- 2 days ago
Prince’s influence stretched far beyond his own legendary discography.
Welcome to WatchMojo,world, where we’re counting down the Top 20 songs you didn’t know were written by Prince — from chart-topping hits to hidden gems he crafted for other artists.
Which one surprised you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
Welcome to WatchMojo,world, where we’re counting down the Top 20 songs you didn’t know were written by Prince — from chart-topping hits to hidden gems he crafted for other artists.
Which one surprised you the most? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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MusicTranscript
00:00It's been 7 hours and 13 days.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the hit songs you never knew Prince had a hand in crafting.
00:20Number 20, Jungle Love, The Time.
00:30It's wild to think that the only reason that funk rockers The Time exist is because of a clause in Prince's Warner Brothers contract.
00:39Assembled with the intention of developing and mentoring up and coming talent, The Time quickly became Prince's best known and most successful protégés.
00:46As such, The Purple One was deeply involved with the band's creative process, and his distinctive fingerprints are all over this groovy 1984 jam.
01:00Prince didn't only produce and co-write Jungle Love, but he also played synthesizer and percussion, as well as singing backing vocals.
01:09The first song by The Time to make an impression on the Billboard Hot 100, Jungle Love is more proof that Prince could do it all.
01:24Number 19, Five Women, Joe Cocker.
01:27In his two short 57 years on this earthly plane, the man-born Prince, Rogers Nelson, wrote literally thousands of songs.
01:40Many of them were recorded by him first before being passed off to others, and for others, the inverse was true.
01:46This is one of the latter cases.
01:48Prince's 1999 album The Vault, Old Friends For Sale, was faithful to its name in the sense that it contained songs that had been written as long as 15 years prior to its release.
02:04Some eight years before The Vault, iconic British bluesman Joe Cocker recorded a version of its dusky, sultry, deep cut Five Women for his 1991 album Night Calls.
02:13Number 18, Jerk Out, The Time.
02:20Like we mentioned earlier, Prince has an extensive back catalog that runs real deep.
02:36Case in point, Jerk Out, which became The Time's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, was originally recorded by Prince himself in 1981.
02:44Intended for The Time's 1982 album, What Time Is It?, the song changed hands several times over the course of the decade before ultimately being reworked and re-recorded by The Time for their 1990 album Pandemonium.
03:03If you heard this song on the radio, you couldn't be blamed for thinking that it was by Prince himself, given its irresistible groove, playful rapping, and red-hot guitar theatrics.
03:20Number 17, You're My Love, Kenny Rogers.
03:23Written by Prince under the hilarious, inexplicable pseudonym Joey Coco, You're My Love demonstrates his musical versatility.
03:38A far cry from the electric funk-pop fusion of the time, this mushy-gushy devotional finds Prince showing off his little-seen-sensitive side.
03:45Although Prince doesn't actually play any instruments on the Rogers recording, the song does feature a notable non-Prince guest appearance.
04:00That would be Elle DeBarge, lead singer of the family outfit DeBarge, who contributes backing vocals.
04:05More than I ever needed anyone else.
04:09A 2021 interview with DeBarge revealed that Rogers, a self-proclaimed huge Prince fan, had asked him for a song and was gifted with You're My Love as a result.
04:28Number 16, Love, Thy Will Be Done, Martika.
04:32Yet another Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 victory for Prince.
04:40This 1991 yearning soft rock ballad finds him shifting into an atypically subdued gear.
04:46Love, Thy Will Be Done is further proof that Prince could straddle disparate genres with relative ease.
04:51Love, Thy Will Be Done.
04:56One of four songs that Prince wrote and produced for the Martika's Kitchen album,
05:00his contributions led to Martika significantly switching up her sound.
05:03Love, Thy Will Be Done is a soul-bearing, slow-burning crescendo with gospel influences
05:08that shows off Prince's gift for open-hearted expressions of love and affection.
05:20This was worlds away from his raunchier, more popular solo work.
05:23Didn't we say he could do it all?
05:25Number 15, Nasty Girl, Vanity Six.
05:33Short-lived girl group Vanity Six first came into existence as part of a Prince experiment
05:37that resembled the formation of the time.
05:39Comprising Canadian model-slash-actress Denise Vanity Matthews, Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsey,
05:45Vanity Six fulfilled the musicians' vision of creating a hyper-sexualized band of women
05:49who sang about topics familiar to Prince fans, but from a female perspective.
05:58Maybe Prince, who plays every instrument on the song, should have been careful as to what he wished for.
06:07Although Nasty Girl has developed a cult following over the years,
06:10it was initially shunned by American radio stations for its lyrics that, well, let's just say,
06:15didn't leave much to the imagination.
06:21Number 14, Love Song, Madonna.
06:23Wait, what?
06:32Two of the biggest hitmakers of 80s pop music collaborated for a duet
06:36and somehow were not always talking about this?
