007.

[Edited 7/27/21 10:29am]

If Prince was under contract with a major label and the label owned the masters. I assure you that Blacksweat would have been a top ten hit. Radio would have played the song. Heavy rotation is what gets you the hit. Although, 3121 was a number one album on the charts. Lotusflow3r was a number one album (independent, rock charts, etc).

Yes exactly what i was thinking, with WB he had nearly 20 top 10 its in UK alone.

I live in Brasil, and the closest thing to a hit was ´Musicology´. I saw the video on TV and heard some DJs playing it occasionally.

[Edited 7/28/21 16:10pm]

RODSERLING said:

kewlschool said:

If Prince was under contract with a major label and the label owned the masters. I assure you that Blacksweat would have been a top ten hit. Radio would have played the song. Heavy rotation is what gets you the hit. Although, 3121 was a number one album on the charts. Lotusflow3r was a number one album (independent, rock charts, etc).

LoLotus Flower was indeed a few hundred copies short of the official #1 in the Billboard 200. Fallinlove2nite was the non-catalogue track I heard most on the radio in France. But nobody knew it was Prince, where to buy it, etc. I heard Musicology and She Loves Me 4 Me a few times on mainstream radio, but never heard BlackSweat, Cinnamon Girl, Call My Name... I even heard 5 Women. [Edited 7/27/21 11:46am]

You will note that I wrote that Lotusflow3r was the number 1 album on the independent and rock charts (billboard) respectably. As for falling short for the number 1 spot on the top 200 that was a little game that the industry used the streaming (and more importantly fake streaming) to bulk up the sales of the "official" number one album. They cheated Prince out of his number one spot.

kewlschool said:

sambluedolphin said:

RumAndRaisin said:

In the UK Rock n Roll Love Affair was getting heavy radio play on radio 2. There's so many tracks that could have been hits. Imagine if Crimson n Clover or Chocolate Box had have been released properly, the vids sent out to TV and songs released to radio. Frustrating. Pretzelbody made the charts early 2014, with a video and a bit of promo when he was in the UK in early 2014 it could have been top 40 easy. Prince was crap at releasing singles.

Theres some great songs there potential hits

The term HIT is debate here thats for sure especially in the USA. I think if we are talking commercial hit that was last in 1995 with I HATE U but even that song it was all about the sales it got no airplay at all here. So you probably have to go back to TMBGITW as his last commercial hit single, it sold and had airplay across the board. I mean yes in 2004 MUSICOLOGY was a hit album, but the single did nothing here, Call My Name got a lot of RB play which pushed it to number 23 on the RB chart and 75 on the HOT 100, Cinamon Girl was nowhere to be found, which continued to show that PRINCE could not really get across the board play anymore, he could still get RB radio at times, at times he couldnt even get that for the most part. In 2006 BLACK SWEAT got the play again of RB radio but now you have two RB charts mainstream and adult, Prince hit 25 with Adult and 82 with Mainstream RB and hit 60 on the Hot 100. For this reason because of all this different charts and breakdowns and radio not being what it was and being all about formula and test focusing and age, I wouldnt call any of these songs "Commercial Hits", i think by the time he got to the name change and Gold Experience peeople in radio and all that stayed away and though at times it came back, it often did NOT come back for a new hit, it came back for Live shows, award show appearances, RNR Hall of Fame, and things like that, if he could attach a record or new album to that and get a little traction he did in 2004 for sure with the album and just him being super accessible like he'd never been.

1000 X's and O's was Prince's last "hit" on radio while he was still alive

the last thing that made it through to the mainstream in the Netherlands was Musicology, I think... nothing much after that until his death. But there's a conspiracy against him here, I think. National TV had an item in an evening show about W2A. They talked about how good the album was, then recited (not played) lyrics to W2A, then proceeded to play bits of Hot Summer and Yes (2 of the weakest tracks on the album) and concluded with showing a bit of Whole Lotta Love from Aladdin. It was, ehm... interesting.

lastdecember said:

