Though unquestionably one of the decade's biggest pop superstars, Prince was always far more than that, a fiercely talented, daring artist capable of and willing to try almost anything. His albums yielded an array of interesting compositions and performances, but it's in the best-known songs that Prince shines the brightest. His catalogue of hits is one of the most deserving of attention in pop music history, usually for reasons far beyond what's immediately apparent. Here are 10 of his best.
Prince had recorded intriguing songs prior to this one (including the provocative but repetitive
“Dirty Mind” and
“Controversy”), and he even enjoyed a slightly bigger hit in 1980 with
“I Wanna Be Your Lover”. Still, this is when the electrifying pop craftsman took his most singular bow to date. Sure, the iconic keyboard intro is powerful, but the song’s true brilliance lies in a delightful blend of funky guitar and Prince’s majestic sense of melody. The apocalypse will surely never be this fun.
All of the songs from
1999 displayed a deepening grasp of pop song structure, but Prince here smoothly creates a nimble contrast between the slow synth groove of the verse and the explosive, guitar-fueled chorus. It makes for a transcendent result, a song that still manages to surprise even after years of consistent radio play. As one of Prince’s earliest rockers, this tune gives a clear indication of the singer’s broadening versatility and his willingness to cross genres.
Comparing the great music from
Purple Rain to the film of the same name certainly makes it clear, however, that there was a definite limit to Prince’s versatility. Once again, though, the singer proves that he’s equally adept with the synthesizer and the guitar, two instruments that didn’t always spend much time on the same stage during the '80s. In his capable hands, this song maintains a sultry groove that is typical of Prince’s catalogue but still somehow refreshing.
Prince aimed for and most certainly reached a brand new level with
Purple Rain, and this song from the album particularly shows that musical growth. The sermon intro is a classic rock star pose, but it’s executed with such verve and imagination that it presents us with something utterly new. The song that follows stands not only as a celebration of “this thing called life” but a showcase for Prince’s highly underrated guitar playing. The lead toward the end has few rivals in the '80s.
Guitar remains a powerful factor on this, Prince’s most well-known and evocative ballad, but is notable for its subtlety rather than the scorching fierceness of the previous song’s guitar parts. Prince’s vocals continued to get better from song to song, especially at this part of his career when he relied much less on the falsetto used so often in his formative years. Soulful and convincing, the performance on this tune holds up incredibly well for a pop hit of its magnitude.
The tasty guitar intro to this monster hit proved that Prince was quite interested in attracting a “
Jimi Hendrix of the '80s” tag, in addition to the many other ways he aimed to conquer the world of pop music. The song itself works abundantly well as a pop confection as well as a deeper, haunting and emotional artistic statement. The escalating use of layers of mood keyboards, coupled with various planes of supporting vocals, help to make this song an intoxicating trip indeed.
One way to measure the majesty of a song is to look at the rush to cover it by other, disparate artists. Prince’s music has never been short on admirers, but I came to this song by the back door, via the
Hindu Love Gods’ version a few years following the single’s release. The band, which was basically
REM with
Warren Zevon instead of Michael Stipe, yielded a stripped-down but revealing version of this tune, as in both versions the intoxicating melody always remains the centerpiece.
Tom Jones’
cover of this tune smacked too much of novelty, and that performance unfortunately tends to obscure the fact that this is one of Prince’s finest performances. The singer goes back to his roots here, employing a mesmerizing falsetto vocal approach and really amping up the emphasis on rhythm, especially with the funkiest guitar he’d come up with since
Dirty Mind.
Dynasty TV reference notwithstanding, this one ultimately stands as yet more glaring evidence of Prince's mastery.
Speaking of great covers, I fell in love with this song by way of a wonderful cover by the
Goo Goo Dolls, back when they were still a real band in the early '90s.
You have to hear that one to believe it, but this tune in its original form once again reveals that Prince was and is a master pop craftsman with an incredible array of musical tools at his disposal. Lyrically, it’s typical but still not tired, with a wry take on romance and heartbreak that no one else could quite pull off.
Just to keep things interesting, I’ll throw in a wild card here. Perhaps not that many people know that
Chaka Khan’s
1984 hit was originally released by its composer, Prince, in 1979. Though not the only instance of another artist taking a Prince tune to the top of the charts, this is arguably the best such example. If you’re like me and never knew this was a Prince composition, listen closely and see if you can hear the familiar sound of royalty in the song's structure.
