ugh
― k3vin k., Friday, 22 April 2016 01:43 (eight years ago) link
isn't this an amazing string of hits
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 01:45 (eight years ago) link
40?
― karla jay vespers, Friday, 22 April 2016 01:48 (eight years ago) link
only listed the first twenty.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 01:49 (eight years ago) link
wow
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Friday, 22 April 2016 01:51 (eight years ago) link
Voted "I Would Die 4 U" only because when asked by someone today what my fave Prince song was I named it, but I would honestly count like half of this list among my fave songs of all time.
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Friday, 22 April 2016 02:00 (eight years ago) link
think maybe "alphabet st." at this point in my life? idk idk
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Friday, 22 April 2016 02:12 (eight years ago) link
Brad
we need you to rap
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 02:16 (eight years ago) link
shake your body like a horny pony would!
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Friday, 22 April 2016 02:17 (eight years ago) link
Voted "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" just slightly over Purple Rain. I guess I like his rock-influenced epics, but if Erotic City were on the list, I'd vote for that.
― thom yorke state of mind (voodoo chili), Friday, 22 April 2016 05:10 (eight years ago) link
never saw myself as a huge prince fan but when presented like this, it's impossible for me to choose
― TARANTINO! (dog latin), Friday, 22 April 2016 07:18 (eight years ago) link
Pop Life but only cos I assume I Would Die 4 U'll do fine
― albvivertine, Friday, 22 April 2016 07:23 (eight years ago) link
impossible to choose. i wish there was a double vinyl comp of these songs (though maybe without 7 lol, which i like but always found a bit leaden).
― StillAdvance, Friday, 22 April 2016 09:37 (eight years ago) link
'I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man', easily.
― WHERE'S JIM!? (Turrican), Friday, 22 April 2016 10:45 (eight years ago) link
i would die 4 u
― some dude, Friday, 22 April 2016 11:40 (eight years ago) link
From a personal perspective, it's weird that some of these were such big hits. Like, I was familiar with all of the BIG hits growing up, but I don't think I ever heard 'Pop Life' or 'Alphabet Street' until I sought out the albums many years after the fact.
But anyway, impossible choice. I'm sure this'll be 'Batdance' by a nose.
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 11:53 (eight years ago) link
I would Die 4 U wins for the bridge synth breakdown
― Neanderthal, Friday, 22 April 2016 11:58 (eight years ago) link
I voted Alphabet Street but U Got The Look is on tv now and it sounds amazing.
― thomasintrouble, Friday, 22 April 2016 12:04 (eight years ago) link
I think my first contemporaneous appreciation of Prince's greatness was '7'. I always liked him in the '80s but I was too young and devoid of musical context to fully appreciate his genius until much later. I mean, at the time, I appreciated 'When Doves Cry' on pretty much the same level as tracks from my Fat Albert Rock n' Roll Disco album (which is actually a pretty dece album, tbf).
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 12:33 (eight years ago) link
Yep. I never heard them on the radio, and the only SOTT hit I remember is "U Got the Look," which even now sounds comparatively underplayed compared to the rest.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 12:37 (eight years ago) link
Voted Raspberry Beret in the end but it could have been virtually any of them on a different day.
― Matt DC, Friday, 22 April 2016 12:43 (eight years ago) link
(Okay maybe not Batdance or Thieves In The Temple)
― Matt DC, Friday, 22 April 2016 12:44 (eight years ago) link
ashamed for having heard less than half of these
― ejemplo (crüt), Friday, 22 April 2016 12:49 (eight years ago) link
wat
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 12:55 (eight years ago) link
I honestly don't know how that's even possible if you're currently an adult and aren't now and have never been amish.
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 12:59 (eight years ago) link
i guess i've probably heard more but these are the only ones i can remember the tune of
1, "When Doves Cry," 1984, No. 1 (5)*2, "Kiss," 1986, No. 1 (2)*3, "Let's Go Crazy," 1984, No. 1 (2)*6, "Raspberry Beret," 1985, No. 2*8, "Purple Rain," 1984, No. 2*11, "Little Red Corvette," 1983, No. 616, "I Would Die 4 U," 1985, No. 8*20, "1999," 1983, No. 12
― ejemplo (crüt), Friday, 22 April 2016 13:12 (eight years ago) link
'1999' at the bottom of this list is the most baffling to me. I guess I'd chalk it up to that weird 'song in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV that didn't fare quite as well on the radio' effect I've noticed with a number of other culturally huge songs from that particular era.