06:39A deep cut off of Madonna's hugely influential, critically acclaimed 1989 Like a Prayer album,
06:44Love Song predictably subverts its seemingly simplistic title.
06:48Madonna openly declares that Love Song is anything but that,
06:51a plea to a wishy-washy lover to either commit or let her go.
07:00The track came about after Prince and Madonna met at the 1985 American Music Awards
07:05and came up with several concepts for songs that were abandoned and never materialized.
07:09Eventually, Love Song was formulated by the two superstars over the phone
07:13and through tapes sent across the U.S.
07:32Now, perhaps best known for being Gwen Stefani's vehicle to solo fame,
07:35it should be noted that No Doubt had an enviable selection of 90s hits.
07:40Having typically been grounded in reggae, ska, and dancehall sounds for their first four albums,
07:442001's Rocksteady found the band engaging in a wide range of new collaborators.
07:49These included The Neptunes, a.k.a. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo,
07:53The Cars' Rick Okasek, and of course, Prince.
07:56If we both want the love, then I'll wait long enough
07:59in the ground that we're homes might be coming.
08:04Originally written for the band's previous album,
08:062000's Return of Saturn,
08:08Waiting Room combines the two acts' sensibilities
08:10in a satisfying, highly danceable fashion.
08:13Number 12, Stand Back, Stevie Nicks.
08:30This pulsing, prototypically 80s electro-pop jam
08:33doesn't officially bear the mark of the purple one.
08:35A top five hit for Nicks on the Billboard Hot 100,
08:38the 1983 song finds its roots in Prince's Little Red Corvette.
08:49Nicks, listening to the song in her car,
08:51was inspired by its synth-rich sound
08:53and decided to call Prince to let him know of her source of inspiration.
09:05Maybe he was touched, maybe he was just feeling creative,
09:07but either way, Prince ended up, quote,
09:09programming it for them
09:10and pretty much playing most of the song there
09:12in about 20 or 30 minutes.
09:14Now that's what we call creative generosity.
09:16Stand Back, Stand Back,
09:20In the middle of my room,
09:22I could not hear from you.
09:25Number 11, Round and Round, Tevin Campbell.
09:28Can you tell me where we going to?
09:32Released in 1990, R&B teen idol Tevin Campbell was just 13 years old
09:37at the time of the song's release in September.
09:39Recorded the previous December,
09:41Prince wrote and produced this funky bop,
09:43which alludes to the new Jack Swing sound
09:45that was just about to take over the airwaves.
09:55Round and Round implores listeners to not let their dreams be dreams,
09:58making its case over a busy, bouncy instrumental.
10:01One day I'll make it in the big city
10:06and I'll be looking for a girl who's pretty.
10:09Prince himself can be heard doing the song's backing vocals,
10:12which kind of leads you to wonder,
10:14how much further could Campbell hope to go
10:16if on his debut single,
10:17he's already collaborated with one of the best to ever do it.
10:21Round and Round and Round
10:23And what we're looking for to be found
10:29Number 10, When You Were Mine, Cyndi Lauper.
10:32When you were mine, I'll give you all of my money.
10:39Written and recorded by Prince for his 1980 release Dirty Mind,
10:43this love song takes on an entirely new meaning when sung by a woman.
10:46Oh yeah, I know
10:48But your girl will never go
10:51I never care
10:55Because I love you better love you love
10:59So, leave it to Cyndi Lauper to cover When You Were Mine for her provocative 1983 debut,
11:04keeping the original set of lyrics and placing the song between two of her more popular hits.
11:09It's a unique type of love triangle ballad, especially for the pop culture landscape of the early 80s,
11:14and the song ultimately became Cyndi Lauper's seventh and final single off She's So Unusual.
11:19I love you more, I love you more, I love you more, I love you more
11:25Number 9, Sugar Walls, Sheena Easton
11:28Where I come from the Netflix called Heaven
11:34This time around, Prince opted to use a pen name, adopting the moniker Alexander Nevermind for this top 10 hit by Sheena Easton.
11:42As you might have guessed given the author, the walls don't represent those of a traditional home, but rather something more personal.
11:48And when Sheena Easton notes that blood races to your private spots and offers an invitation within the titular walls,
11:55well, the message becomes that much clearer.
11:57Blood races to your private spots
12:02The song becomes even more interesting when you imagine Prince with a pen in hand,
12:07perhaps anticipating a more PC world, but unwilling to tame down his lyrical content.
12:12Heaven on earth inside my sugar wall
12:17Number 8, How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore, Alicia Keys
12:21Originally released as a b-side on Prince's 1999 single, this song was picked up by future superstar Alicia Keys for her acclaimed debut album Songs in A Minor.
12:37Serving as the third single, How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore conveyed more of a retro feel for Alicia Keys.
12:51Fitting as the original came out when she was less than a year old.
12:54With a rich set of lyrics communicating feelings of isolation and confusion,
12:58the musical aesthetic has both a playful and bluesy tone, making the song ideal for live shows.
