One of my readers asked me for the best way to “binge-read” posts on this blog in chronological order, so I put together this page. If you’re new to the site and want to catch up, this is your best bet: just start at the top and work your way down. You may notice that the categories are slightly different from the ones on the main page. This is by design: the categories on the main page are meant to space out my writing progress, while these are intended to guide the reader, grouping songs into larger “eras” corresponding to Prince’s albums.
One last note: I’m trying to make this list as authoritative as I can, and am including the titles of songs that I mention in passing rather than analyzing in detail; in these cases, I’ve included a link to their corresponding pages on Prince Vault wherever possible.
1963-1976 (Juvenilia)
- Funk Machine: Prehistory, 1963-1968
- Sex Machine: Grand Central, 1973-1976 (“Do You Feel Like Dancing?”, “Danger Lover,” “Funk It Up,” “(Sex) Machine),” “39th St. Party,” “Lady Pleasure,” “You’re Such a Fox,” “Grand Central,” “Whenever,” “It’s Too Late,” “Love Theme”)
- “If You See Me (Do Yourself a Favor)” (“If We Don’t,” “I’ll Always Love You,” “Games,” “Better Than You Think”)
- Home Recordings, 1976
- “Sweet Thing”
- “I Spend My Time Loving You”
- “Don’t You Wanna Ride?”
- “Rock Me, Lover”
- “Nightingale”
- Moonsound Instrumentals (“Farnborough,” “Piano Intro”)
1976-1979 (For You Era)
- “Soft and Wet” (“Aces,” “Diamond Eyes,” “Don’t Forget,” “Don’t Hold Back,” “Fantasy,” “Since We’ve Been Together”)
- “Leaving for New York”
- “Baby” (“Surprise”)
- “Make It Through the Storm” (“I Like What You’re Doing”)
- Loring Park Sessions (“Hello, My Love”)
- “My Love is Forever”
- “Just as Long as We’re Together” (“Jelly Jam”)
- “We Can Work It Out”
- “For You”
- “In Love”
- “Crazy You”
- “So Blue”
- “I’m Yours”
- 1978 Instrumentals (“Darlene Marie,” “Do It Again,” “Gypsy,” “I Met a Virgin Queen,” “I’m Leaving L.A.,” “Love Affair,” “Love of Mine,” “Rocking Chair,” “We Would Like to See You Again”)
- “Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?”
- “Just Another Sucker” (“Got to Be Something Here,” “10:15,” “Fortune Teller,” “Dance to the Music of the World,” “Lovin’ Cup”)
- “Down a Long Lonely Road”
- “Baby, Baby, Baby”
- “Donna”
- “Nadira” (“K-FUNK Interview”)
- “Miss You”
- I am You: Capri Theatre, January 5-6, 1979
Bonus Tracks (Patreon Exclusive):
1979-1980 (Prince Era)
- “I Feel for You” (“If You Feel like Dancin’,” “One Man Jam”)
- “With You”
- “I Wanna Be Your Lover”
- “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?”
- “Sexy Dancer”
- “When We’re Dancing Close and Slow”
- “Bambi”
- “Still Waiting”
- “It’s Gonna Be Lonely”
- “Hard to Get” (Rebels instrumentals, “Thrill You or Kill You,” “Disco Away,” “Too Long”)
- “The Loser”
- “You”
- “Kiss Me Quick”
1980-1981 (Dirty Mind Era)
- “Head”
- “When You Were Mine”
- “Dirty Mind”
- “I Don’t Wanna Stop” (“American Jam,” “Big Brass Bed,” “Bulgaria,” “Eros,” “Plastic Love Affair”)
- “Gotta Broken Heart Again”
- “Uptown”
- “Sister”
- “Partyup”
- “Lisa”
- “Do It All Night”
- “Broken” (“Commercial”)
- “Everybody Dance”
- “Gotta Stop (Messin’ About)”
- “Rough”
1981-1982 (Controversy Era)
- “Do Me, Baby”
- “Oh, Baby”
- “Girl (1981)”
- “Get It Up”
- “The Stick” (“After Hi School”)
- “Cool” (“Dancin’ Flu,” “I Can’t Figure It Out”)
- “She’s Just a Baby” (“I Need a Man”)
- “Let’s Work” (“Delivery Boy,” “Friction,” “Gym Class,” “Heart Attack,” “Hump You,” “Mink Kitty Cat,” “Pizza,” “Poppa Grooves,” “The Rain and You,” “See U Dead”)
- “Annie Christian”
- “Controversy”: Parts 1, 2, & 3
- “Sexuality”
- “Ronnie, Talk to Russia”
- “Private Joy”
- “Jack U Off”
- “Strange Way of Saying I Love You”
- “The Second Coming”
- “Dance to the Beat”
1981-1983 (1999 Era)
- “International Lover”
- “The Walk”
- “Gigolos Get Lonely Too”
- “Wild and Loose”
- “Turn It Up”
- “All the Critics Love U in New York”
- “Nasty Girl” (“He’s So Dull”)
- “Make-Up”
- “Drive Me Wild”
- “Wet Dream (Wet Dream Cousin)”
- “Bite the Beat” (“Too Much”)
- “If a Girl Answers (Don’t Hang Up)”
- “Let’s Pretend We’re Married”
- “3 x 2 = 6”
- “If It’ll Make U Happy”
- “D.M.S.R.”
- “Free”
- “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”
- “Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)”
- “Automatic”
- “Delirious”
- “Little Red Corvette”
- “777-9311 (Grace)”
- “Onedayi’mgonnabesomebody”
- “I Don’t Wanna Leave You”
- “Purple Music (Welcome 2 the Freedom Galaxy)”
- “Horny Toad”
- “Lust U Always (Divinity)”
- “Don’t Let Him Fool Ya”
- “Moonbeam Levels”
- “Lady Cab Driver (Rearrange)”
- “No Call U”
- “1999”
Bonus Tracks (Patreon Exclusive):
1983-1985 (Purple Rain/Around the World in a Day Era)
- “Baby I’m a Star”
- “Electric Intercourse”
- “Katrina’s Paper Dolls”
- “Jungle Love”
- “Cloreen Bacon Skin (Tricky)”
- “Chili Sauce”
- “If the Kid Can’t Make You Come”
- “Velvet Kitty Cat” (“Sleazy”)
- “Vibrator”
- “Modernaire”
- “Let’s Go Crazy”
- “I Would Die 4 U”
- “Darling Nikki”
- “Purple Rain”: Parts 1 2, & 3
- “Computer Blue”
- “Irresistible Bitch”