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 13:18 (eight years ago) link
Raspberry Beret has the perfect melody, so probably this. ATWIAD was the first P album I bought
― Master of Treacle, Friday, 22 April 2016 13:21 (eight years ago) link
:"1999" was released twice in its original run because before "Little Red Corvette" took off it had flopped.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 13:27 (eight years ago) link
"Thieves in the Temple" was the first Prince cassingle I bought.
In fairness Crut has heard all the really ubiquitous ones, most of the early 90s stuff doesn't get played too much.
― Matt DC, Friday, 22 April 2016 13:32 (eight years ago) link
Was let's pretend we're married in the full list of 40?
I'm feeling u got the look today so that. Last night, walking to the park to get a view of the Empire State Building and see if they had lit it purple, that wonderful descending harmonized guitar figure from its outro came gliding out the door of a bar and enchanted me.
The esb was not purple when I looked, but there were ample photos of it being so last night. I guess they only did it for a couple hours maybe? Idk.
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Friday, 22 April 2016 13:35 (eight years ago) link
xpost Yeah, it's entirely possible that I wouldn't have heard most of the NPG-era stuff if I hadn't been glued to MTV at the time.
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 13:35 (eight years ago) link
probably nothing better in life than the extended mix of 'i would die 4 u'
― r|t|c, Friday, 22 April 2016 13:45 (eight years ago) link
Surprised.. I know all of those 20.
― Mark G, Friday, 22 April 2016 13:46 (eight years ago) link
I really want to put together a companion poll for all of the singles he wrote or composed or produced for other people but I'm almost certain I'll omit something crucial.
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 13:59 (eight years ago) link
19/01/1980 Prince I Wanna Be Your Lover 41
― Mark G, Friday, 22 April 2016 15:20 (eight years ago) link
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
― Van Horn Street, Friday, 22 April 2016 15:32 (eight years ago) link
Little Red Corvette
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 22 April 2016 15:52 (eight years ago) link
When Doves Cry. It's still almost unimaginable to me that such an unconventially arranged and executed song was a #1 hit, even though I was there and helped make it one. (Even weirder: It was bracketed at #1 by Duran Duran's "The Reflex" and Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." I mean . . .)
― T.L.O.P.son (Phil D.), Friday, 22 April 2016 15:58 (eight years ago) link
and "Dancing in the Dark" at #2.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 15:58 (eight years ago) link
i just realized yesterday that "When You Were Mine" wasn't a single. criminal.
― rmde bob (will), Friday, 22 April 2016 16:05 (eight years ago) link
also, i really thought Get Off was a pretty big pop hit at the time but i guess moreso on the R&B charts.
― rmde bob (will), Friday, 22 April 2016 16:07 (eight years ago) link
Raaaaaaaaaaaaspberry Beret
― flappy bird, Friday, 22 April 2016 16:42 (eight years ago) link
Not a huge Prince fan but his hits stacked up together demonstrate a damned amazing career. Voted Purple Rain bc it's one of the few Prince songs I genuinely love and don't just appreciate.
― JWoww Gilberto (man alive), Friday, 22 April 2016 18:00 (eight years ago) link
Listening to Batdance right now for likely the first time since 1989. I didn't like it at the time, but it's really tickling my funnybone right now.
― Double Nickels on the Pecunidigm (Dan Peterson), Friday, 22 April 2016 18:05 (eight years ago) link
Per my comment earlier re: '1999' being released in an era when huge MTV success still didn't necessarily translate to huge sales for the respective single, I remembered a specific example of this: 'Hot For Teacher', which mindblowingly only got to 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also from 1984. I'm sure I rememeber encountering other examples of this phenomenon.
― Trash Sandwich (Old Lunch), Friday, 22 April 2016 18:26 (eight years ago) link
"I Melt With You," the Fixx, it's a long list
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 April 2016 19:19 (eight years ago) link
― T.L.O.P.son (Phil D.), Friday, April 22, 2016 10:58 AM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Well it's also a song where like every single line is a killer hook, and so is the instrumental break.
