The Very Best of Prince

Greatest hits album by Prince

Released

July 31, 2001

Recorded

1979–1991

Genre

Pop
rock
funk

Length

73:18

Label

Warner Bros.

Producer

Prince chronology

Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic
(2001)

The Very Best of Prince
(2001)

The Rainbow Children
(2001)

Alternate cover

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Q	^[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[3]

The Very Best of Prince is a greatest hits album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on July 31, 2001 by Warner Bros. Records. The album contains most of his commercially successful singles in their radio edits from 1979–1991 including the US number 1s "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy", "Kiss" and "Cream".

The Very Best of Prince does not include the US number 1 hit "Batdance" most likely due to the licensing of the character Batman. AllMusic supposes that the Batman album is being unofficially written out of his discography.^[1]

Commercial performance

On the chart dated August 18, 2001, The Very Best of Prince debuted at number 66 on the US Billboard 200.^[4] As of September 21, 2004, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 1 million copies in the United States.^[5] The Very Best of Prince sold 179,000 equivalent copies (100,000 in pure album sales) in the week following Prince's death,^[6] thus allowing the album to re-enter the Billboard 200 at number one; this makes the album Prince's fifth number-one on the chart.^[7] The following week the album fell to number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 391,000 equivalent copies (216,000 in pure album sales) behind Beyoncé's Lemonade.^[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original album	Length
1.	"I Wanna Be Your Lover" (Single edit)	Prince	Prince (1979)	2:58
2.	"1999" (Single edit)	Prince	1999 (1982)	3:37
3.	"Little Red Corvette"	Prince	1999	4:56
4.	"When Doves Cry" (Single edit)	Prince	Purple Rain (1984)	3:47
5.	"Let's Go Crazy"	Prince and The Revolution	Purple Rain	4:40
6.	"Purple Rain"	Prince and The Revolution	Purple Rain	8:40
7.	"I Would Die 4 U" (Single version)	Prince and The Revolution	Purple Rain	2:56
8.	"Raspberry Beret"	Prince and The Revolution	Around the World in a Day (1985)	3:32
9.	"Kiss" (Single edit)	Prince and The Revolution	Parade (1986)	3:46
10.	"Sign o' the Times" (Single edit)	Prince	Sign o' the Times (1987)	3:42
11.	"U Got the Look" (featuring Sheena Easton)	Prince	Sign o' the Times	3:47
12.	"Alphabet St."	Prince	Lovesexy (1988)	5:38
13.	"Thieves in the Temple"	Prince	Graffiti Bridge (1990)	3:21
14.	"Gett Off"	Prince and The New Power Generation	Diamonds and Pearls (1991)	4:31
15.	"Cream"	Prince and The New Power Generation	Diamonds and Pearls	4:13
16.	"Diamonds and Pearls" (Single edit)	Prince and The New Power Generation	Diamonds and Pearls	4:19
17.	"Money Don't Matter 2 Night"	Prince and The New Power Generation	Diamonds and Pearls	4:47

Personnel

Prince – lead vocals and various instruments

The Revolution

Lisa Coleman – keyboards, vocals
Wendy Melvoin – guitar, vocals
Bobby Z. – drums, percussion
Brown Mark – bass, vocals
Matt (Dr.) Fink – keyboards, vocals

The New Power Generation

Levi Seacer, Jr. – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Tony M. – rapping, backing vocals
Tommy Barbarella – purpleaxxe sampling, keyboards
Kirk Johnson – percussion, backing vocals
Damon Dickson – percussion, backing vocals
Sonny T. – bass, backing vocals
Michael B. – drums
Rosie Gaines – vocals, purpleaxxe sampling, organ

Additional musicians

Jill Jones – co-lead vocals (on "1999")
Dez Dickerson – co-lead vocals (on "1999" & "Little Red Corvette"), lead guitar (on "Little Red Corvette")
Mazarati – backing vocals (on "Kiss")
Sheena Easton – vocals (on "U Got the Look")
Sheila E. – drums, percussion (on "U Got the Look" & "Alphabet St."), vocals (on "Alphabet St.")
Cat Glover – rap (on "Alphabet St.")
Eric Leeds – brass, vocals (on "Alphabet St."), flute (on "Gett Off")

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[9]	40
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[10]	13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[11]	18
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)^[12]	3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[13]	6
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[14]	1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[15]	28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[16]	17
UK Albums (OCC)^[17]	2
US Billboard 200^[18]	66
Chart (2011)	Peak position
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[19]	16
Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[20]	2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[21]	5
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[22]	1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[23]	7
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[24]	12
French Albums (SNEP)^[25]	99
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[26]	5
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[27]	13
Irish Albums (IRMA)^[28]	2
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[29]	12
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[30]	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[31]	2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[32]	4
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[33]	1
US Billboard 200^[34]	1

Certifications


Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)^[35]	2× Platinum	140,000
Belgium (BEA)^[36]	Platinum	50,000
Canada (Music Canada)^[37]	Gold	50,000
United Kingdom (BPI)^[38]	2× Platinum	600,000
United States (RIAA)^[5]	Platinum	1,000,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1 2 Allmusic review
↑ CD Universe scores
↑ Rolling Stone Album Guide
↑ "Prince's 'The Very Best Of' Album Headed for No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
1 2 "American album certifications – Prince – The Very Best of Prince". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 28, 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
↑ "Prince Dominates Album Sales After His Death". HipHopDX. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
↑ "Prince Rules at No. 1 & 2 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart with 'The Very Best Of' & 'Purple Rain'". Billboard. April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
↑ "Beyonce Earns Sixth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Lemonade'". Billboard. May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
↑ "Australiancharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – The Very Best Of" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – The Very Best Of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Very Best Of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 33, 2001". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince.
↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Australiancharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Prince – The Very Best Of" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Prince. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
↑ "Hitlisten.NU - Danmarks officielle hitlister". Retrieved May 2, 2016.
↑ "Prince: The Very Best of Prince" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
↑ "Lescharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Very Best Of" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2016. 16. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 17, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
↑ "Italiancharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
↑ "Charts.org.nz – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Very Best Of". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
↑ "Prince – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Prince. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2010". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "Canadian album certifications – Prince – The Very Best of Prince". Music Canada. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
↑ "British album certifications – Prince – The Very Best of Prince". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 28, 2013. Enter The Very Best of Prince in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search

