Honoring The Purple One With The Ultimate Prince Playlist

You’re not going to find any bland b-sides on a Prince album.
But when assembling a quintessential playlist to remember the Purple One, you try to find the Cream of the crop.
Photos: 8 Awesomely Eccentric Prince Moments You May Have Missed!
Of course, we could make this 50 songs and never be disappointed, but we narrowed it down to the absolute, must-have, can’t-miss ten tracks — in a special party order.
Here it is, the Ultimate Prince Playlist:

1. Let’s Go Crazy
“We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.” Enough said.
2. Kiss
At once both light & jaunty AND purely sexual, Kiss is kind of the Platonic ideal of a Prince song. Fun fact: it was also the number one song exactly 30 years ago today!
3. When Doves Cry
The serious beat lets you know Prince means business; speaking of business, Doves was the Purple One’s biggest hit, spending five weeks at number one in 1984.
4. Little Red Corvette
&
5. Raspberry Beret
These two earworms make a darn fine double feature celebrating all things cerise.
6. Cream
After the foreplay comes one of the sexiest songs ever to top the charts; it peaked at number one for 2 weeks in 1991!
7. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
Prince’s 1994 hit may be his most purely romantic — fitting after the ecstasy of Cream, and the heartbreak of…
8. Nothing Compares 2 U
Sinead O’Connor‘s spare cover may have distilled the emotional impact, but it didn’t have the soul of the original.
9. 1999
After 33 years — and even 17 after the titular year — it’s still THE ultimate party track! No party playlist is complete without partying like it’s 1999.
10. Purple Rain
Come on. You didn’t think we forgot, did you? Prince’s feature film title track is the perfect anthem to end ANY playlist — so on a Prince playlist it’s a no-brainer.