gertrudeversuz:

(Inspired by a great post charmingortedious wrote about her affection for the Purple One.) 

I tried so, so hard to keep this list down to ten songs, you guys, but I’ve clearly failed miserably in that attempt. Please accept instead this weak and tentative approximation of my top, well, fifteen. Now, these selections do not include any hits he wrote for other people, (i.e., “Nothing Compares 2 U” or “I Feel For You”), or either of his most classic masterworks of balladry, “Adore” and “Purple Rain”, since naming those in a favorites list is just redundant, really. Sigh. 

1. Lady Cab Driver: Wistful, visceral, contemplative, honest, emotionally ambient and crisply produced. It represents the vanguard in true Pop artistry. 
2. Private Joy: I will dance to this shit anywhere, any time; nary a fuck dispensed. 
3. Soft And Wet: Slick, bouncy electro with an insanely dirty chorus? Done and done. 
4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man: The soaring, relentless bridge of this song confirms my theory that Prince must be a Springsteen fan. It also showcases Prince’s ability to incorporate lyrical plots that aren’t only a vehicle for advertising his sexual prowess (which I have zero problem with, by the way). 
5. 200 Balloons: “My funk is multi-layered, don’t stop me, now”. ‘Nuff said. 
6. Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?: This song’s brilliance is in it’s simplicity. The insane guitar riff during the coda doesn’t hurt, either. 
7. I Wanna Be Your Lover: Confession: I un-ironically love disco. I also unabashedly love Prince. Combined? VAMPY CHAMPION. 
8. Black Sweat: A newer addition to his canon with the sort of beat that encourages you to make bad, bad decisions. 
9. Do It All Night: The intro is one of the most delicious twenty second durations in the history of music, period, end, stop. There’s also something unexpectedly vulnerable about the line “I’m so scared that he might do something to you that you like” that nuances an otherwise emotionally divested song. 
10. Call My Name: It’s not just that this song drips with unbridled R&B sexuality that makes me love it; it’s the fact that he starts randomly talking about the government bugging his house en route to confessing the extent of his desire for his beloved. Oh, Prince. You’re so adorably bat-shit. 
11. Gett Off: I have the weirdest boner…
12. I Wish U Heaven (Parts 1,2,3): “Lovesexy” is a largely unfortunate album, but “I Wish U Heaven” is dreamy, trance-like exercise in James Brown-esque guttural histrionics. The entire suite is also ten minutes long, which is just ballsy, frankly.  
13. Pink Cashmere: This is playing at my wedding. I don’t give a fleeting queef, y’all. 
14. I Will Die 4 U: This is also playing at my wedding, regardless of the fact that it’s actually about, you know, Jesus. I should probably find someone to marry first. Nope, that’s too hard. 
15. La, La, La, He, He, Hee: There’s, like, a lot of barking in this song. Honestly? I’m down. 

Honorable Mentions (Sorry! I couldn’t help myself..):

• Something In The Water Does Not Compute
• Escape
• Around The World In A Day
• Hello
• Power Fantastic (Live)
• Kiss
• Lolita