The many songwriting pseudonyms of Prince and the songs he wrote
American musician Prince defined a generation with his genre-defying blend of funk, rock, R&B, pop, soul and jazz. Not only did Prince possess a singular vision, typically recording most of the instruments in his songs by himself and acting as the sole producer, but he also heralded a spectacular voice, often singing in a falsetto style. His androgynous style and sexually-charged persona impacted popular culture in numerous ways, redefining the way male rock stars are perceived, all of which confirmed the icon as one of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century.
When Prince was just seven years old, he wrote his first song, ‘Funk Machine’, on his father’s piano. However, it was only when his cousin’s husband, Pepe Willie, formed the band 94 East that Prince began his musical career after he was hired to record some of the tracks. He played the guitar for the band and helped Willie to write ‘Just Another Sucker’ before recording a demo tape of his own. The recording fell into the hands of businessman Owen Husney, who helped the 19-year-old musician create a better demo and provided him with a press release, which led to Prince’s subsequent signing with Warner Bros.
Prince released his debut album, For You, in 1978, although it wasn’t until his following self-titled record that he received a proper taste of his future success. His sophomore album reached number 22 on the Billboard 200, with two of its singles selling over one million copies. Soon enough, Prince was on everyone’s radar, consistently releasing music to plenty of success, finding particular acclaim with 1984’s Purple Rain. The record soundtracked a rock musical of the same name, which starred Prince in his acting debut.
However, during his time as one of the industry’s most accomplished and respected artists, Prince undertook additional musical endeavours, often using pseudonyms to give himself more creative freedom. Although he frequently referred to himself by names such as His Royal Badness or even just a symbol that couldn’t be pronounced, Prince also used lesser-known names to hide his identity as a songwriter and producer, giving him a different identity from his widely-known persona.
One of the earliest examples of Prince taking on a different name is his use of the pseudonym Jamie Starr or The Starr Company. The musician formed The Time, a funk/soul outfit led by Morris Day, as part of a clause in his contract that allowed him to recruit new artists. Inspired by groups such as Parliament and Funkadelic, as well as Prince’s early work, The Time released four albums with production by the iconic musician between 1982 and 1990 to varying degrees of success. Only Day performed vocals on the band’s self-titled debut album, with Prince playing every instrument himself.
Their subsequent two albums followed a similar setup, with Prince taking an uncredited role as the record’s sole creator. Instead, he opted for a simple production credit as either Jamie Starr or the Starr Company, leaving many fans unaware of the musician’s involvement. Starr appeared as a credit on multiple other projects from the period, including Shelia E’s ‘The Glamorous Life’, which he wrote and produced.
Vanity 6, an all-girl vocal trio, became known for their Prince-penned and produced track ‘Nasty Girl’, released in 1982. Prince helped the band form, giving them questionable advice, such as naming themselves The Hookers and suggesting that their lead vocalist, Denise Matthews, go by the pseudonym Vagina. Understandably, the group was uncomfortable with these ideas and agreed to Matthews using the name Vanity, leading the band to become Vanity 6. They did not find much success, and friction between the members led to Vanity leaving the group in 1983 and being replaced by vocalist Apollonia.
As Apollonia 6, the group recorded a self-titled studio album written and produced by Prince, which contained their only hit single ‘Sex Shooter’, which appeared in Purple Rain. But Jamie Starr was not the only name that Prince liked to use. He also favoured the pseudonym Joey Coco, which he used to write the country artist Kenny Rogers’ song ‘You’re My Love’ from his fourteenth album, They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To.
Prince also used his Joey Coco name to write and produce multiple tracks for Scottish singer Sheena Easton, whose 1988 album, The Lover in Me, contained considerable Prince involvement. Coco is credited as the sole writer for ‘101’ and ‘Cool Love’. However, in 1984, Prince used the moniker Alexander Nevermind to write and produce her popular song ‘Sugar Walls’, which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.
But that’s not all. Prince also chose to go by Christopher, the same name as his character from Under the Cherry Moon, using the name as his credit on The Bangles’ hit 1986 track ‘Manic Monday’. Apollonia 6 and Prince initially recorded the song as a duet for their debut album before the musician ultimately decided to shelf the track. He eventually gave the track to The Bangles, with drummer Debbi Peterson describing the song as the “Banglefication of a Prince arrangement.” ‘Manic Monday’ reached number two in the United States as well as the United Kingdom, making it their first hit.
Prince’s pseudonyms and the music he wrote:
Jamie Starr/ The Starr Company
- The Time:
- The Time
- What Time Is It?
- Ice Cream Castle
- Pandemonium
- Vanity 6:
- Vanity 6
- Apollonia 6
- Apollonia 6
- Shelia E – ‘The Glamorous Life’
Joey Coco
- Kenny Rogers – ‘You’re My Love’
- Sheena Easton – ‘101’; ‘Cool Love’
Alexander Nevermind
- Sheena Easton – ‘Sugar Walls’
Christopher
- The Bangles – ‘Manic Monday’
