Jio's HoF :NOW:WEEKLY PICKS (30/5/2023)

[jio]

____________________________________________________________
70.ANNA STESIA (1988)
album "LOVESEXY" (album track)



..."Have you ever been so lonely
that you felt like you were the only one in this world?
Have you ever wanted to play with someone so much
you take any one boy or girl?"...

In 1988 Prince scrapped the release of his planned "Black Album" to release an album called "Lovesexy" with spirituality (and its connections to sexuality) as its main theme. Prince said that the album should be listened as a solid body of work instead of a collection of individual songs, which is why its initial cd release featured all the songs in sequence as a single track. Prince's turn into spirituality was received differently at the two sides of the Atlantic. In the USA the album peaked at #11 on the BB 200 and is considered by many the beginning of Prince's commercial decline. In Europe (where the "Lovesexy" world tour focused) the album did well. It became his first UK #1 album and marked the beginning of a six years' period during which every Prince studio release charted in the top 2. Although I am not quite sure if the absence of "Glam Slam" from my Top 100 is a proper thing, in the end just one track from this album appears in my countdown and that's this gorgeous album track which finishes in the rhythmic chant "Love is God, God is Love, girls and boys love God above".
____________________________________________________________

69.THE BIRD (performed by The Time) (1984)
album "ICE CREAM CASTLE"



..."Brothers, don't be cool
Women like it sometimes when U act a fool
Sisters, don't be shy
Let your body get loose, U ain't 2 fat 2 fly
Come on now! "...

The title "The Bird" refers here to a dance in which you have to flap your arms mimicking the motions of a bird's wings when flying. The song was featured in the movie (but not album) "Purple Rain" and became a hit (despite its ugly cover art) by peaking at #36 on BB Hot 100, #33 on R&B and #6 on Dance/Club Play. The performance of this single by the Time was one of the most memorable moments of Prince's 1999 concert "Rave Un2 The Year 2000"
____________________________________________________________
68.THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE (1990)
album "GRAFFITI BRIDGE"



..."Voices from the sky say
Rely on your best friend to pull you through
But even if I wanted to
I couldn't really truly 'cause my only friend is you"...

This was the first single taken from the soundtrack to Prince's 1990 sequel to "Purple Rain" called "Graffiti Bridge". It was also one of the few new songs composed specifically for the movie (most of the songs were already existing as Prince's '80s outtakes) and in fact, the absolute last one composed for it. The single peaked at #6 on the BB Hot 100, #1 on R&B (which is kind of weird considering its pop nature), #9 on Dance/Club Play and #7 on the UK Singles Chart. The video included here is the 8 mins extended version of the song
____________________________________________________________
67.NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (performed by Sinead O' Connor) (1990)
album "I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT"



..."All the flowers that you planted, mama, in the back yard
all died when you went away
I know that living with you baby was sometimes hard
but I'm willing to give it another try "...

This amazing ballad was originally composed by Prince and recorded by the Family in their 1985 self-titled album. Prince composed the whole of that album, and even though the song remained an album track, it was the only song on the whole album that Prince actually took credit of composing. Clever move. Five years on, Irish singer/composer Sinead O' Connor records a cover version and the song becomes the biggest hit single of 1990 internationally by reaching #1 in USA, UK, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Sinead would never return to either the UK Top 10 or the US Top 40. Credit due where is due though, Sinead O' Connor's version is far better than the Family original and the video shines in its simplicity. Prince recorded his own live version (closely following the Family original) for his 1993 compilation album "Hits".
____________________________________________________________
66.SHY (1995)
album "THE GOLD EXPERIENCE" (album track)



..."After a look much louder than words she said, "I passed my initiation
A friend of mine, he got killed and in retaliation
I shot the boy, huh, twice in the head
No regrets, no sorrow, I'm going back tomorrow to make sure he's dead
'Cuz if I don't, they'll call me a chicken"...

