In 1979, Prince had his first No. 1 hit with “I Wanna Be Your Lover”. It was the beginning of a career that would go on for decades, until his untimely death in 2016. While there are far too many Prince hits to mention, these are four of his best songs.
“Purple Rain”
The title track of one of Prince’s most notorious albums, “Purple Rain” came out in 1984. A multi-platinum hit, Prince wrote “Purple Rain” by himself for a film of the same name, starring Prince.
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“Purple Rain” says, “I never meant to cause you any sorrow / I never meant to cause you any pain / I only wanted, one time, to see you laughing / I only want to see you laughing / In the purple rain. Purple rain, purple rain.”
Prince reportedly performed “Purple Rain” more than any of his other songs.
“Kiss”
“Kiss” appears on Prince’s Parade album. The record was also used as the soundtrack for the film Under The Cherry Moon. Written by Prince, the song remains one of the most successful singles of his career.
The chorus says, “You don’t have to be rich to be my girl / You don’t have to be cool to rule my world / Ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with / I just want your extra time and your kiss.”
“1999”
“1999” is not only a feel-good song, but it also shows Prince’s brilliant mind. First released in 1982 as the title track of his fifth studio album, the song had a massive resurgence 17 years later, at the dawn of the new millennium. Prince first had the idea to write the song when people were already dreading what some thought would be a major fallout with the turn of the century.
“We were sitting around watching a special about 1999,” he recalls (via Songfacts). “A lot of people were talking about the year and speculating on what was going to happen. And I just found it real ironic how everyone that was around me, whom I thought to be very optimistic people, were dreading those days, and I always knew I’d be cool. I never felt like this was going to be a rough time for me.”
“1999” says, “‘Cause they say / 2000, zero, zero, party over / Oops, out of time / So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.”
Not surprisingly, it became a moderate hit when it was released again in 1999.
“When Doves Cry”
Also on Purple Rain is “When Doves Cry”. A five-week No. 1 hit, Prince wrote “When Doves Cry” and also played all of the instruments on the track.
“When Doves Cry” says, “How can you just leave me standing / Alone in a world that’s so cold?/Maybe I’m just too demanding / Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold / Maybe you’re just like my mother / She’s never satisfied / Why do we scream at each other? / This is what it sounds like / When doves cry.”
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns