Prince's pop life, song by song, in chronological order.
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The Belle of St. Mark
While “Glamorous” sounded tailor-made for Sheila’s particular talents (even if it wasn’t), “Belle” is well-crafted but faceless, embodying the essentialist cynicism of the publishing imprint Prince used for his female side projects: “Girlsongs.”
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When We’re Dancing Close and Slow
“Close and Slow” owes as much of its ambience to folk-infused 1970s soft rock as to any kind of R&B; in particular, it’s another early signal of Prince’s artistic debt to Joni Mitchell.
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Sexy Dancer
Prince’s one-man jams were, at least in part, about showing off. And on his second album, “Sexy Dancer” was the designated show-off track: a loose four-minute jam that gave Prince the drummer, guitarist, bassist, and (especially) keyboard player their respective shots at the spotlight.
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Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?
In hindsight, “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” sounds like pop/rock perfection; but, like many of Prince’s early “rock” songs, its unique blend of genres was ever so slightly ahead of its time.