"The Gold Experience" was definitely Prince's quality peak in the '90s. Unfortunately, it was also an album that had all the wrong single choices. How else can one explain the release of "Eye Hate U" and "Gold" instead of this fab soft rock song? "Shy" definitely remains one of my favourite Prince songs of all time
____________________________________________________________

(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[Blondini]

Thieves was dull. Anna Stesia is nice Glam Slam amazing. Gold was a brilliant single - that track you posted was good but hardly single material.

I will say that i only got into him through 93's Hits/ B-Sides set and bought all of his major albums from Prince to Lovesexy but only then bought 3121 and the two free Daily Mail releases. I have a taped copy of Diamonds and Pearls and Batman. Never saw the need to buy any other albums - MPLSound is far too expensive in UK.

Sinead stunning of course though it looks a bit out of place seeing as he had no involvement in the actual record.

[jio]

Well it's a Prince composition. You should really buy "Symbol", "Come", "Gold Experience", "The Vault", "Rainbow Children" and "Musicology". You can skip the rest

About "Glam Slam" I generally consider it a great track but when I heard it before compiling the Top 100 I discovered I am really tired of it which is why it missed the Top 100 completely.

And no, "Gold" has to be one of the worse Prince singles ever for me

[NothingFails]

70.ANNA STESIA (1988)
album "LOVESEXY" (album track)
One of the standout tracks on Lovesexy, surprised it wasn't a single

69.THE BIRD (performed by The Time) (1984)
album "ICE CREAM CASTLE"
Fun track but far from their best IMO

68.THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE (1990)
album "GRAFFITI BRIDGE"
Always loved the track

67.NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (performed by Sinead O' Connor) (1990)
album "I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN'T GOT"
Way too low for this gem IMO

66.SHY (1995)
album "THE GOLD EXPERIENCE" (album track)
Like this one also


I also agree with you on "Gold". I don't think the song is terrible but the song seemed like a blatant attempt at P to try and record a 90's anthem ala Purple Rain.

[Blondini]

Don't think i'll ever be paying money for The Rainbow Children and Come sounds dull from the singles.

[ShayLaB]

Don't think i'll ever be paying money for The Rainbow Children and Come sounds dull from the singles.

IMO the only later albums that come close to his purple patch are O-|>, The Gold Experience and 3121. If you have the latter I'd recommend seeking out the other two. I believe The Gold Experience is out of print and has been for a number of years...if you ever wanted a physical copy Amazon new and used have a few.

The Rainbow Children is quite interesting but not fab. Come is a poor album imo...I bought it, played it a few times and left it to gather dust ever since.

[ShayLaB]

70.ANNA STESIA (1988)
OK but I think I Wish You Heaven is the best track on the album.

69.THE BIRD (performed by The Time)
Like this...will have to stick their albums back on my iPod.

68.THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE
This is where Prince and I had a falling out. An average album was to expected at some point (Lovesexy) and Batman was just music to a soundtrack. Thieves was an underwhelming lead single and Graffiti Bridge was his poorest album to date. This was the end of our love in.

67.NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (performed by Sinead O' Connor)
Can't stand her for all sorts of reasons.

66.SHY
Terrific - the best of the bunch by a country mile.

[jio]

Why so much hate for "Thieves"? It's a good single, far far better than "Alphabet Street" for example. And sure the "Graffiti Bridge" album can't touch his '80s classic (and I hate the "New Power Generation song with a passion) but it is better than both "Batman" and "Diamonds And Pearls" (without including the few terrific songs the latter one included).

[jio]

____________________________________________________________
65.THE RAINBOW CHILDREN (2001)
album "THE RAINBOW CHILDREN" (album track)



..."Just like the sun, the rainbow children rise
flyin' upon the wings of the new translation
See them fly, covenant will be kept this time
Just like the sun, the rainbow children rise"...

