10 Songs That Prince Wrote For Other Artists And You Never Knew

On Thursday, the music world lost a true icon when Prince passed away at the age of 57. When Prince died, social media was taken by storm with tributes, confusion, and pure sadness. So many have been posting their favorite songs of his such as “Raspberry Beret,” “When Doves Cry,” and “Batdance” to name a few. Little do people realize that Prince wrote many popular songs for other well-known artists throughout his career.

TMZ reported that Prince passed away early on Thursday morning, and a friend found him in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate. CPR was performed, but they were unable to revive him. He had been suffering from a bout of the flu, but some now believe it may have been something worse.

With over 100 million albums sold around the world and numerous hits that will go on and be remembered forever, Prince has done so much more. He’s influenced talents such as Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, and so many others. While he’s helped them throughout their career with his influence, he’s helped many others in different ways and here are some hit songs he wrote for other artists.

“Manic Monday” – The Bangles

In 1986, The Bangles broke out onto the scene with this hit and it is one that many still listen to today and think back to the great times of the ’80s. “Manic Monday” was the first big hit for the band and it went all the way up to No. 2 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and many other countries.

Not many realize that Prince wrote the song, but that was because he did so under the pseudonym of “Christopher.”

“Nothing Compares 2 U” – Sinead O’Connor

It was the absolute biggest hit of her career, without a doubt, and that is proven by the fact that the song spent four weeks at the No. 1 spot. “Nothing Compares 2 U” was nominated for three Grammy Awards and it was indeed written by Prince.

Their relationship was not a good one. She told The Daily Mail that their last meeting together actually ended up getting violent as Prince wasn’t happy that she cursed in interviews, and she didn’t care what he thought.

“Stand Back” – Stevie Nicks

As the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks really didn’t have a lot of hits as a solo artist, but one of her biggest was with a lot of influence from Prince. She wrote the song on the day she married Kim Anderson and said “Stand Back” was essentially born in her head while listening to “Little Red Corvette.”

It should also be known that Prince stopped by the recording studio and mastered the synthesizer portions of “Stand Back.”

“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” – Alicia Keys

Originally written as a b-side for “1999,” it is obvious why this song didn’t get a whole lot of attention when Prince performed it. In 2001, Alicia Keys took the song and added her own brilliant voice to it and quite masterfully at that.

“When You Were Mine” – Cyndi Lauper

Prince wrote and included this song on the album “Dirty Mind” which was released in 1980, but Lauper covered it and added new life to it. It became a huge hit for the female ’80s star, and is yet another hit written by the now late icon.

“I Feel For You” – Chaka Khan

This song was actually written by and included on Prince‘s self-titled album from 1979, but it never seemed to get much play. Chaka Khan took it, added a rap opening by Melle Mel, included Stevie Wonder on the harmonica, and released it in 1984 to win a songwriting Grammy for Prince.

“Jungle Love” – Morris Day and The Time

You’ve probably heard this song at just about every wedding ever and it was a huge part of the storyline for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Prince wrote the song under the name of “Jamie Starr,” and he also played all instruments other than guitar, which was played by Jesse Johnson while Morris Day provided lead vocals.

“Round and Round” – Tevin Campbell

It was the first single that Tevin Campbell ever had and it was indeed written by Prince. Not oddly enough, it appears on the soundtrack for Graffiti Bridge, which Prince happened to star in while also writing and directing it.

“Love Song” – Madonna

Prince did much more on “Love Song” than co-write it with Madonna for her 1989 album “Like A Prayer.” He also played guitar for the song as well as provided the background vocals for a musical combination unlike any other.

“Pray” – MC Hammer

MC Hammer needed something that could keep his momentum going after “U Can’t Touch This,” and that ended up being “Pray.” While the majority of it was written by Hammer, the song heavily samples one of Prince’s legendary songs, “When Doves Cry.”

These are some of the more popular and well-known songs that were written by Prince for other artists. Still, they are far from the only songs recorded by other artists. Here are a few more that you may recognize, and written by Prince’s hand.

• “Love… Thy Will Be Done” – Martika
• “The Bird” – The Time
• “The Glamorous Life” – Sheila E
• “Kiss” – Tom Jones

Prince may have left this world at the far-too-young age of 57, but his legacy and music is going to live on for centuries. The things he was able to do with a guitar in his hands or a microphone in front of him are seen as legendary. Now, you can also hear the songs from some of your other favorite artists and also remember the man, as he wrote those tracks for them.

[Image via John Sciulli/Getty Images]