Essentials by the Dozen - Prince in 12 Tracks

With respect to Prince, if you’ve ever made statements worthy of a solid facepalm, such as “This guy was too full of himself to make me ever want to pay attention”, or found yourself listening in on some conversation that had you asking “Was he not just a wannabe Michael Jackson?”, then this next list should serve as a good starting point if you wish to expand your knowledge on one of music’s most celebrated solo artists.

[NOTE: This list is not a definite top 12 of Prince’s all-time greatest songs. Rather, it should be viewed as a strong collection in his catalogue that would essentially allow to have an efficient overview of his entire career. As a Prince fan myself, I also firmly believe that you should at the very least know every single one of these songs if you ever wish to debate the brilliance of his music. If at the moment you do not, RELAX, SIT BACK & ENJOY THE MAGIC OF PRINCE.]

1. I Feel for You (1979)

If one were in dire need of a good laugh, I would suggest they simply take a look at the cover photo of Prince’s self-titled second studio album. I absolutely love this man, who self-declared himself amongst the sexiest of philanderers, and am openly declaring him as the greatest R&B artist of all-time, more so than Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. In my lifetime, there have only ever been two artists I’ve praised as having come close to The Beatles (in terms of pure artistry) as I was in the midst of discovering them, one of them being the Rolling Stones, the other, Prince. “I Feel for You” is a disco track and is as good an introduction to Prince as any. If your head is not bopping immediately as the tune commences, may God have mercy on the darkness of your soul.

Great Moment:

“I wouldn’t lie to you, baby

I’m physically attracted to you

This feeling that I got for you, baby

There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do, for you girl”

2. Uptown (1980)

If one were in dire need of another good laugh, I would suggest they then take a look at the cover photo of Prince’s third album entitled Dirty Mind. This man seemed to have an inordinate amount of confidence ejecting out all parts of his body, and with respect to his musical abilities, he was downright a genius. On Dirty Mind, the artist fused together multiple genres, ranging from new wave to funk to post-disco, and his subject matter grew more taboo than ever. There is literally a song on the album entitled “Head”, and it deals with everything dirty you would think it to mean. “Uptown” is one of the album’s highlights. Prince was such a cool dude, and with that groove and those high-pitched vocals of his, he not only seemed untouchable, but he also seemed to know and rightfully flaunt it, and this was before the artist hit it big with the masses.

Great Moment:

“I never talk to strangers but this time it’s all right

See, she got me hot, ah, I couldn’t stop, ah

Good times were rolling all night, all night, yeah”

3. Let’s Work (1981)

On Prince’s fourth album, the trends carried on. Among the songs included on the album, there were “Sexuality” and the classic “Jack U Off” to name a few, the album’s title was Controversy, Prince himself played most of the instrumentation, similar genres were being fused, and although Controversy did not find enormous success amongst the masses, Prince kept at it and did not seem to let such a minor detail bring him down. Another thing that is absolutely crucial to know about Prince is his prolificacy as both a songwriter and musician. It is said that within Prince’s music vault, there is still an enormous amount of material that has yet to be released. Legend has it that there are dozens of unreleased music videos, unreleased albums and close to 8,000 total songs in the vault for which Prince fans have been hungrily craving, especially since his untimely passing in 2016. “Let’s Work” is a good example of a track that demonstrates how consistent the artist was, for one must remember that by this point, he was already at album #4. The following year, with the release of 1999, he would be at one album per year for the fifth consecutive year.

Great Moment:

“Nothing can stop us now, I’m gonna show you how

Show you how to work

C’mon let’s have some fun, we’ll work till the morning comes

Lemme see ya work, c’mon”

4. 1999 (1982)

Prince’s fifth album 1999 was seen as his breakthrough and sold incredibly well. If this was the case, it must have been rather exciting for those at the time who did not know him prior to 1982 to realize they had been sleeping over a goldmine in which already lay four outstanding Prince records by then. There is an enormous misconception amongst the younger crowd today that Prince’s “1999” was in fact released in the year from which its title derives. However, the album’s titular track was written in protest to the rapid nuclear growth that Prince claimed would cause the untimely demise of the world by the end of the century. It is as lively as one can hope from an 80’s dance tune, and its memorable chorus is nearly impossible to evade. “1999” is one of Prince’s more popular singles, and although I was but a mindless baby to remember, my father claims it was the most played song on New Year’s Eve in 1999, at least in Montreal’s homey district of St-Leonard, anyways.