This was the opening track to Prince's 2001 religious album "The Rainbow Children". The song is basically jazz with a mechanical-sounding voice present early on the song. I have to admit that I bought "The Rainbow Children" album only because it was Prince and I thought I wouldn't like it because I wasn't much of a fan of the James Brown-wannabe single or the religious direction Prince was taking. But as soon as I heard this song, I knew I would love it. And I guess that's what's good in not being from an English-speaking country: you can enjoy the music without getting distracted by the lyrics
____________________________________________________________
64.THE GLAMOROUS LIFE (performed by Sheila E.) (1984)
album "THE GLAMOROUS LIFE"



..."Boys with small talk and small minds
really don't impress me in bed
She said, I need a man's man, baby, diamonds and furs
Love would only conquer my head "...

The song was originally composed for the group Apollonia 6 (which were themselves the reformed Vanity 6). However after the lead singer of the group decided to leave, Prince gave the song to his drummer Sheila E. (with whom he had just duetted on the song "Erotic City"). In fact Prince composed most of Sheila E's debut album "Glamorous Life". Both album and single were significant hits in 1984. The single reached #7 on the BB Hot 100, #9 on R&B, #1 on Dance/Club Play but only #76 on the UK Singles Chart whereas the album reached #28 on BB 200 and #7 on R&B whereas a second Prince-composed single ("The Belle Of St. Mark") would peak at #18 UK and #34 USA.
____________________________________________________________
63.SEXUALITY (1982)
album "CONTROVERSY"



..."Don't let your children watch television until they know how to read
Or else all they'll know how to do is cuss, fight and breed
No child is bad from the beginning, they only imitate their atmosphere
If they're in the company of tourists, alcohol and US history
What's to be expected is 3 minus 3, absolutely nothing"...

This was the second single from Prince's 1982 album "Controversy". An extremely funky song which in fact is not about sex, but it rather sounds as a manifesto against prejudice, television and tourists among others.In other words it is both a socially-conscious song and a revelation of a surprisingly (at that time) conservative side of Prince. Not a hit but definitely a classic all the same. You may have noticed that the line "reproduction of a new breed, stand up, organize" is also used in the 2001 song "The Rainbow Children"
____________________________________________________________
62.LETITGO (1994)
album "COME"



..."Fourteen years and tears, I've longed to sing my song
but a horse couldn't drag your *ss to put me on
but now I've got an army and we're three million strong
This song will ring in your ears when we are gone"...

This was the first (and only successful) single from Prince's 1994 criminally underrated album "Come". Another funky R&B track, this one talks about Prince's major mid-'90s issue: his conflict with his label, Warner. It is relatively common knowledge that Prince re-signed with Warner straight after the commercial success of the "Diamonds And Pearls" project. The new contract provided huge benefits to Prince only if his new album would sell on the level of 5-6m copies worldwide. However Prince was no Michael Jackson. Despite the fact that "Diamonds And Pearls" had sold that much, very few other Prince albums did. The album which came after the new contract ("Symbol") certainly didn't and Prince started a struggle to gain independence from Warner mainly by releasing a vast amount of albums through Warner (in order to complete his new contract fast), as well as making sure his newly-written songs wouldn't fall under Warner's ownership by releasing those material through his own NPG label under names other than Prince (New Power Generation, Artist Formerly Known As Prince etc). At the time Prince was making clear in every possible way of his views on Warner not just with this song but also by tattooing the word "Slave" on his cheek. Back to the single though. Despite this not being the success it deserved to be, it still reached #31 on BB Hot 100, #10 on R&B and #30 on the UK Singles Chart
____________________________________________________________
61.COME 2 MY HOUSE (performed by Chaka Khan) (1998)
album "COME 2 MY HOUSE" (album track)



..."Come 2 my house where we can play
like I'm your flower we'll hide and seek
then we'll find love's highest power"...

Prince's influence on pop culture is massive, including the divas. Prince has worked with most female megastars from Madonna to Celine Dion and Mariah Carey and also influenced single-handedly Janet Jackson's early sound to the biggest degree possible. One diva with a well-known connection to Prince is Chaka Khan. Chaka Khan achieved her biggest UK hit ever (and only #1) in 1984 by covering Prince's "I Feel For You". The two would work together on the track "Sticky Wicked" from Khan's 1988 album "CK" and, ten years later, Chaka Khan would sign on Prince's own label NPG. The only product of that partnership was the "Come 2 My House" album with 11 out of the 14 songs written or co-written by Prince himself. This is both a fantastic and a criminally overlooked album (it only made it to #49 on R&B) showcasing Chaka Khan as the ultimate soul/R&B legend that she really is. Despite the album launching five (largely unsuccessful) singles, the seductive title track and opening song remains my absolute favourite from this gem of an album.
____________________________________________________________

(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[Tiger]

67.NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (performed by Sinead O' Connor) (1990)

Classic 90s song there and I like your passion abuot Prince

[NothingFails]

Why so much hate for "Thieves"? It's a good single, far far better than "Alphabet Street" for example. And sure the "Graffiti Bridge" album can't touch his '80s classic (and I hate the "New Power Generation song with a passion) but it is better than both "Batman" and "Diamonds And Pearls" (without including the few terrific songs the latter one included).

+1

I think a lot of people hate Graffiti Bridge because the film was so bad. But I thought it was a solid return to form after Batman.

[Blondini]

Thieves to me is lumpen - has no decent beat and the melody is staid and unexciting. Alphabet Street is fun and you can dance to it.

Sheila E song and Sexuality are great.

[ShayLaB]

65.THE RAINBOW CHILDREN
Terrifically funky jazz infused track. The up front religious lyrics are hard to ignore throughout the album. For me it makes it a little less enjoyable.

[jio]

____________________________________________________________
60.EAST (2003)
album "N.E.W.S." (album track)



N.E.W.S. (which stands for North, East, West and South, the names of the four songs of the album) was one of three jazz instrumental projects Prince released in the early '00s, along with "Xpectation" and "C-Note" (which for the purposes of this countdown is considered an E.P. or something lol). Unlike those two, "N.E.W.S" had a normal retail release and it's easy to see why since it's by far the best of the three. This didn't stop the album becoming his least selling album ever (once again, no wonder at all since it is by far the least commercial of any album released under Prince's own name), so I am one of the 30 000-odd people worldwide who actually have it. The album gained Prince a nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance Grammy. "East" is by far my favourite track from that album. Like the other three songs, it is a 14-mins-long instrumental jazz jam. It is also the highest-ranking instrumental on the countdown
____________________________________________________________
59.THE SCREAMS OF PASSION (performed by The Family) (1985)
album "THE FAMILY"



..."There's a gentle autumn breeze that blows
whenever we be lyin' in my bed
The moon appears and dissapears, you look at me
My clothes I quickly, quickly shed"...

Prince formed The Family by the remaining members of The Time (following Morris Day's and Jesse Johnson's departure) with the addition of Prince's saxophonist Eric Leeds and Prince's then-fiancee Susannah Melvoin who happened to be also Prince's backing vocalist Wendy's twin sister. A family indeed. The band released just one album (with all songs composed by Prince) in 1985 which peaked at #62 on BB 200 and #14 on R&B. The funky "Screams Of Passion" was the first single peaking at #63 on the BB Hot 100, #9 on R&B and #10 on Dance/Club Play. "High Fashion" was the second single peaking at #34 on R&B. Unfortunately, the Family remains mostly remembered for being the first act to record "Nothing Compares 2 U"
____________________________________________________________
58.THE WALK (performed by The Time) (1982)
album "WHAT TIME IS IT?"



..."Attention everybody
I said I just shined my shoes, yes I did
So U can let your body talk
But just watch where U walk
Or your life U're gonna lose
In other words, I'll walk U ‘til U're dead "...

This was the second single from The Time's 1982 album "What Time Is It?" and, as the whole of that album, it was composed by Prince. As is the case with "The Bird", "The Walk"'s title refers to a specific kind of dance you are supposed to do when listening to this song, this time mimicking a person walking (it's more fun than it sounds and definitely less embarassing than "The Bird" dance). It peaked at #24 on R&B.
____________________________________________________________
57.SHHH (1995)
album "THE GOLD EXPERIENCE" (album track)



..."In the daytime, I think not
I'd rather do you after school like some homework
Ah, am I getting you hot?
In the bedroom, no, 'cuz we'd have to stop
(please don't stop)"...

A rule I made for this countdown is that, although songs where other artists cover Prince are allowed, songs where Prince covers other artists are not. So you won't see "Crimson & Clover", "Everyday Is A Winding Road" or "Betcha By Golly Wow!" here. Even so, "Shhh" is a bizarre case. Prince originally composed this song for Tevin Campbell's 1993 album "I'm Ready" and it did appear as an album track on that album. However, two years later, Prince decided to cover the song in his own "Gold Experience" album. I do like the Prince version far more than the Tevin Campbell version, so here is Prince covering a Tevin Campbell song he himself composed in the first place
____________________________________________________________
56.BORN 2 B.R.E.E.D. (performed by Monie Love) (1993)
album "IN A WORD OR 2"



..."Young mother be thankful, be strong
The fact that you're young, it ain't wrong
A mother I will try to be
Tha fact is, I was born 2 B.R.E.E.D."...

We have Tinie Tempah now, we had Monie Love then. The British M.C. had had a string of rap hits in the UK and even crossed over to success in the States with songs such as "It's A Shame (My Sister)" and her work with Queen Latifah, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest among others. In 1993 Prince asked her to write lyrics for Carmen Electra's rap album and in turn Prince produced two songs for her own album "In A Word Or 2". One was the rather unimpressive title track (which made it to #33 on the UK Singles Chart) and the other was this fantastic dance/rap single with a bit of gospel in the chorus which made it to #18 UK and #89 USA. If only the Carmen Electra material had been that good. Oh, and the the word "B.R.E.E.D." here stands for "Build Relationships where Education and Enlightenment Dominates".
____________________________________________________________

(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[NothingFails]

65.THE RAINBOW CHILDREN (2001)
album "THE RAINBOW CHILDREN" (album track)
It's good for what it is, but not much a jazz person

64.THE GLAMOROUS LIFE (performed by Sheila E.) (1984)
album "THE GLAMOROUS LIFE"
Pure classic. When I saw him in 07, Sheila was a special guest and they performed this and A Love Bizarre as an encore

63.SEXUALITY (1982)
album "CONTROVERSY"
Nice track, great synths on this

62.LETITGO (1994)
album "COME"
Should've been a bigger hit but I think the whole cryptic "1958-1993" and mentality that the album was a throwaway that Prince did nothing to promote hurt it from being the hit it should've been. Easily could've fit with the r&b circa 1994.

61.COME 2 MY HOUSE (performed by Chaka Khan) (1998)
album "COME 2 MY HOUSE" (album track)
First time hearing it, quite good

60.EAST (2003)
album "N.E.W.S." (album track)
I'll admit N.E.W.S. is very well-done but I've only listened to it once, not my thing

59.THE SCREAMS OF PASSION (performed by The Family) (1985)
album "THE FAMILY"
Underrated and should've been a bigger hit. Love the beat and it's one of those songs that creeps up on you. They've actually reunited under a different name and are working on new material.

58.THE WALK (performed by The Time) (1982)
album "WHAT TIME IS IT?"
Fun party track

57.SHHH (1995)
album "THE GOLD EXPERIENCE" (album track)
Always liked this and he did it live when I saw him. I had no idea Tevin Campbell also did the song, I'll need to check it out

56.BORN 2 B.R.E.E.D. (performed by Monie Love) (1993)
album "IN A WORD OR 2"
Fun track. One I'd never heard before.

