Prince is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicians of all time. It takes a next-level talent to essentially rule an entire decade with the 80s. Moreover, it wasn’t just with a couple of albums that would define the time like Michael Jackson did. Instead, the “When Doves Cry” multi-instrumentalist released singles and albums at a wild pace. Even more surprising is that all of them hit at the time.
Even though that fiery peak didn’t last forever, Prince was far too talented to truly fall off. Throughout his illustrious career, there are some truly dazzling outings in his discography. Consequently, Noisey has selected four underrated songs from the “I Would Die 4 U” singer that shouldn’t continue to go under the radar.
4 Underrated Prince Songs You Need To Play Today
‘Somewhere Here On Earth’
By this point in Prince’s career, a lot of people tapped out from The Purple One. The 80s were largely considered the prime of his career. By the 90s, he had battled back and forth with his record label on how and when he would release his music. As a result, he’d disavow the Prince name entirely and write ‘slave’ on his face as protest. Meanwhile, some people were largely tapped out of his music because they didn’t reach the heights of Purple Rain.
However, deep into his discography, you can find one of his best songs. 2007’s “Somewhere Here On Earth” is beautifully tender and intimate, where Prince contends with space and long distance. As much as people were growing more and more comfortable with the internet, none of it could really faze him. Instead, Prince yearns for the personal touch.
“In this digital age, you could just page me/I know it’s the rage, but it just don’t engage me/Like the face-to-face,” he croons. With the digital age increasing drastically, few love songs feel so timely, even with lyrics about pagers.
‘Love Sign (Shock G Remix)’
Over the years, Prince has always been thorny to certain music and the music industry at large. Hip-hop in particular saw some of his criticism. His thorny feelings towards sampling are well documented and a borderline prophecy. t took years for him to find a record he truly loved in Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”.
However, when he linked with the late Shock G for the “Love Sign” remix, it showed just how well Prince could fit into the hip-hop space. Shock G’s production is light and bouncy, the kind of backdrop that would soundtrack a day of errands or a chill filler episode in a TV series.
Given Prince’s affinity for “Fight The Power”, it makes sense that he would lead with a righteous fervor. “Love Sign” revolves around leading with love in a world of increasing evil. “If you would rather make love and have a little fun/throw up the love sign everybody and not the gun,” Prince croons on the hook. Although hip-hop was not his number one choice as an artist, “Love Sign” proved that he could hop around different genres to paint his picture.
‘Strange Relationship’
Sign O’ The Times is an unquestionable classic in all of music history. While Purple Rain maximized the scale in a smaller sample size, the 1987 record thrives in expansion and experimentation. The second disc in particular rises to the occasion, with an all-time closer and classics in “If I Was Your Girlfriend” and “I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man”.
However, smacked right between the latter two is the criminally underrated “Strange Relationship”. There’s a push and pull of control and possessiveness, where sometimes Prince can’t stand this woman but he also cares enough not to see her miserable. It’s an early prototype of what toxic R&B types have sung about for years at this point. But the late icon tapped into that ugly back-and-forth all the way back in the 80s.
‘Do Yourself A Favor’
Prince had always been particular about which songs he had released. However, the estate has shared some real gems that probably should’ve been released. Take “Do Yourself A Favor”, a prototypical song for the prime of his career. It’s incredibly bright and funky, though there’s an addictive sass to Prince’s songwriting and delivery.
It takes a page from “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” in how it basks in the idea of being single. But there’s a contempt where he tells this woman to essentially kick rocks if they ever cross paths again. Instead of pain, there’s liberation in not dealing with a person that never tried to truly understand him. Prince wears spite really well and “Do Yourself A Favor” is a great example of that.
The post 4 of the Most Underrated Prince Songs of All Time appeared first on VICE.
