Essential Prince: His greatest songs of all time, ranked

Prince would’ve been 65 years old on June 7, 2023, and his estate is doing its best to commemorate his birthday in grand fashion by launching the most lavish Celebration event to date at Paisley Park. Held annually since 2017, Celebration commemorates the rich legacy of Prince through concerts and special events. This year, Paisley Park will offer exclusive listening sessions to “Prince Music from the Vault” and archival concert footage, alongside panels featuring Chaka Khan, Chuck D, and Doug E. Fresh, as well as live performances and a tribute to Rosie Gaines, a singer in Prince’s backing band the New Power Generation.

This Celebration lineup hints at the vast legacy Prince left behind when he died seven years ago. At the core of that legacy is his music, of course: a vast discography filled with more recordings than most musicians make in their lifetime. Nearly every Prince phase has something worthwhile to offer, but these 40 songs whittle his music down to its essence, capturing the ways he mastered funk, rock, R&B, and pop, then fused it all together a unique blend that still seems startling and fresh.

40. “Breakfast Can Wait” (2014)

Designed as a throwback slow jam, “Breakfast Can Wait” delivers on that front … at least at first. The shimmering smooth soul is seductive but Prince gets restless: not only is the rhythm slightly unruly, he spends the back half of the song layering sped-up vocals, the Chipmunk harmonies being a clear indication that the Purple One doesn’t always take himself too seriously.