Prince

Prince

Discography Albums Singles Videography Unreleased projects Awards and nominations Associates Death

Concert tours	Prince Tour Dirty Mind Tour Controversy Tour 1999 Tour Purple Rain Tour Parade Tour Sign o' the Times Tour Lovesexy Tour Nude Tour Diamonds and Pearls Tour Act I and II Interactive Tour The Ultimate Live Experience Love 4 One Another Charities Tour Jam of the Year Tour New Power Soul Tour Hit n Run Tour A Celebration One Nite Alone... Tour World Tour 2003 Musicology Live 2004ever Per4ming Live 3121 21 Nights in London: The Earth Tour 20Ten Tour Welcome 2 Live Out Loud Tour Hit and Run Tour Piano & A Microphone Tour

Filmography	Purple Rain Under the Cherry Moon Sign o' the Times Graffiti Bridge

Videography	Prince and the Revolution: Live Diamonds and Pearls Video Collection The Hits Collection 3 Chains o' Gold Rave Un2 the Year 2000 Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas

Video games	Prince Interactive

Stage productions	Glam Slam Ulysses Billboards

Associated companies	Paisley Park Records NPG Records

Related articles	The Revolution The New Power Generation 3rdeyegirl The Time Vanity 6 Apollonia 6 The Family Madhouse Mazarati John L. Nelson Mayte Garcia Manuela Testolini NPG Music Club Minneapolis sound Purplish Rain

Book:Prince

Prince albums

Studio albums	For You Prince Dirty Mind Controversy 1999 Purple Rain Around the World in a Day Parade Sign o' the Times Lovesexy Batman Graffiti Bridge Diamonds and Pearls Love Symbol Album Come The Black Album The Gold Experience Chaos and Disorder Emancipation Crystal Ball The Truth The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic The Rainbow Children One Nite Alone... Xpectation N.E.W.S Musicology The Chocolate Invasion The Slaughterhouse 3121 Planet Earth Lotusflow3r MPLSound 20Ten Plectrumelectrum Art Official Age Hit n Run Phase One Hit n Run Phase Two

Live albums	One Nite Alone... Live! One Nite Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over! C-Note Indigo Nights

Remix albums	Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic

Compilation albums	The Hits 1 The Hits 2 The Hits/The B-Sides Girl 6 The Very Best of Prince Ultimate Prince

The New Power Generation albums	Goldnigga Exodus Newpower Soul

The NPG Orchestra albums	Kamasutra

Madhouse albums	8 16

Prince singles

1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"

1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Bambi" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "Sexuality" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "D.M.S.R." "Delirious" "Automatic" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"

1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "Pope" (remix) "Come" "Letitgo" "Space" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "P Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "The Truth" "Extraordinary" "The Rest of My Life" "5 Women" "It's About That Walk" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"

2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We Be Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"

2010s	"Extraloveable" "Rock and Roll Love Affair" "Screwdriver" "Fixurlifeup" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Pretzelbodylogic" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "Clouds" "Baltimore" "Hardrocklover" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"

Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "D.M.S.R." "Another Lonely Christmas" "Erotic City" "Hot Thing" "Trust" "Willing and Able" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Pope" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Come" "P. Control" "Dolphin" "Endorphinmachine" "Slave" "Somebody's Somebody" "Face Down" "Extraordinary" "The Rest of My Life" "5 Women" "It's About That Walk" "Baby Knows" "Man'O'War" "She Loves Me 4 Me" "Last December" "One Nite Alone... Live EP" "Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart" "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed" (with Tamar Davis) "Chelsea Rodgers" "Future Baby Mama" "The One U Wanna C" "U're Gonna C Me"

Airplay-only songs	"International Lover" "Shhh" "Satisfied" "Better with Time"

Internet downloads	"One Song" "Cybersingle" "Bataclan" "Glass Cutter" "Live from Paisley Park" "Strange Relationship" (Live in Minneapolis) "Guitar" (original "demo" version) "Love" (acoustic version) "Rock and Roll Love Affair" (Remix 7) "Screwdriver" (Remix) "Boyfriend" (Demo) "That Girl Thang" "Live Out Loud" "Ain't Gonna Miss U When U're Gone" "Extraloveable Reloaded" "Menstrual Cycle" "Octopus Heart" "Groovy Potential" "The Sweeter She Is" "Something in the Water" (Paisley Park Rehearsal) "Da Bourgeoisie" "What If" "The X's Face"

Streams	"U're Still the One" "Xylophone" "In a Large Room with No Light" "Purple and Gold" "Cause and Effect" "Hot Summer" "Rich Friends" "Same Page Different Book" "Stare"

EP's	The Scandalous Sex Suite EP New Power Generation Remixes Gett Off Remix EP Cream Remixes' My Name Is Prince Remixes 7 Remixes The Beautiful Experience Letitgo Remixes Space Remixes I Hate U Remixes 1999: The New Master The Greatest Romance Ever Sold Remixes Breakfast Can Wait

Other songs	"I Feel for You" "When You Were Mine" "Head" "Private Joy" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "17 Days" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "4 the Tears in Your Eyes" "Housequake" "Starfish and Coffee" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U"

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