Purple Rain is also a pretty unconventional hit imo -- an R&B tinged soft metal power ballad with jazzy chords, and that rushed, holy-rolling vocal on the verse.
― JWoww Gilberto (man alive), Friday, 22 April 2016 19:35 (eight years ago) link
Little Red Corvette. It was a perfect way to get the rock kids into Prince's world.
― that's not my post, Saturday, 23 April 2016 05:01 (eight years ago) link
i don't feel like voting for "i would die 4 u" or "purple rain" or "kiss" or "little red corvette" so i think i'm gonna vote for "diamonds and pearls" or "7"
― J0rdan S., Saturday, 23 April 2016 05:22 (eight years ago) link
it is kind of impossible to choose among these, but "u got the look" is the last one i cried to so that
― dyl, Saturday, 23 April 2016 06:01 (eight years ago) link
Extended version of u got the look is incredible. That rhythm guitar intro.
― StillAdvance, Saturday, 23 April 2016 06:55 (eight years ago) link
wait, why is the hits/b-sides comp awful?― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Friday, April 22, 2016 10:24 PM
well, looking back now maybe I didn't realize what he included were 7" versions of album tracks, but I remember some of the songs being drastically cut down from their album versions. Anyway, it bugged me and I put it away, I'll try it again
― Iago Galdston, Saturday, 23 April 2016 12:24 (eight years ago) link
single edits made sense for a hits comp, you don't need all 7 minutes of "Controversy" for something like that
― some dude, Saturday, 23 April 2016 12:31 (eight years ago) link
It's also basically the only time any of his stuff has been remastered, that comp.
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 23 April 2016 12:40 (eight years ago) link
the only edits on that comp i take issue with are on the b-sides disc
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Saturday, 23 April 2016 17:22 (eight years ago) link
That comp always felt invaluable to me for both containing the only remastered versions of several of these songs and as a go-to for road trips (back before iPods anyway). I guess I can see people taking issue with the edits chosen (I've heard the same argument taken up with The Immaculate Collection) but, in the case of the B-sides disc, this was the only reasonable means I had of hearing these songs for years, so...
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Saturday, 23 April 2016 17:25 (eight years ago) link
yeah I guess it's easy enough to get the full versions bc there are always tons of prince singles at record stores
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Saturday, 23 April 2016 17:29 (eight years ago) link
....for now
― HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Saturday, 23 April 2016 17:30 (eight years ago) link
Stop the presses! My new jam is "Batdance."
― His Royal Blecchness (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 23 April 2016 19:07 (eight years ago) link
I will hear no one dis that 1993 comp
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 23 April 2016 19:13 (eight years ago) link
'Purple Rain', barely, over 'Pop Life'.God I love that keyboard track that lends 'Pop Life' an almost haunted feel.
― campreverb, Sunday, 24 April 2016 04:38 (eight years ago) link
Only problem with the compilation is the lack of Parade b-sides. And the lack of stuff like "Mountains" and "Money Don't Matter 2 Night"
― Master of Treacle, Sunday, 24 April 2016 05:07 (eight years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 00:01 (eight years ago) link
I like the 7-inch outro of "Kiss" just as much as having it run into "Anotherlover," and those were the versions I grew up on (owning the singles separately but not having a copy of Parade until 10+ years later).
However I suppose the "I Would Die 4 U" outro really needs "Baby I'm a Star."
Which ones? afaik they're all the same versions that were the 7-inches (except for the We Are The World song).
"She's Always in My Hair" was the b-side to ..."Paisley Park?" That was a single? Anyway, "Hair" is incredible.
In my top 5 for sure, and it's on "Raspberry Beret."
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 00:23 (eight years ago) link
shoulda used blockquotes whoops
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 00:25 (eight years ago) link
truly bizarre that "mountains" is not on the 1993 comp…
― veronica moser, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 00:41 (eight years ago) link
Yeah I am kinda offended by that, I adore mountains and it warranted a video...
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 27 April 2016 01:04 (eight years ago) link
The strategy worked for me. I bought Parade because of the singles that weren't on Hits 1 & 2.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 01:24 (eight years ago) link
Forgot about "Delirious" - one of the best.
