Every Prince Song on Tidal Ranked: 300-201
/In the last week, I listened to every Prince album and single on Tidal. And I ranked them all. Somewhere between a combination of "I like" and "most popular" and "most important" or some other such ranking. Some albums aren't on Tidal, including: The Black Album, The Gold Experience, Chaos and Disorder, Crystal Ball, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, The Rainbow Children, Planet Earth, and 20Ten. This means that great songs are missing from the list (see: Pussy Control, Guitar, The One U Wanna C, Gold, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World and others). Here they are in reverse order...
300. "The Word" (3121)
299. "Love Machine" (Graffiti Bridge): It's almost as if the joke of the Time was starting to wear thin pretty quickly.
298. "The Marrying Kind" (Musicology)
297. "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" (Sign o' the Times)
296. "Here" (MPLSound)
295. "affirmation III" (Art Official Age)
294. "The Sacrifice of Victor" (Love Symbol Album): If there is supposed to be some kind of story about Victor that I'm supposed to care about, I never got it.
293. "When 2 R in Love" (Lovesexy)
292. "Courtin' Time" (Emancipation): Prince does New Orleans jazz.
291. "Love" (3121)
290. "AintTurninRound" (Plectrumelectrum)
289. "Curious Child" (Emancipation)
288. "Saviour" (Emancipation)
287. "...Back 2 the Lotus" (Lotusflow3r)
286. "Look at Me, Look at U" (HITnRUN Phase Two)
285. "If Eye Was the Man in Ur Life" (Musicology)
284. "No More Candy 4 U" (MPLSound)
283. "Revelation" (HITnRUN Phase Two): Smooth jazz, if you like that.
282. "Space" (Come)
281. "Dance 4 Me" (MPLSound)
280. "Te Amo Corazón" (3121)
279. "Nagoya" (C Note)
278. "Dreamer" (Lotusflow3r)
277. "2045: Radical Man" (The Slaughterhouse)
276. "Copenhagen" (C Note)
275. "Get On the Boat" (3121)
274. "Melody Cool" (Graffiti Bridge): An often under-rated thing about Prince is how cool the names he comes up with are.
273. "1000 X's & O's" (HITnRUN Phase One)
272. "Mr. Happy" (Emancipation): This one has a hint of the old weirdness of Prince, but doesn't quite elevate itself enough to be noticed.
271. "Ol' Skool Company" (MPLSound)
270. "Chocolate Box" (MPLSound)
269. "Venus De Milo" (Parade)
268. "3 Chains o' Gold" (Love Symbol Album): I guess this is the centerpiece of the movie story on the album? Not sure it makes sense as part of the album. Especially 16 songs in.
267. "And God Created Woman" (Love Symbol Album): Prince somehow always seems to be putting women on some kind of pedestal while also recognizing them as unique individuals. Weird.
266. "Art Official Cage" (Art Official Age)
265. "Gamillah" (The Chocolate Invasion)
264. "Boom" (Lotusflow3r)
263. "Call My Name" (Musicology)
262. "Baby" (For You): Is this Mariah Carey? How is he hitting some of these notes?
261. "Loose!" (Come)
260. "New World" (Emancipation)
259. "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" (MPLSound)
258. "Positivity" (Lovesexy)
257. "Have a Heart" (One Night Alone...)
256. "U Know" (Art Official Age)
255. "Dear Mr. Man" (Musicology)
254. "Adore" (Sign o' the Times): See "Slow Love."
253. "Anna Stesia" (Lovesexy)
252. "Release It" (Graffiti Bridge): Standard number by the Time.
251. "Love Like Jazz" (Lotusflow3r)
250. "Hello" (The B-sides)
249. "Fascination" (The Truth)
248. "From the Lotus..." (Lotusflow3r)
247. "I'm Yours" (For You)
246. "Groove On" (Emancipation)
245. "I Wish U Heaven" (Lovesexy)
244. "Scarlet Pussy" (The B-sides): Prince is the only dude who can say "pussy" and it doesn't make me feel icky.
