How a five-foot-two prodigy from Minneapolis who played every instrument himself became one of the greatest and most prolific artists in the history of popular music.
The Short Version
Who Is This?
Prince was an American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist from Minneapolis, and one of the most gifted and prolific musicians who has ever lived. He fused funk, rock, pop, soul, and new wave into a sound entirely his own, wrote and produced almost everything himself, and played most of the instruments on his records.
Two things make him singular. First, the completeness: he was a one-man band who could write a song, play every part, produce it, and then perform it better live than almost anyone alive. Second, the range: he could be a rock guitar hero, a falsetto soul crooner, a filthy funk bandleader, and a pop hitmaker, sometimes on the same album.
He was also famously prolific, leaving behind a legendary "vault" of unreleased music, and famously uncompromising, fighting his record label over ownership and even changing his name to a symbol. If you want to understand how deep a single artist's genius can run, start here.
A one-man band who built his own world in the studio.From Minneapolis to Immortality
The Story
Prince's story is one of relentless output and total control: he was making masterpieces faster than the world could keep up.
1978
For You
He signed a remarkable deal as a teenager and made his debut at nineteen, writing, arranging, producing, and playing every instrument himself. The self-contained genius was there from day one.
1980-1982
Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999
A run of provocative, genre-melting funk-rock records built his reputation and the "Minneapolis sound." "Little Red Corvette" and "1999" made him a star.
1984
Purple Rain
The album, film, and cultural earthquake that made him a superstar. It topped the charts for months, won an Oscar, and remains one of the best-selling records ever made.
1985-1986
Around the World in a Day and Parade
Rather than repeat himself, he swerved into psychedelia and then into spare, arty funk-pop, giving him "Raspberry Beret" and the minimalist masterpiece "Kiss."
1987
Sign o' the Times
His sprawling double-album peak, widely considered his greatest work: funk, soul, rock, and social commentary across a dazzling range. The sound of an artist with no ceiling.
1993-2000
The name, and the fight
Locked in a battle with his label over ownership of his music, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and wrote "slave" on his face, a landmark stand for artists' rights.
2016
A sudden loss
Prince died in 2016 at his Paisley Park studio, leaving a catalog of thirty-nine albums and a vault of unreleased music the world is still only beginning to hear.
Purple, always purple: the color that became his signature.Three Songs, One Education
Start Here
Three songs from his imperial run: the genre-breaking smash, the minimalist funk classic, and the psychedelic pop gem. Watch them in order.
01 · The Smash
"When Doves Cry" — 1984
The lead single from Purple Rain, a stark, bass-less funk-pop song unlike anything on radio. It became the biggest hit of the year and shows how strange his instincts were even at his most popular.
02 · The Funk
"Kiss" — 1986
A masterclass in minimalism: almost nothing but a scratchy guitar, a drum machine, and that falsetto. Proof that Prince could make a smash out of empty space.
03 · The Pop Gem
"Raspberry Beret" — 1985
A bright, psychedelic pop song from Around the World in a Day, all strings and sunshine. The most purely joyful entry point into his catalog.
The Studio Catalog
The Albums the imperial run
Prince's catalog runs to thirty-nine albums; these are the essential mid-eighties peak. (His early classics Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 are worth seeking out but are not currently on Apple Music.) The gold-topped cards mark the best entry points.
1984
Purple Rain
The blockbuster that made him a superstar, and the soundtrack to his film. "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," and the title track. The obvious place to start.
His psychedelic left turn after Purple Rain, bright and sitar-tinged, with "Raspberry Beret" and "Pop Life." Willfully uncommercial and all the better for it.
The spare, arty, jazz-tinged album tied to his film Under the Cherry Moon, and home to the minimalist classic "Kiss." One of his most sophisticated records.
His sprawling double-album masterpiece and, for most critics, his single greatest work. Funk, rock, soul, and social commentary at the absolute peak of his powers.
One curated YouTube Music playlist gathering the essentials across his golden decade, from the early hits through the imperial peak. (Ideally, though, spend time with these albums whole.) Hit the button below to play it.
The central fact about Prince is that he could do everything, at the highest level. He was a phenomenal guitarist, a gifted pianist, a formidable drummer and bassist, a producer, an arranger, and a singer with a four-octave range. On many of his records he simply played every instrument himself, then produced the whole thing alone.
That self-sufficiency shaped the music. Because he was not waiting on anyone, he worked at a staggering pace, recording constantly and filling a vault with more finished music than he could ever release. It also gave his records a singular, unified feel: every choice, down to the smallest percussion hit, came from one mind.
Live, he was arguably even greater. He was one of the most electrifying performers of his or any era, a showman and bandleader who could turn a stadium into a party and a ballad into a religious experience. His 2007 Super Bowl halftime show, played in an actual downpour, is often called the greatest of all time.
He was also a fierce advocate for artists owning their work, waging a very public war with his label over his masters and his name. That fight, once seen as eccentric, now looks visionary, and it is a central part of why he is revered as much for his integrity as his genius.
Showman, guitar hero, and one-man studio band.The Roots of the Sound
Influences
Prince fused funk, rock, and soul into something new, drawing on the greatest bandleaders, guitarists, and songwriters who came before. Here are four touchstones.
The Funk Bandleader
James Brown
The godfather of funk's rhythmic drive, showmanship, and total command of a band are the bedrock of Prince's grooves and his ferocious live shows.
Sly Stone's genre-blurring, multiracial, everyone-plays-everything band is the clearest ancestor of Prince's own funk-rock-soul fusion and studio approach.
The comparison Prince spent his life both invoking and resisting. Hendrix's expressive, virtuosic electric guitar is the model for Prince's own jaw-dropping playing.
A lifelong hero he cited again and again. Mitchell's harmonic sophistication and fearless honesty shaped the more tender, adventurous corners of his songwriting.
Prince rarely did press, and gave few long interviews, which makes the ones that exist worth watching. A famous cable-news sit-down, and a rare conversation with a fellow performer.
Interview · CNN
The Larry King Interview
Prince's full 1999 conversation with Larry King, a rare long interview covering his name change, his fight over his masters, and his views on the music business.
A rare, relaxed 1997 MTV interview in which Prince talks with Chris Rock about creativity, the industry, and his war with his label. A genuine window into how he thought.
Few artists reward digging as richly as Prince, whose catalog and vault run astonishingly deep.
The early records — Dirty Mind, Controversy, and 1999 built the Minneapolis sound; seek them out however you can.
The Black Album and Lovesexy — the late-eighties pair, one shelved and legendary, one its joyful opposite, are a fascinating detour.
The vault — posthumous releases and expanded editions keep opening the door on the mountain of unreleased music he left behind.
The live performances — his 2007 Super Bowl halftime show and countless concert recordings capture the performer that even the albums cannot fully convey.
The Way to Listen
Start with Purple Rain front to back for the songs everyone knows, then go straight to Sign o' the Times for the full range of his genius. Between them you will hear why Prince stands with the greatest artists in popular music.
