Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Clem Burke. Tracy Chapman. Parliament Funkadelic master George Clinton. R.E.M. Timbaland. Steely Dan. Kenny Loggins. All are nominees for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024. Now 45 years after he released his debut album, For You, and crafted a catalog of 38 more albums—all written and produced by him—Prince still hasn’t been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A year later, he was nominated for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, along with Neil Young and The Who‘s Pete Townsend. All three were not inducted and remain out of the hall as of 2023.
A songwriter, producer, musician, and pioneer of sound, Prince’s legacy of music is long overdue for an induction. Here are just five reasons why it’s time Prince gets a Songwriters Hall of Fame honor as a songwriter.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. Minneapolis Sound
Drummers were replaced with drum machines, and horn sections were replaced with synthesizers, and that was just the beginning of the sound Prince pioneered in the late ’70s. A musical homage to his hometown, the Minneapolis Sound began developing into a subgenre of funk and was more dominant on his third album Dirty Mind in 1980.
By the early to mid-’80s, the Minneapolis Sound could be heard from artists under Prince’s tutelage, including Sheila E. and Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis’ The Time before the fusion crossed into electronic, techno, and house music into the 1990s.
2. Man of Many Genres
Prince made crossing R&B, pop, funk, rock, or any other genre he touched look effortless.
3. The Hits
Typically credited by his full name Prince Rogers Nelson, he wrote every song within his catalog. Throughout his career, he landed 19 songs in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, five that also topped the chart, including “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry” from Purple Rain. The title track also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “When Doves Cry” remained at the top of the charts for five weeks.
Prince’s other No. 1s: “Kiss,” from his 1986 album Parade, “Batdance” for the Tim Burton-directed Batman from 1989, and his 1991 Diamonds and Pearls single “Cream.”
4. Songs He Wrote, Made Famous by Other Artists
Some songs originally recorded by Prince were also made famous by other artists, including Chaka Khan’s 1984 hit “I Feel For You.” First appearing on Prince’s 1979 self-titled album, “I Feel For You” was a song he possibly wrote for his crush at the time, Patrice Rushen. In 1982, the Pointer Sisters covered “I Feel For You” on their album So Excited! but it wasn’t until Khan released her version that Prince’s song finally climbed the charts and won her a Grammy for Best R&B Song.
Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U” was first recorded by Prince’s funk side project on their 1985 self-titled release The Family but was never released as a single. When O’Connor covered the song—dedicated to her mother Marie who died in a car accident when O’Connor was 19—the late Irish singer and songwriter completely transformed “Nothing Compares 2 U” into one of immense grief and loss.
Cyndi Lauper also covered Prince’s “When You Were Mine” for her 1983 debut She’s So Unusual. While it didn’t hit big in the U.S., her version did have more traction in Japan and Canada. Lauper also performed the song at the American Music Awards in 1985.
Tom Jones’ 1988 cover of “Kiss” even gave Prince’s 1986 No. 1 another resurgence.
In 2001, Alicia Keys sang through Prince’s 1982 song “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” on her debut Songs in A Minor. Her version hit the R&B and Hip-Hop charts.
5. Songs He Wrote for Other Artists
Within Prince’s catalog of credits are also dozens of songs he wrote with and for other artists, including Stevie Nicks‘ 1983 hit “Stand Back,” Sheena Easton’s sexed up “Sugar Walls,” Kenny Rogers‘ “My Love,” The Bangles’ “Manic Monday,” Patti Labelle’s “Yo Mister,” Madonna‘s Like a Prayer track “Love Song,” and more.
[RELATED: Behind the Song Lyrics: “Stand Back” by Stevie Nicks]
By the ’90s, Prince also wrote Martika’s 1991 hit “Love… Thy Will Be Done,” Celine Dion‘s “With This Tear” (1992), Kate Bush‘s 1993 song “Why Should I Love You?” and No Doubt’s Rock Steady track “Waiting Room,” among many others in his book of songs.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
