Prince Rogers Nelson was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. He was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona; his wide vocal range, which included a far-reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams; and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, often preferring to play all or most of the instruments on his recordings. His music incorporated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, synth-pop, pop, jazz, blues, and hip hop. Prince produced his albums himself, pioneering the Minneapolis sound.
"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.
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by American recording artist Prince, who was at the time going by the unpronounceable "Love Symbol". Released on November 9, 1999, by NPG Records and Arista Records, the album was issued shortly after the release of The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999). It includes several guest appearances, including by Gwen Stefani, Eve, and Sheryl Crow; Prince also completed a cover of Crow's 1996 single "Everyday Is a Winding Road". A pop and R&B album, it departs from the soul genre found on Prince's previous efforts.
"Kiss" is a song composed, written, and produced by American musician Prince. Released by the Paisley Park label as the lead single from Prince and the Revolution's eighth studio album, Parade (1986), on February 5, 1986, it was a No. 1 hit worldwide, holding the top spot of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. The single was certified gold in 1986 for shipments of 1,000,000 copies by RIAA.
"1999" is a song by American musician Prince, the title track from his 1982 album of the same name. Originally peaking at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, a mid-1983 re-release later reached number 12 in the US, while a January 1985 rerelease, a double A-side with "Little Red Corvette", later peaked at number 2 in the UK.
The Chocolate Invasion (Trax from the NPG Music Club Volume One) is the twenty-ninth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on March 29, 2004 by NPG Records. The album was released as a download-only album through his website, NPG Music Club. All the tracks, except "The Dance", were previously available on the same website in 2001, although some may have rearrangements in music and/or lyrics. "U Make My Sun Shine", a duet with Angie Stone, was released as a single in 2001. Three more tracks had a limited release as CD singles during Prince's 2001 Hit'N'Run Tour: "Supercute", "Underneath the Cream", and "Gamillah". The album's title comes from a line in "Judas Smile". "The Dance" was later re-recorded and included on the 2006 album, 3121. All the tracks, except "Judas Smile" and "The Dance", were at one point included on the aborted album project High.
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale is the twenty-second studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 24, 1999, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was submitted to Warner Bros. Records in 1996, complete with artwork at the same time as Chaos and Disorder, but released three years later, shortly before Prince's Arista album release Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. The album was recorded from 1985 through 1996. It was the last album to be released by Warner Bros. to fulfill his 1992 contract obligations.
"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Purple Rain. It is the opening track on both the album and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other hits. When released as a single, the song became Prince's second number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the two component charts, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Dance Club Play charts, as well as becoming a UK Top 10 hit. The B-side was the lyrically controversial "Erotic City". In the UK, the song was released as a double A-side with "Take Me with U".
"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.
"Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful promiscuous woman. Backing vocals were performed by Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson; Dickerson also performs a guitar solo on the song.
"Delirious" is a song by American musician Prince, from his fifth studio album album, 1999 (1982). It was the album's third single, and Prince's second Top 10 hit, reaching No. 8 in the US during the fall of 1983. The success of the single was boosted by the runaway success of the previous single, "Little Red Corvette", and also because DJs often played the first three album tracks in sequence, which just happened to be the order of the singles released from the album.
"Thunder" is a song by American musician Prince and the New Power Generation, from their 1991 album Diamonds and Pearls. It was issued as a limited, individually numbered 12-inch single picture disc in the UK and Ireland only, and the edited version was available only on the promotional single.
"Come On" is a song and the only single released from The New Power Generation's 1998 album Newpower Soul. Although attributed to the New Power Generation, the song prominently features Prince, as do all songs from the album. The song features Chaka Khan on background vocals. An official video was made, in which Prince humorously disguises himself as an older man, playing jokes with his bandmembers at a park in London, intercut with footage from his Beautiful Strange concert video, filmed at Café de Paris (London).
"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold" is a song recorded by American musician Prince, under his unpronounceable stage name called the "Love Symbol". It was released as the only single from his twenty-third studio album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). It was issued on October 5, 1999, in several different formats, including a 12-inch single, CD single, and a maxi single. Prince solely wrote and produced it, while Mike Scott provided guitar strings for the track. Several music critics found the single reminiscent to the works on his previous studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991).
"The Work, pt. 1" is a song written by Prince in 2001 and the debut single for his album The Rainbow Children. The song is an homage to James Brown in both the delivery and title. The track features Prince performing in falsetto and backing vocals by Kip Blackshire and girl group Milenia.
Prince was well known in the entertainment industry for having a vast body of work that remains unreleased. It has been said that his vault contains multiple unreleased albums and over 50 fully produced music videos that have never been released, along with albums and other media. The following is a list, in rough chronological order, of the most prominent of these unreleased works. Many were later released and circulated among collectors as bootlegs.
Rachel Sage Piña-Trachtenburg, professionally known as Rachel Trachtenburg, is an American musician and singer. She is most notable for her key role as drummer and backup vocalist of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, a family band consisting of herself and her parents, Jason and Tina, from 2000 to 2011. Trachtenburg was also lead singer of the band Supercute! from 2009 to 2013, and is currently the guitarist and vocalist for New York–based trio Wooing. In addition, Trachtenburg is also a model, signed to Elite Model Management; a radio talk show host for Gary Null's Progressive Radio Network; and an actress who appeared in indie movies Happy Birthday in 2004, Ruchiki in 2011, and Exteriors in 2014, as well as a television pilot for an unaired children's TV show titled Rachel Trachtenburg's Homemade World in 2009.
"The War" is a song by The New Power Generation, headed by Prince from 1998. The song was initially given away to customers who pre-ordered Prince's Crystal Ball album and experienced delivery troubles. The song is not from any album. It was also available as a music download on Prince's now-defunct website, the NPG Music Club. A promo CD single of The War was also available for purchase through 1-800-New-Funk and online.
"It's About That Walk" is a song recorded by American musician Prince. It was released as the third and final promotional single from his twenty-second studio album The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999). It was issued in 1999 as a promotional-only CD single, exclusively in Germany. Prince solely wrote and produced it, while a series of individuals provided various instrumentation for the track.
"Dance 4 Me" is a song by American musician Prince, released as the third track on his 34th studio album MPLSound. Five months after the album's March 2009 release, "Dance 4 Me" was released as the album's first single, available only as a download in France on August 31. A month later, "Dance 4" Me was released as the album’s first single in North America, available as a download only. Other dance remixes were created by outside producers for potential release.