― ... (Eazy), Wednesday, 27 April 2016 01:25 (eight years ago) link
"Mountains" peaked at #23.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 27 April 2016 02:23 (eight years ago) link
Mountains had a video! Prince directed it.
Xp
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 02:35 (eight years ago) link
and it's marvelous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx2x5vb9P8E
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 27 April 2016 02:54 (eight years ago) link
Yes I was saying, it was worth him doing a video so it's weird that he didn't include it in the 3cd
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 27 April 2016 03:12 (eight years ago) link
there is extra song at the end of that video.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 03:24 (eight years ago) link
Oh yeah also it says on wikipedia that Warner Brothers paid Prince to limit his involvement in Hits 1&2/B-Sides so exclusions were probably determined by some suits or whatever.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 03:27 (eight years ago) link
"Batdance" should be on every Prince greatest hits comp since it was a #1.
― billstevejim, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 03:30 (eight years ago) link
Xpost that is I think the 12" version of mountains or at least v similar to it
― scarcity festival (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 27 April 2016 03:31 (eight years ago) link
someone zip up the polled songs and post a link plz, thank you in advance
― alpine static, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 05:50 (eight years ago) link
I was familiar with all of the BIG hits growing up, but I don't think I ever heard 'Pop Life' or 'Alphabet Street' until I sought out the albums many years after the fact.
Yep. I never heard them on the radio
"pop life" got a lot of airplay in the northeast, at least.
― fact checking cuz, Wednesday, 27 April 2016 07:53 (eight years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:01 (eight years ago) link
YES! \o/
― WHERE'S JIM!? (Turrican), Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:02 (eight years ago) link
wau @ the "Pop Life" votes
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:03 (eight years ago) link
Eye honestly thought 'When Doves Cry' was going 2 take this.
― WHERE'S JIM!? (Turrican), Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:04 (eight years ago) link
Today is the third straight day I woke up with 'Pop Life' in my head, it truly is mesmerizing.
― Sushi and the Banchan (Spectrist), Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:05 (eight years ago) link
well, everybody needs a thrill!
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:05 (eight years ago) link
Pop Life really is such an eery song. that organ, and the verse about doing coke
― flappy bird, Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:18 (eight years ago) link
Voted for I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, never expected it to win.
Too bad Delirious got no votes. Poor Delirious, such a slinky monster of a pop song.
― thom yorke state of mind (voodoo chili), Thursday, 28 April 2016 00:30 (eight years ago) link
What kind of "wau" is that, Alfred?
― albvivertine, Thursday, 28 April 2016 03:56 (eight years ago) link
will there be a #21-40 version?
― billstevejim, Thursday, 28 April 2016 04:17 (eight years ago) link
the kind of "wau" as big as my shoe size
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 28 April 2016 09:49 (eight years ago) link
― billstevejim,
sure!
I was the sole voter for "Thieves in the Temple", but I voted without having listened to it in years... And after relistening to the single I realized what I really was voting for was Junior Vasquez' "Thieves in the House Mix". The original is great too (particularly the 12" version with the crazy "who got the party who?" ending), but that remix is sublime. Many of his 90s tunes had pretty good house remixes... The William Orbit/Mark Moore remix of "The Future" is also better than original, it's the best single from the Batman soundtrack IMO.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 13:09 (eight years ago) link
If we did a "sick of" poll, I would hazard a guess that "The most beautiful girl" would probably win, I would be tempted to vote for "U got the look" possibly due to overexposure at the time.
― Mark G, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 13:43 (eight years ago) link
probably would have voted Pop Life in this, but am sick of more than a few Prince mega hits. Listening to 1999, usually skip the first two songs, and listen to Purple Rain the least of any of the full lengths
― Dominique, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 13:56 (eight years ago) link
"Thieves in the Temple" = first Prince cassingle I bought
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 14:07 (eight years ago) link
Prince is so great he wrote the only song about being a star that doesn't suck. so I voted 'Pop Life'.
― campreverb, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 17:58 (eight years ago) link
"Mountains" video has gone off the web because of youtube, but the associated Making of... is right here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UopzMEHmUDQ
― Why You Wanna Treeship Borad? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 28 May 2016 21:34 (seven years ago) link