That Purple Touch: 5 Hit Songs Written by Prince for Other Artists

Without a doubt, Prince is one of the most prolific musicians to have ever grace the stage. The multi-instrumentalist songwriter and vocalist is known to oversee all processes of creating and producing his songs.

However, aside from his catalog of successful hits, The Purple One also wrote songs for other artists. Often hiding behind one of his many pseudonyms, Prince created these songs that became hits for his fellow musicians. Here are hit songs written by Prince for other artists.

The list excludes songs he previously released and were covered by other artists. It also does not include his duets and featured performances.

"Manic Monday" by The Bangles (1986)

One testament to Prince's genre-crossing musical genius is this pop-rock hit from The Bangles back in 1986. Although he was an artist who worked on his own terms, he perfectly captured the now-popular term "Manic Monday" to describe the workweek's ever-chaotic start.

The catchy tune, written by "Christopher," peaked at No. 2 in the Billboard Hot 100, falling behind Prince himself. It was surpassed by the song "Kiss," by Prince and the Revolution.

"You're My Love" by Kenny Rogers (1986)

From one legend to another, Prince assumed his "Joey CoCo" pseudonym to give this country classic to Kenny Rogers. Rolling Stone once noted that the country star always made a point to include Prince's native Minneapolis in his tours whenever possible.

Yet another of the songs written by Prince for other artists is this easy-listening song. As the late Rogers himself once wrote on Facebook, this is was 100% Prince material. Joey Coco wrote the song, played all instruments, and provided backup vocals. While the original cut was not used, the melody and lyrics are still from Prince.

"Yo Mister" by Patti LaBelle (1989)

Prince's attempt at the burgeoning New Jack Swing added a notch to songstress Patti LaBelle's catalog of successful hits. The song "Yo Mister" first appeared on LaBelle's 1989 album "Be Yourself." While it didn't break through the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at No.6 of the Billboard R&B chart.

The music video for the song featured LaBelle singing from a building rooftop with a band and her backing vocals. "Yo Mister" is a story reminding of the consequences of not looking after your children.

"Round and Round" by Tevin Campbell

Last in our list of songs written by Prince for other artists is this song from 1990. It is another of Prince's composition under the New Jack Swing. It would be performed by the Texas teenager Tevin Campbell. It was actually featured as a part of the musical drama film "Graffiti Bridge," produced by Prince also.

The song reached No. 12 on the Hot 100 and peaked at No. 3 on the R&B charts. This single from Campbell's debut album also earned the young singer a Grammy nomination for best male performance.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O' Connor (1990)

Prince originally composed it for his side project, The Family, which was made up of previous members of The Time and other musicians Prince enlisted himself. He was not a member of the band but used it as an outlet to release his other works. "Nothing Compares 2 U" originally appeared in their eponymous album.

Its most famous version was Sinead O'Connor's 1990 cover, included in her second album, "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got." Critics credit O'Connor's emotional performance for turning the Prince-penned single into a classic.

Tags

Prince, Kenny Rogers, Patti Labelle, Sinead O'Connor