Prince: 20 best songs ranked [PHOTOS]
Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7, 1958. The multi-talented instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor would become known to the world simply as Prince, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most influential recording artists in popular music. Scroll through our gallery of his 20 best songs above.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, the artist maintained a home he called Paisley Park in nearby Chanhassen, Minnesota. Today, the 65,000 square foot estate serves as a museum in his honor as well as a music venue for artists to do what Prince loved most, play live music.
At age 19 Prince was signed to Warner Bros. Records, achieving both critical acclaim and popularity with the albums “For You” (1978), “Prince” (1979), “Dirty Mind” (1980), “Controversy” (1981) and “1999” (1982). It was his sixth album that took Prince’s fame and legacy to an entirely new level when “Purple Rain,” the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name, was released in 1984. Recorded with his band, The Revolution, “Purple Rain” spent six months atop the Billboard 200 chart. Prince’s music composition on the film earned him the Oscar for Best Score in 1985.
Prince followed up “Purple Rain” with another masterpiece, “Sign O’ The Times” in 1987, which many critics call the greatest album of his career. Years later he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol () as he fought legal battles with his record label over ownership of his masters. He eventually reverted to his original name in 2000. Over his prestigious career, Prince released 39 albums and his famous “vault” of never-released tracks, albums and music videos exists in Paisley Park. Selling over 100 million records in his career, Prince earned multiple prestigious awards such as the Grammy President’s Merit Award, American Music Award for Achievement and Merit, Billboard Icon Award, an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Popular songs he wrote recorded by other artists include “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O’Connor and “Manic Monday” by the Bangles.
Prince died April 21, 2016 at the age of 57. His ashes were placed into a custom 3D-printed urn shaped like the Paisley Park estate, where they remain to this day.