"When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album Purple Rain. According to the DVD commentary of the film Purple Rain (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a song to match the theme of a particular segment of the film that involved intermingled parental difficulties and a love affair. The next morning, Prince had composed two songs, one of which was "When Doves Cry". According to Prince's biographer Per Nilsen, the song was inspired by his relationship with Vanity 6 member Susan Moonsie.
The Hits/The B-Sides is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It was released on September 10, 1993, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is a comprehensive three-disc set consisting of many of his hit singles and fan favorites.
"Batdance" is a song by American musician Prince, from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Helped by the film's popularity, the song reached number one in the US, becoming Prince's fourth American number-one single and served as his first number-one hit since "Kiss" in 1986.
"Cream" is a song by American singer-songwriter Prince and his backing band the New Power Generation, released in September 1991 by Paisley Park and Warner as the second single from Prince's 13th studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). In a 2004 MTV special, Prince joked that he wrote the song while looking at himself in the mirror. "Cream" became Prince's fifth and last number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying at the top for two weeks. The song entered the top 10 in 15 other countries worldwide, peaking within the top three in Australia, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland. Its music video was directed by Rebecca Blake.
"Perfect" is the debut single by the English folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction, written by Mark E. Nevin. Released on 21 March 1988 by RCA, the single reached number one in the United Kingdom on 14 May 1988, where it stayed for one week. It also reached number one in Australia, Ireland, and South Africa. In the United States, the song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Perfect" won the award for British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards 1989.
"Diamonds and Pearls" is the title track of American musician Prince and The New Power Generation's 1991 album and was released as a single in November 1991. The song is an upbeat ballad, given a rock edge with guitar and heavy drumming. It also features the vocals of NPG member Rosie Gaines. The ballad is an expression of love and not lust, as is the theme on some of the other singles from the album. It was a top 10 hit, reaching number three in the US and the top spot on the R&B chart. The pearls in the accompanying music video come from Connie Parente, a Los Angeles jewelry collector and designer.
"U Got the Look" is a song by American musician Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince's double album Sign o' the Times (1987), and became the album's runner-up chart single. Musically, the song is a standard 12-bar rock song with emphasis on the contrast between heavy drum beats by a Linn LM-1 drum machine and Sheila E.'s live percussion, and a vastly distorted almost completely saturated guitar sound. Although not credited on the single release, the song also features Scottish recording artist Sheena Easton. Prince sings in his sped-up "Camille" voice, although the song was not intended for the Camille album. The lyrics recite the familiar "boy versus girl in the World Series of love" line.
"Thieves in the Temple" is a song by American musician Prince from the 1990 soundtrack album Graffiti Bridge. Added at the last minute, it was the final song recorded for the album. "Thieves in the Temple" topped the US R&B chart and became a number six hit in the US, and a number seven hit in the UK. The single also peaked at number nine on the dance chart.
"Controversy" is a song by American musician Prince, the lead single and title track to his 1981 album. The song addresses speculation about Prince at the time such as his sexuality, gender, religion, and racial background, and how he could not understand the curiosity surrounding him.
"Money Don't Matter 2 Night" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation from their 1991 album, Diamonds and Pearls. The song was released in March 1992 by Paisley Park and Warner. Co-written with Rosie Gaines, the lyrics deal directly with money, poverty, and greed, and overall, the song is a smooth delivery with layered vocals by Prince. It peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was directed by Spike Lee.
"Sexy MF" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, released as a single from their 1992 album Love Symbol. The music and most of the lyrics were composed by Prince, while Levi Seacer Jr. came up with the chorus and the song's title. Tony M. also delivers a rap, which he wrote. The song and its refrain "You sexy motherfucker" caused some controversy, and edited versions were produced for radio, the music video and the US version of the album. The song was recorded in Paisley Park's Studio A in December 1991.
"My Name Is Prince" is a song by American musician Prince and his backing band the New Power Generation, released in September 1992 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros. as the second single from their 1992 Love Symbol album. The song is about Prince himself and his musical prowess. The rap sequence is performed by NPG member Tony M. The intro to the song features vocal samples from Prince's earlier songs "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "Partyup", and "Controversy". Its music video was directed by Parris Patton and featured Kirstie Alley and Lauren Green.
"7" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, from their 1992 Love Symbol Album. It was released in late 1992 as the third single from the album, and became the most successful in the United States. It features a sample of the 1967 Lowell Fulsom song "Tramp" and is composed of heavy drums and bass in an acoustic style. It has a distinct Middle Eastern style of music, and a Hindu reincarnation theme, and an opera-like chorus which features Prince's multi-tracked vocals. The lyrics have religious and apocalyptic themes. The song is ambiguous and can be interpreted in many ways, as the "7" mentioned in the chorus could be the song referring to the Seven Deadly Sins or the seven Archon of Gnosticism or the seven names of God in the Old Testament. The song received positive reviews and peaked within the top forty of many of its major markets.
"The Morning Papers" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation from their 1992 album Love Symbol. It was released as the fourth worldwide single from the album in March 1993 by Paisley Park and Warner Bros.; the B-side is "Live 4 Love", a track from Prince's previous album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991). The UK CD single included "Love 2 the 9's" as well, also from Love Symbol.
"Letitgo" is a song by American musician Prince from his fifteenth studio album, Come (1994). Despite statements that the album consisted entirely of "old" material, "Letitgo" was actually newly composed for the album. The mid-tempo song relies heavily on a drum machine pattern and bass guitar with synthesizers in the refrain. A keyboard and percussion solo appear toward the end. The song is sung in falsetto in unison with another track layered in his regular, lower register. Kathleen Bradford provides backing vocals, while Eric Leeds provides flute accompaniment.
"The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" is a song by American musician Prince, released in various forms on the 1994 remixes EP The Beautiful Experience and later on his seventeenth album, The Gold Experience (1995). In his singles chronology, it was his third major release since changing his stage name to an unpronounceable "Love Symbol". In his albums chronology, it along with the EP was his second release after changing his name.
"Betcha by Golly, Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, originally titled "Keep Growing Strong" and recorded by Connie Stevens under the Bell label in 1970. Stevens' recording runs two minutes and thirty seconds. The composition later became a hit when it was released by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics in 1972 under its better known title, "Betcha by Golly, Wow".
"Killer" is a song by British DJ and record producer Adamski. It was written by Adamski and British singer-songwriter Seal, who also provided vocals. "Killer" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and spent four weeks at the top in May and June 1990. The single sold over 400,000 copies in the UK, earning it gold certification. It also reached number one in Belgium and Zimbabwe and number two in the Netherlands and West Germany.
"Two Princes" is a song by American rock group Spin Doctors, released in 1992 by Epic as the second single from the group's debut album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991). The song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Cash Box Top 100. Outside of the US, it topped the charts in Iceland and Sweden, and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The group filmed two different music videos for "Two Princes"; one of them was in black-and-white. One of the videos was directed by Richard Murray and premiered in February 1992.
Prince released several hundred songs both under his own name and under pseudonyms and/or pen names, as well as writing songs which have been recorded by other artists. Estimates of the actual number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. He has released 117 singles, 41 promotional singles, 24 internet singles, and eight internet downloads.