[Blondini]

The Family track is great. I prefer Monie's turn-of-the-decade work.

[jio]

____________________________________________________________
55.THE STICK (performed by The Time) (1981)
album "THE TIME" (album track)




..."Offer me your body, I have to pass
Cause everytime we make love, you run out of gas
Girl, my car's so bad it runs on H2O
No, you can't compete it runs on cruise control"...

This album track from The Time's debut album is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Its subject matter is one that Prince explored as well (mainly in "Little Red Corvette") and that is comparing sex to a car (what's up with those 80s car obsessions?) and we can all imagine what the title stands for. It was never a single but probably should have been.
____________________________________________________________
54.MUSICOLOGY (2004)
album "MUSICOLOGY"



..."Wish eye had a dollar 4 everytime u say
Don't u miss the feeling music gave ya
back in the day
Let's Groove September
Earth, Wind and Fire
Hot Pants by James, Sly's gonna take you higher"...

This was the title track and first single from the album widely considered Prince's return back to form in 2004. Musically it doesn't deviate too much from "The Rainbow Children"'s lead single "The Work part I", although it is a less blatant James Brown-wannabe than that single was. The song namechecks several other R&B/funk acts of the '70s/'80s such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Rick James, Sly & The Family Stone, Chuck D., Jam Master Jay etc. The single made it to #44 on R&B.
____________________________________________________________
53.FEEL U UP (1989)
from "PARTYMAN" single (b-side)



..."Something 'bout your body, babe really get me hot
Sweating girl and it's all because of U
I don't want your credit cards or anything U got
Feel U up is all I wanna do. What do U say? "...

Leave it to Prince to reduce his best songs to b-side status. Although no songs from the "Batman" album made it into my Top 100, this b-side from the second "Batman" single, "Partyman", did. Well, to be fair, the song wasn't composed or even recorded during the "Batman" sessions. It dates back to 1981 and was originally considered (and re-recorded) for the aborted 1986 album project "Camille". The "Partyman" single made it to #18 US and #14 UK.
____________________________________________________________
52.DEAR MR. MAN (2004)
album "MUSICOLOGY" (album track)



..."Who said that 2 kill is a sin
then started every single war that U're people been in?
Who said that water is a precious commodity
then dropped a big old black oil slick in the deep blue sea?"...

This is the highest ranking song from Prince's 2004 comeback album "Musicology". It is also the message-driven song of the album. Prince clearly took inspiration from Marvin Gaye on this one. In fact the "Musicology" album as a whole seems to be a tribute album, the album where Prince pays respect to the artists he grew up listening to. The album peaked at #3 on both US and UK Albums Chart (and also on R&B), but its US longevity caused considerable controversy as it was partly due to the fact that Billboard rules at the time allowed album copies given at Prince concerts to be considered as albums sold. Billboard changed its chart methodology soon afterwards stipulating that such copies would be counted only if their purchase with concert tickets is optional. Despite that, the album's success was real, proven by the success of its follow-up "3121" and the many grammy nominations it received: Best R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance Male for the song "Call My Name" (both of which he won), Best Pop Vocal Performance-Male (for "Cinnamon Girl"), Best R&B Song (for "Call My Name") and Best R&B Album.
____________________________________________________________
51.ANOTHERLOVERHOLENYOHEAD (with The Revolution) (1986)
album "PARADE"



..."U need another lover
like u need a hole in yo head baby
U know there ain't no other
that can do the duty in your bed solo"...

This funky song was the fourth and final single from Prince's "Parade" album/soundtrack to his film "Under The Cherry Moon". The song remains relatively unknown since it was only a minor chart success peaking at #63 on the Hot 100, #18 on R&B, #21 on Dance/Club Play and #36 on the UK Singles Chart. Still though I have played it in a few '80s parties and the people do get excited with this, even if they generally don't know it. I guess this single was the final big funk Prince release for quite some time.
____________________________________________________________

(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[ShayLaB]

55.THE STICK
Written by Lisa Coleman. Don't really like it.