243. "Da, Da, Da" (Emancipation): Scrap D. isn't terrible at rapping on this one, but he's not a standout, either. Not a shocker we don't hear much from him elsewhere.
242. "Race" (Come)
241. "Power Fantastic" (The B-sides)
240. "Let's Work" (Controversy)
239. "PlectrumElectrum" (Plectrumelectrum)
238. "Time" (Art Official Age)
237. "Xpand" (Xpectation)
236. "Xpedition" (Xpectation)
235. "Xcogitate" (Xpectation)
234. "Xemplify" (Xpectation)
233. "Xogenous" (Xpectation)
232. "Xotica" (Xpectation)
231. "Way Back Home" (Art Official Age)
230. "Wow" (Plectrumelectrum)
229. "Sexuality" (Controversy): Might be the first recorded example of the signature Prince squeal. As iconic as Michael Jackson's "jum on," he would do it better on other songs, but this is the first time I think it was on record.
228. "Glam Slam" (Lovesexy)
227. "Soul Sanctuary" (Emancipation): As with most of Emancipation, this one almost is a good song, but not quite.
226. "Just As Long As We're Together" (For You): Prince released a lot of filler music, he was so prolific (and you'll probably still be hearing new Prince music for the rest of your life), but he establishes with this early filler song a pattern that would always be there: even his filler songs are listenable, if not memorable, and better than much of what is on the radio during their time.
225. "One of Us" (Emancipation): That this is the best cover on Emancipation isn't a compliment.
224. "Damn U" (Love Symbol Album): See "Insatiable."
223. "International Lover" (1999): See "Do Me, Baby."
222. "Slow Love" (Sign o' the Times): See "Condition of the Heart."
221. "It's About That Walk" (The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale): Sort of like a Harry Connick Jr. song.
220. "What It Feels Like" (Art Official Age)
219. "Jam of the Year" (Emancipation)
218. "Reflection" (Musicology)
217. "Grafitti Bridge" (Graffiti Bridge): It tries to be "Purple Rain" or "The Ladder," but fails.
216. "God" (The B-sides): The beginning of this song has what I think is the highest note Prince ever released on an album. Worth hearing that, otherwise a standard Prince gospel song (meaning one that no one else could sing well).
215. "New Power Generation" (Graffiti Bridge): A weird combo of introduction of his new band and a kind of philosophy, it contains the oddly compelling entreaty to "lay down your funky weapons." I don't know that that means, but I'm doing it.
214. "In This Bed I Scream" (Emancipation): Interesting musical ideas, but the lyrics are redundant.
213. "When Eye Lay My Hands on U" (The Chocolate Invasion): Very edgy instrumentation. Not a standout song otherwise.
212. "Insatiable" (Diamonds and Pearls): See "Scandalous."
211. "Scandalous" (Batman): See "Adore."
210. "Dreamin' About U" (Emancipation): There is some interesting acoustic guitar work here, but that's about it.
209. "Do U Lie?" (Parade)
208. "This Could Be Us" (Art Official Age)
207. "I Wanna Melt with U" (Love Symbol Album): The best part of this is what I call the Ghostbusters part, when the cats and dogs start living together.
206. "200 Balloons" (The B-sides): An rightful deletion from the Batman soundtrack. The elements here work better elsewhere.
205. "Anotherloverholenyohead" (Parade)
204. "Peace" (The Slaughterhouse): The end of this is really entertaining. Not so much before that.
203. "We Can Funk" (Graffiti Bridge): When two of the funkiest musicians ever, Prince and George Clinton get together and have a song with this title, you wish it were funkier, but this one hits its peak during Prince's whispered rap.
202. "White Mansion" (Emancipation): This one almost feels like a fully developed song. Almost.
201. "We Gets Up" (Emancipation): Prince does his James Brown impression.
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