Before he was Prince, he was just a kid named after his dad's stage name, destined for a life steeped in music. His parents met through it; he was practically birthed from a bassline. So it's no surprise that by the early 70s, his band Grand Central was tearing up North Minneapolis, blending funk, rock, punk, disco, and jazz into a sound the world hadn't quite heard yet. Because, of course, it hadn't. Prince was just getting started.
While his own catalog is legendary—"1999," "Purple Rain," "Kiss"—the man was a hit-making machine for everyone else too. Turns out, some of your favorite tracks by other artists? Yeah, those were Prince. Because apparently, one musical genius wasn't enough for him.
The Secret Prince Playlist
"Manic Monday" by The Bangles
Remember that quintessential 80s anthem about the worst start to a work week? The one that hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in '86 and cemented The Bangles' fame? That was Prince. He wrote it under the pseudonym Christopher, which is just delightful. Even more delightful: the man who famously never worked a 9-to-5 managed to perfectly capture the existential dread of one.
We're a new kind of news feed.
Regular news is designed to drain you. We're a non-profit built to restore you. Every story we publish is scored for impact, progress, and hope.
Start Your News Detox"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor
This one's a gut-punch of a power ballad, forever linked to Sinéad O'Connor's iconic close-up video. Prince first released it with his band The Family in 1985. Five years later, O'Connor tweaked a few lyrics, dedicated it to her late mother, and watched it spend four weeks at No. 1. Prince, ever the cosmic philosopher, said, "I think we just took that song as far as we could, then someone else was supposed to come along and pick it up." And pick it up, she did.
"How Come You Don't Call Me" by Alicia Keys
When Prince dropped "1999," it was a prescient party anthem about nuclear war and the millennium's end. But on the B-side was "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore." Fast forward almost two decades, and a 19-year-old Alicia Keys covered it, adding her own lyrics and bringing it to the Billboard Hot 100. Just three years later, she inducted Prince into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Full circle, and then some.
"Stand Back" by Stevie Nicks
Okay, Prince didn't write this one for Stevie Nicks, but he absolutely inspired it. Nicks was apparently grooving to Prince's "Little Red Corvette" on her way to her honeymoon (because of course she was) and then wrote "Stand Back." When she told Prince, he showed up at the studio, laid down some tracks, and, according to Nicks, "spoiled me for every band I've ever had because nobody can exactly recreate – not even with two piano players – what Prince did all by his little self." The man was a one-man wrecking crew of talent.
"Sugar Walls" by Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton described Prince as "quiet and shy." The song they cooked up in 1985, however, was anything but. "Sugar Walls" (produced by another Prince alter-ego, Alexander Nevermind) was so provocative, Tipper Gore's Parents' Music Resource Council labeled it "filthy." Naturally, it hit No. 9 on the charts. Because nothing sells like a little controversy and a whole lot of funk.
"I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan
Initially written for Patrice Rushen and appearing on Prince's self-titled 1979 album, "I Feel for You" got a new lease on life in 1984 courtesy of Chaka Khan. She wanted Prince to sing on it, but he was a bit busy producing Purple Rain. Khan's version, however, became the biggest hit of her career, topping the R&B charts, hitting No. 3 on the Hot 100, and snagging her a Grammy. Not bad for a song the original writer was too busy for.
"Jungle Love" by The Time
Prince didn't just write for other artists; he created them. He founded The Time and wrote their 1984 dance track "Jungle Love," complete with animal noises, which hit No. 20. He also helped produce their biggest hit, "Jerk Out." Band member Jimmy Jam noted that their sessions were "always like a jam session." Which, when Prince is involved, sounds like the most epic jam session of all time. The man was just overflowing with music, and lucky for us, he shared it.
