Pop music has given the world plenty of icons, but it only ever gave us one Prince. He was a singular, chameleonic force of nature who could shred on a guitar like Jimi Hendrix, groove like James Brown, sing falsetto like Curtis Mayfield, and write a number-one hit before breakfast—all while dancing in four-inch heels.
Today, June 7, 2026, marks what would have been Prince’s 68th birthday. Though a decade has passed since he left his earthly vessel at Paisley Park in 2016, his presence in modern music remains entirely inescapable. From the gender-fluid aesthetics of today’s pop stars to the fierce fight for artists to own their master recordings, Prince wrote the modern blueprint for what it means to be a fearless creative.
To celebrate his heavenly birthday, we are turning the volume all the way up and revisiting the legacy and the definitive hits of the High Priest of Pop.
The Blueprint of Boundless Artistry
Born in Minneapolis in 1958, Prince didn’t just participate in genres; he invented his own. Dubbed the “Minneapolis Sound,” his brilliant blend of funk, synth-pop, new wave, and hard rock completely remapped the Top 40 charts in the 1980s.
What truly separated Prince from his peers was his terrifying level of musical proficiency. He was a true virtuoso, famously playing all 27 instruments on his debut album For You. He was also a prolific shadow-writer, penning timeless hits for other artists, including Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” The Bangles’ “Manic Monday,” and Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You.”
The Purple Blueprint: His 5 Greatest Hits
While Prince’s discography spans a staggering 39 studio albums, a select few tracks stand as permanent monuments in the history of global music. Here are the five essential hits that define his legendary run.
1. “Purple Rain” (1984)
The definitive power ballad to end all power ballads. Serving as the title track to his smash-hit movie and album, “Purple Rain” is an emotional, gospel-infused rock epic. The track features what is universally considered one of the greatest, most expressive guitar solos ever recorded. Its status as a legendary piece of performance art was permanently cemented during the 2007 Super Bowl XLI halftime show, where Prince tore through the song live in the middle of a literal, blinding tropical downpour.
2. “When Doves Cry” (1984)
If you want to understand Prince’s absolute genius as a producer, look no further than this track. “When Doves Cry” was the lead single from Purple Rain and became the biggest-selling song of 1984. The most shocking element of the track? It has absolutely no bassline. Prince famously stripped the bass out of the final mix at the last minute because he felt it sounded too conventional. The result was a stark, avant-garde, and haunting masterpiece that dominated radio waves worldwide.
3. “Kiss” (1986)
A masterclass in minimalist funk. Warner Bros. initially didn’t even want to release the track as a single, believing it was too stripped-back and acoustic to succeed. Prince fought for it, and the track went straight to number one. Driven by a tight, dry guitar rhythm, a pounding drum machine, and Prince’s soaring, laser-focused falsetto, “Kiss” remains one of the most infectious dance-floor fillers ever created.
4. “1999” (1982)
Long before the world actually faced the anxiety of the new millennium, Prince gave humanity its ultimate apocalyptic dance anthem. Released in late 1982, “1999” masked the deep political paranoia of the Cold War era beneath an incredibly upbeat, funk-fueled party groove. It became his first top-ten hit and established the visual aesthetic—purple trenches, ruffles, and pure energy—that would conquer the decade.
5. “Little Red Corvette” (1983)
This sizzling, synth-heavy masterpiece was the song that officially launched Prince into the mainstream stratosphere. Utilizing automotive metaphors to describe a whirlwind, fast-paced romantic encounter, the track was a massive pop crossover success. Crucially, its heavy rotation on MTV helped shatter the network’s racial barriers alongside Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” paving the way for generations of Black artists to dominate the visual medium.
An Eternal Legacy
Prince’s influence didn’t stop when the music faded. He was a fierce advocate for artists’ rights, famously changing his name to an unpronounceable “Love Symbol” in the 1990s to protest his restrictive recording contract with Warner Bros., famously performing with the word “SLAVE” written across his face.
Today, his Paisley Park estate functions as a creative museum and a holy pilgrimage site for music lovers worldwide. As his estate carefully unearths treasures from his legendary “Vault” of thousands of unreleased recordings, the world is constantly reminded that Prince was operating on a completely different artistic plane.