54.MUSICOLOGY
Fab. The performance you linked is terrific.

53.FEEL U UP
OK.

52.DEAR MR. MAN
Like it a lot but prefer the title track.

51.ANOTHERLOVERHOLENYOHEAD
Fab

[jio]

THE STICK written by Prince and Lisa Coleman

[ShayLaB]

THE STICK written by Prince and Lisa Coleman

Given the lyrics I hope he just wrote the music

[Blondini]

I like 53 and 51.

[NothingFails]

55.THE STICK (performed by The Time) (1981)
album "THE TIME" (album track)
Not bad

54.MUSICOLOGY (2004)
album "MUSICOLOGY"
It's ok but a song that works much better in a concert setting (he did a 10 min version of it and mixed it with Play That Funky Music when I saw him) than on album. On album its rather monotone

53.FEEL U UP (1989)
from "PARTYMAN" single (b-side)
Agreed that its better than its A-side and one of the best tracks from the 1989 era

52.DEAR MR. MAN (2004)
album "MUSICOLOGY" (album track)
Nice lyrics

51.ANOTHERLOVERHOLENYOHEAD (with The Revolution) (1986)
album "PARADE"
Great single that should've done better

[jio]

____________________________________________________________
50.PAISLEY PARK (with The Revolution) (1985)
album "AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY"




..."See the man cry as the city condemns where he lives
Memories die but taxes he'll still have 2 give
Whoever said that elephants were stronger than mules
Come 2 the Park and play with us
There aren't any rules in Paisley Park"...

This was the first UK single taken from "Around The World In A Day", Prince's follow-up to his extraordinarily successful "Purple Rain" project. Unlike Michael Jackson, Prince didn't wait long before following up that project, nor did he try to repeat the formula. Instead he chose to come back with an album which couldn't sound any more different than "Purple Rain". And this single is the most obvious example of that. It did constitute a shock to the public though, which probably explains why this fabulous Beatles-esque single stalled at #18 on the UK Singles Chart and was never released in the States.
____________________________________________________________
49.TAKE ME WITH U (with Apollonia & The Revolution) (1985)
album "PURPLE RAIN"



..."I can't disguise the pounding of my heart
It beats so strong
It's in your eyes, what can I say
They turn me on"...

Purple Rain time... This song proves that a simple catchy melody is enough to create a classic single. The song was the fifth and final single taken from the "Purple Rain" soundtrack and peaked at #25 on the Hot 100 and #40 on R&B (it was a pop rather than an R&B single). It also peaked at #7 on the UK Singles Chart as a double a-side with "Let's Go Crazy" (to which it bears a resemblance tbh). The song was originally considered for Apollonia 6's album but it ended up on the "Purple Rain" soundtrack instead, with Apollonia Kotero providing half the vocals. It remains the big sing-a-long song in Prince's concerts and I much prefer it to the overrated "Let's Go Crazy"
____________________________________________________________
48.HOT THING (1987)
album "SIGN O' THE TIMES" (album track)



..."Hot Thing-barely 21
Hot Thing-lookin' 4 Big Fun
Hot Thing-what's your fantasy?
Hot Thing-do U wanna play with me? "...

This song did not sound as anything special in its "Sign O' The Times" album version. However it was chosen as the b-side to the fourth and final single from that album ("I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man") and, interestingly, it was this song which got the extensive remix treatment rather than the a-side. Its extended remix in particular brought the song to life and led to it charting without even being a proper single. It climbed to #63 on the Hot 100 and #14 on R&B. It also provided one of the most memorable performances in Prince's 1987 concert film "Sign O' The Times".
____________________________________________________________
47.I WOULD DIE 4 U (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN"



..."I'm not a woman, I'm not a man
I am something that you'll never understand
I'll never beat u, I'll never lie
And if you're evil I'll forgive u by and by"...