The term HIT is debate here thats for sure especially in the USA. I think if we are talking commercial hit that was last in 1995 with I HATE U but even that song it was all about the sales it got no airplay at all here. So you probably have to go back to TMBGITW as his last commercial hit single, it sold and had airplay across the board. I mean yes in 2004 MUSICOLOGY was a hit album, but the single did nothing here, Call My Name got a lot of RB play which pushed it to number 23 on the RB chart and 75 on the HOT 100, Cinamon Girl was nowhere to be found, which continued to show that PRINCE could not really get across the board play anymore, he could still get RB radio at times, at times he couldnt even get that for the most part. In 2006 BLACK SWEAT got the play again of RB radio but now you have two RB charts mainstream and adult, Prince hit 25 with Adult and 82 with Mainstream RB and hit 60 on the Hot 100. For this reason because of all this different charts and breakdowns and radio not being what it was and being all about formula and test focusing and age, I wouldnt call any of these songs "Commercial Hits", i think by the time he got to the name change and Gold Experience peeople in radio and all that stayed away and though at times it came back, it often did NOT come back for a new hit, it came back for Live shows, award show appearances, RNR Hall of Fame, and things like that, if he could attach a record or new album to that and get a little traction he did in 2004 for sure with the album and just him being super accessible like he'd never been.

Yes TMBGITW was top 10, last top ten and i hate u, i think was number 11.

sambluedolphin said:

lastdecember said:

RODSERLING said:

lastdecember said:

The term HIT is debate here thats for sure especially in the USA. I think if we are talking commercial hit that was last in 1995 with I HATE U but even that song it was all about the sales it got no airplay at all here. So you probably have to go back to TMBGITW as his last commercial hit single, it sold and had airplay across the board. I mean yes in 2004 MUSICOLOGY was a hit album, but the single did nothing here, Call My Name got a lot of RB play which pushed it to number 23 on the RB chart and 75 on the HOT 100, Cinamon Girl was nowhere to be found, which continued to show that PRINCE could not really get across the board play anymore, he could still get RB radio at times, at times he couldnt even get that for the most part. In 2006 BLACK SWEAT got the play again of RB radio but now you have two RB charts mainstream and adult, Prince hit 25 with Adult and 82 with Mainstream RB and hit 60 on the Hot 100. For this reason because of all this different charts and breakdowns and radio not being what it was and being all about formula and test focusing and age, I wouldnt call any of these songs "Commercial Hits", i think by the time he got to the name change and Gold Experience peeople in radio and all that stayed away and though at times it came back, it often did NOT come back for a new hit, it came back for Live shows, award show appearances, RNR Hall of Fame, and things like that, if he could attach a record or new album to that and get a little traction he did in 2004 for sure with the album and just him being super accessible like he'd never been.

Bercha By Golly Wow! Was a #1 hit in airplay in Europe, Holy River was #6... They also got huge airplay in the USA. So that s hits. Forced hits, because people didn't buy it, but hits nonetheless. Musicology was a huge comeback, almost every medias worldwide were forced to play that song. It got a lot of airplay on MTV USA and Europe. Musicology songs weren't allowed to be downloaded at the time, so Musicology and Call My Name were prevented to get higher positions on the hot 100. Call My Name got an overall huge airplay in the US. It was weekly modest, but got modest airplay for like 33 weeks, surely more. With downloads, it was a top 40 for sure. Among Prince songs, it s still one who got the most views on YouTube, got covered a few years ago. In fact, when X's and Q's charted, Morgan James'cover charted too in the rnb adult charts.

because in the 90's singles were still an actual physical release unlike today when a whole album can chart singles because of streaming, single sales were still a huge factor. Betcha By Golly in the USA was 31 in airplay which pushed it number 23 manistream airplay but with no single it was non existent on the Hot 100 which is the way hits are measured during that time. Holy River did nothing in the USA at all, Somebody Somebody got some RB play pushing it onto airplay charts but again no single no chart. Call my Name was the closest but again it was an RB hit didnt cross over. Musicology was a huge comeback album it was not an album full of hit singles that pulled the album sales, his doing interviews tours tv shows etc...are what helped that album become his biggest seller since the early 90's. But again when you are at that point with age, your singles days are pretty much done.