13:04Number 7, Yo Mister, Patti LaBelle
13:15Today, a song with a title like this might not exactly work for an R&B artist well into their 40s,
13:20and that's what makes this collaboration so unique.
13:31With a raw message for unassuming fathers, Yo Mister chronicles the plight of young Cara,
13:36as Patti LaBelle so forcefully brings Prince's words to life.
13:39It's not your typical R&B song of the time, but even so, it still managed to do some damage on the charts.
13:52The street smart lyrics are hard to ignore, especially when paired with the vocals of Patti LaBelle.
13:57Number 6, With This Tear, Céline Dion
14:14By writing with this tear specifically for Céline Dion, Prince demonstrated not only his lyrical proficiency,
14:20but also his ability to match his content with the right artist.
14:23It's a gentle, romantic production, and through the formal set of lyrics and accessible structure,
14:28with this tear evolved into a classic musical document of lost love,
14:32made even better through the intonations of young Céline.
14:43From conceptualization to final product, Prince and Miss Dion nailed it.
14:48And again and again you promised me that he would never leave.
14:55Number 5, The Glamorous Life, Sheila E.
15:07Years after first meeting Prince at a concert,
15:09Sheila E provided backup vocals for his 1984 album Purple Rain.
15:13Soon after, her debut album was in production,
15:16and the artist penned the ideal pop song to close out the record.
15:26With The Glamorous Life, Prince utilized a formulaic narrative of material excess,
15:30yet he added just the right amount of timely descriptions for Sheila E.
15:34to build upon.
15:41As a result, Prince and his protege formed a close bond
15:45as the song paved the way for Grammy nominations
15:47and another successful collab with 1985's A Love Bazaar.
15:51Number 4, I Feel For You, Chaka Khan.
16:10Alright, so one may not equate Prince with late 70's disco,
16:13but he did in fact release a disco-like song on his 1979 sophomore album.
16:18Baby, baby, when I look at you, I get a warm feeling inside.
16:25Incidentally, R&B songstress Shaka Khan released an updated version five years later,
16:30complete with an opening verse by hip-hop icon Melly Mel.
16:33Lyrically, I Feel For You is relatively simple,
16:36but when combined with the superstar charisma of a Prince or Shaka Khan,
16:40it takes on a more powerful effect.
16:42The Purple One even took home a Grammy for best R&B song,
16:52proving that music is sometimes about the overall experience
16:56rather than a transcendent set of lyrics.
16:58I Feel For You, I, I, I think I love you.
17:05Number 3, Donald Trump, Black Version, The Time.
17:17Written by Prince for The Time's unreleased Corporate World album
17:20and ultimately released on their 1990 effort Pandemonium,
17:23Donald Trump, Black Version, helped explore the idea of an Afro-American retelling of Wall Street.
17:28Honey, baby, you are the finest.
17:32You are the finest.
17:34Oozing with all the sexuality you'd expect from Prince,
17:37such as on tracks like Jerk Out,
17:39the song touches on notions of wealth and power
17:41and is far more softcore Cinemax sensual
17:44than anything involving Donald Trump should be.
17:46Donald Trump, Black Version,
17:49Baby, that's what you need.
17:52It's hard to imagine how the Donald felt about this R&B shout-out,
17:56but either way, his reaction was bound to be huge.
18:00Number 2, Manic Monday, The Bangles.
18:11In what has to be one of the most bizarre scenarios of mid-80s pop culture,
18:15this track was originally composed for Purple Rain stars Apollonia 6,
18:19but it just wasn't meant to be.
18:21Off the clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream.
18:28A fan of their first album, Prince instead offered the song to The Bangles,
18:32which may or may not have been an attempt to woo the band's guitarist, Susanna Hoffs.
18:36These are the days when you wish your bed was already made.
18:42With writing contributed to Christopher, Prince's character from Under the Cherry Moon,
18:46the song proved to be a massive top 10 hit for the band in 10 countries
18:50and was only prevented from hitting number 1 by Prince himself,
18:53who was topping the Hot 100 with Kiss.
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19:17Number 1. Nothing compares to you, Sinead O'Connor.
19:24It's been 7 hours and 15 days.
19:30Though the two artists in question didn't meet until after this song's release
19:34and reportedly didn't get along too well when they did,
19:36that doesn't minimize the potency of this 1990 cover.
19:47Originally recorded by the Prince-formed band The Family,
19:50it was picked up by Sinead O'Connor for her sophomore release.
19:53While many even today may not have known who the song's author was,
19:56the abbreviated title, which Prince was known for, should have tipped listeners off.
20:01Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling.
20:07Kicking off the 90s, this Prince composition has become one of the most easily identifiable
20:11and emotional songs ever recorded.
20:14Nothing compares to you.
20:19Were you shocked to learn that these songs were written by the Purple One?
20:22Are there any we missed?
20:24Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
20:26Did you enjoy this video?
20:35Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
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