To me this is the big ballad of "Purple Rain" instead of the overplayed title track (even though it doesn't quite sound like a ballad in the concert performance used as the video to the song). This song is squarely placed in the '80s musically considering its electronic effects, its concert-like delivery, its lyrics, its mid-song breakdown. It was released as the fourth single from the "Purple Rain" soundtrack peaking at #8 on the Hot 100, #11 on R&B and even #50 on Dance/Club Play. It has been covered by Space Cowboy, Raheem DeVaughn and Bloc Party among others.
____________________________________________________________
46.MOUNTAINS (with The Revolution) (1986)
album "PARADE"



..."Once upon a time in a haystack of despair
Happiness is sometimes hard 2 find there
Africa divided, hijack in the air
It's enough 2 make U wanna lose your mind"...

In 1986 Prince decided to do a second movie following the success of the "Purple Rain" movie two years earlier. But, as with the "Around The World In A Day" album, the movie couldn't be any more different than its predecessor. Shot entirely in black-and-white and keeping all but two of the songs as background music, "Under The Cherry Moon" (directed by Prince and starring Prince, Jerome Benton of The Time and Kristin Scott Thomas), received negative reviews and flopped at the box-office peaking at a mere #11 on the Box-Office Weekend Chart. Still though, the movie had an extremely good soundtrack (released under the name "Parade") which made it to #3 on both US and UK Albums Chart and #2 on R&B and won Prince a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or A Group with Vocals for the song "Kiss". As I said before, just two songs were feautured in their entirety in the film, one was "Girls And Boys" and the other was this single, whose video plays over the end credits of the movie. "Mountains" was the second single taken from the soundtrack, peaking at #23 on the Hot 100, #15 on R&B and #11 on Dance/Club Play. Oh, and despite the film being a multiple Raspberry Awards winner (Worst Picture, Worst Director (Prince), Worst Actor (Prince), Worst Supporting Actor (Jerome) and Worst Original Song ("Love or Money" which interestingly is not included in the soundtrack), it is really not that bad, I love it.
____________________________________________________________

(you can click on the song titles to listen to the songs or see the videos)

[NothingFails]

Great selection of singles that outside of "I Would Die 4 U" generally don't get much recurrent airplay on radio.

50.PAISLEY PARK (with The Revolution) (1985)
album "AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY"
A lot of people say ATWIAD is very Beatle-oriented, but honestly it's really this song that gives it those comparisons. Great track that somehow wasn't a US release (we went straight for Raspberry Beret)

49.TAKE ME WITH U (with Apollonia & The Revolution) (1985)
album "PURPLE RAIN"
The least successful Purple Rain single in the US (but I think it has to do that the album had already moved 9-10 million by the time the single had hit so most who would've bought the single had the album already) but a great track. Prince and Apples' voices blended well together.

48.HOT THING (1987)
album "SIGN O' THE TIMES" (album track)
Such a stripper anthem LOL. Fun track that as radio proved was too good to *just* be a b-side

47.I WOULD DIE 4 U (with The Revolution) (1984)
album "PURPLE RAIN"
I remember when I first heard this song as a kid thinking he was singing "Apple Dapple You". A short, sweet spiritual song with a fantastic synth-line.

46.MOUNTAINS (with The Revolution) (1986)
album "PARADE"
Great beat to this one. Too bad it performed so poorly as the followup to "Kiss" which I think has been overplayed over the years. I too love Under The Cherry Moon. We saw a side to Prince in that film that we rarely see and it was an amusing film just to see him so far out of his normal element.

[Blondini]

NOW you're talking! 5 absolute classics! I love the album version of Hot Thing, though. :-?

Mountains is one of his most underachieving singles - how that sold far less than Paisley Park is bizarre (indeed, Pop Life is better than PP but i suspect PL was under-promoted in UK.)