Great Moment:

“The sky was all purple

There were people runnin’ everywhere

Tryin’ to run from the destruction

You know I didn’t even care

Say, say, 2000, zero, zero, party over

Oops! Out of time

So tonight, I’m gonna party like it’s 1999”

5. D.M.S.R. (1982)

Not only was 1999 Prince’s fifth album to be released in his fifth consecutive year as a solo artist, but it was also a double album. I admit most of the album’s tracks are somewhat lengthy, but upon hearing 1999 in its entirety, I could not fathom for the life of me how Prince managed to surpass himself with his subsequent releases, as so many critics claimed. I was quickly proven wrong after pursuing my discovery of the artist but maintain that his fifth album is a tour de force all the same. “D.M.S.R.” is probably the Prince song to which I most listened in my life. The beat is otherworldly, the funk seems to be so deeply engraved within his veins, the explosive chorus sounds as if it wishes to emancipate the listener like the serendipitous advent of some eruptive cloudburst, and although it lasts just over eight minutes, it could honesty have carried on for an added hour, and my heart would still be heavily pulsating about.

Great Moment:

“Everybody say ooh (OOH), alright (ALRIGHT)

DANCE, MUSIC, SEX, ROMANCE”

6. Let’s Go Crazy (1984)

After Michael Jackson released his world-renowned album Thriller in 1982, many artists immediately endeavored to tackle a similar bold project of their own, one that would find enormous commercial success while maintaining artistic significance, nonetheless. Prince rose to the top of the pop world two years later with his highly celebrated Purple Rain, on which the production and performances sounded more bold than anything the artist had released previously. “Let’s Go Crazy” serves as the album opener and provides an electrifying experience like no other. It begins with the sounds of an organ after which Prince states, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life”. “What in God’s name is going on?” was my initial reaction, but I could not help but be intrigued as to where the song was headed. After Prince declares, “If the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy!” and the instruments blast out in cohesive style, “Let’s Go Crazy” truly commences, and the entire song feels absolutely surreal. To give a decent idea of the potency of Purple Rain in both its aesthetics and commercial value, this was but the first track amongst nine equally fantastic gems, and even that is not doing the remainder of the album justice.

Great Moment:

“We’re all excited

But we don’t know why

Maybe it’s cause

We’re all gonna die

And when we do

What’s it all for

You better live now

Before the grim reaper come knocking on your door”

7. The Beautiful Ones (1984)

“Monsieur Rah-moan-ezz, lève-toi et réponds à la question,” said to me my oblivious secondary five chemistry teacher at a time during which I was the sole student of the grade who would wear t-shirts that displayed musicians. Years later, when I went back to work parttime at my old high school, I was asked to replace that very same teacher in that very same classroom, and I noticed this one kid — a bright mischief-maker and, like me, the only one to wear a t-shirt displaying a musician — wearing a Purple Rain shirt. I asked her if she actually listened to Prince was or if she just liked the shirt to which she responded, “I probably know more Prince than you. Do you know ‘The Beautiful Ones’? I’ve never heard a greater song in all my life nor will I ever.” Just like Chris Rock had done so many years prior, that kid reminded me that there is virtually no subpar track on the entirety of Purple Rain. I believe everyone has at least heard of the songs “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain”, but I do not believe everyone is aware that every other track is equally as epic, which is why I decided to add “The Beautiful Ones” to the list of essentials, for I believe it to be an excellent example of this, and Prince’s vocals are ridiculously astonishing by the end of this one.

Great Moment:

“Do you want him?

Or do you want me?

Cause I want you

Said, I want you”

8. Pop Life (1985)

Less than a year after the release of Prince’s ambitious Purple Rain, his subsequent seventh album Around the World in a Day was already on the shelves of record stores. Rather than attempt to replicate the massive commercial success of Purple Rain, Prince felt the need to change sound altogether and experiment with psychedelia, for he believed there was no point in recreating as big of a commercial milestone. The result was quite incredible, and the new album rose to the top of the charts, nonetheless. It proved quite difficult for me to select but one song from Prince’s seventh album on this list of essentials, but I ultimately went with my personal favourite “Pop Life” which perfectly illustrates the feel of the new sound the artist endeavored to explore.

Great Moment:

“What’s the matter with your life?

Is the poverty bringing you down?

Is the mailman jerking you ‘round?

Did he put your million-dollar check in someone else’s box?”

9. Kiss (1986)

For some of you who are enormous Prince fans, it might have seemed strange for me to omit some of the artist’s more legendary songs on this list (I would if I could, but I only have space for twelve). However, there was no way I could omit adding “Kiss”, arguably the most accessible song of his entire career and one of the all-time catchiest funk songs in popular music. This man was so bizarre. God, I love him so much. His larger-than-life attitude was adopted with so much confidence, the man could (quite literally) be booed by a herd of angry people and still believe himself to be a star. What a role model. “Kiss” begins with an extremely brief guitar jingle after which Prince utters some groan that sounds as if he’s just finished climaxing. The song then begins, and the next four minutes serve to display every single element that made Prince the untouchable artist that he was. The chorus is incredibly catchy, the funk riff is out-of-this-world, his delicate vocals are as provocative as ever and the lyrics deal with Prince’s desire to make love to a woman if she proves sensual enough.

Great Moment:

“Women, not girls, rule my world

I said they rule my world

Act your age, mama

Not your shoe size

Maybe we could do the twirl

You don’t have to watch Dynasty

To have an attitude

You just leave it all up to me

My love will be your food”

10. U Got the Look (1987)

Sign O’ the Times, the singer’s ninth album, is often considered his magnum opus. It is a double album containing sixteen tracks and explores a wide range of genres, from funk to electro to rock. It’s absolutely crazy how prolific Prince was throughout the entirety of his career (of which his classic period came about in the 80’s). Besides in 1983, Prince released one great album every year from 1978 to 1992. Within this vast range of musical exploration, Sign O’ the Times finds the artist at his creative peak, and it’s arguably the last outstanding must from his classic period. Prince’s alter ego — a high-pitched singer named Camille — can be heard on “U Got the Look”, and it’s also the first example I added to this list that shows the singer purposely misspelling the words to his song titles, a playful style of which he made use quite frequently.

Great Moment:

“You’ve got the look

You sho’nuf do be cooking in my book

Your face is jamming

Your body’s heck-a-slamming

If love is good

Let’s get to ramming

You got the look

You got the look”

11. Adore (1987)

“Adore” closes Prince’s magnum opus Sign O’ the Times and is a six-minute slow jam that sees Prince at his most soulful. It was interestingly never released as a single but has remained a fan favourite, nonetheless. I could not stress enough how difficult it was for me to select two songs from the entirety of the album. If these last two entries were to your liking, listen to the remainder of the tracks, for they are all equally as good (as is the case for most Prince records). Rather than carry on explaining why “Adore” is such a tremendous track, I think one should simply listen to it on their own and let the music do the explanation.

Great Moment:

“I ain’t fucking just for kicks, no

This condition I got is crucial

You could say that I’m a terminal case

You could burn up my clothes

Smash up my ride

Well maybe not the ride

But I got to have your face

All up in the place”

12. Thieves in the Temple (1990)

Although Prince’s career was pretty spectacular from start to finish, a list of twelve essential tracks needs to ultimately end somewhere, and what better way to end things than with “Thieves in the Temple”, an emotive dance track that proved how powerful a musician the artist could be at the start of a new decade. If Prince was to have unfortunately ceased producing music after Sign O’ the Times, he would still be held in the highest of regards by listeners and critics today. This is the main reason I chose to only add one of his later songs in the list of essentials, and “Thieves in the Temple” is but one example amongst so many gems the singer would record in his later career, a time period during which he at one point changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, causing his fans to refer to him as “the artist formerly known as Prince”. Although the singer unfortunately passed away in 2016, there is so much Prince one can discover and relisten to over and over again, and I believe his legacy will withstand the test of time for centuries to come.

Great Moment:

“Love come quick

Love come in a hurry

They’re thieves in the temple tonight”

BONUS:

1. “Soft and Wet”

2. “I Wanna Be Your Lover”

3. “When You Were Mine”

4. “Controversy”

5. “Little Red Corvette”

6. “I Would Die 4 U”

7. “Purple Rain”

8. “Paisley Park”

9. “Girls & Boys”

10. “Sign O’ the Times”

Disclaimer: The original version of this story was published on another platform. Link to original version: https://medium.com/@gabriele_delbusso/essentials-by-the-dozen-prince-in-12-tracks-29632266e28e