Which other artists albums did Prince appear on?
From duets on other artist’s famous tracks to inviting some on stage for his own performances, Prince was not opposed to sharing the spotlight.
Throughout his career, the one-person showman lent his numerous talents to artists from all over the world, proffering a hand to change someone’s image, boost someone’s fading career, or build a simple bond of friendship.
Whether it so happened that an artist was jamming to Prince’s liking in an adjacent studio, or someone’s mum needed a song dedicated to her (as was the case with Sinéad O’Connor), the ‘High Priest of Pop’ knew how to make himself liked in the music business.
In possession of a broad catalogue of unreleased material, he either distributed its songs, provided its instrumentation, or collaborated with artists in writing new songs. Here, we choose to highlight some iconic endeavours that have carved their places in rock’s history, but are by no means the complete list of albums in which Prince has appeared: that would be an endless endeavour in itself.
Throughout his efforts, the names he would choose to include in the credits for his collaborations have always been different and deserving of honourable mention, with some notable pseudonyms including Paisley Park, Rocker Happyfella, and Freddie ‘The Phantom’.
Albums by other artists Prince has appeared on:
‘The Red Shoes’ – Kate Bush (1993)
Although he’d long been a fan of Kate Bush, it was not until his Nude tour that they had they met in 1990. Bush recorded ‘Why Should I Love You?’ soon after their meeting in London, and sent Prince the recording. In addition to lending his backing vocals, the Minneapolis artist added his guitar, keyboard, and bass to the song as well.
Bush reworked this version and included the track on her seventh LP in 1993. There’s still Prince markings all over the song, with maximalist synths and fabulous guitar riffs accompanying the British singer. She later returned the favour as backing vocalist for Prince’s ‘My Computer’, included in his 1996 album Emancipation.
‘Telepathy’ – Deborah Allen (1987)
Deborah Allen’s label had advised the Memphis singer to broaden her appeal to pop audiences, so she wrote Prince a letter after their brief meeting in the yard of his studio: “Dear Prince, You may not remember me, but I’m Deborah Allen and we met by the basketball court. The new RCA executives like my album but they want me to do a couple more cuts. I was wondering if you’d be interested in writing, co-writing, and/or producing something on me. That would be merely wonderful,” she recalled to Rolling Stone.
Prince decided to help. He re-recorded ‘Witness 4 The Prosecution’ to give to Allen, and then opted for a new song he’d recorded on the spot: ‘Telepathy’. She kept his instrumentation, while Eric Leeds was on the sax with ‘Telepathy’ becoming the title track and lead single for Allen’s third LP in 1987, and Prince is credited for his involvement under the name Joey Coco.
‘A Time to Love’ – Stevie Wonder (2005)
Stevie Wonder had been a creative impetus for Prince, and his first single in a decade ‘So What The Fuss’ was a fruit of their collaboration in 2004. Prince’s guitar talent was lent to the track, which became Wonder’s A Time to Love‘s lead single, and he is credited under his name for this work.
Althouth Prince had called Wonder a “role model”, the latter was also highly influenced by his junior. Working alongside Prince’s incredible guitar skills led him to discover a new musical instrument, the harpeji, that allowed him to deliver a similar sound, and he played it in a beautiful tribute to ‘Purple Rain’ for his friend after his death.
‘A Private Heaven’ – Sheena Easton (1984)
Sheena Easton was brought to Prince’s attention by chance, since both were coincidentally recording at Sunset Sound Studios in Hollywood in 1984, with the addition of having the same audio engineer. By this time, the Irish superstar had grown tired of her good girl image and asked Prince to lend a hand. He sent her a song he’d just recorded, ‘Sugar Walls’, which lived up to its brief so much that it was included in a list of tracks branded inappropriate for America’s youth by a lobby group that worked towards the Parental Advisory label; Prince’s instrumentation was credited under the name Alexander Nevermind.
The duo kept working together on her later album The Lover in Me, and although these didn’t attain the same level of success as ‘Sugar Walls’, it forged a strong bond, leading to recording together numerous times through the years, due to the compatible style of music tying their work. In 2012, Easton said, “When you work with Prince, he’s one of those kind of guys that likes to keep you off guard. You’d get the phone call saying ‘Hey, come down to the studio. There’s something I’d want you to hear’ […] And so it’s one of those things that’s really organic, just a great moment in the studio.”
‘Millennium’ – Earth, Wind & Fire (1993)
Prince’s debut album, For You, was planned to feature production by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire in 1977, but the former famously refused. Then, 15 years later, Prince recorded ‘Super Hero’ for Earth, Wind & Fire, which appeared on their album Millennium. He notoriously arrived at the studio with the track already written and ready to record, and left his personal stamp on the band by recording some of his instrumentation on it. He also kept his own name in the credits for his drums, keyboard, and backing vocals.
Allee Willis, a songwriter for the band, said, “It’s true that Prince was a massive Earth, Wind & Fire fan”, who also paid homage to the band by including them in his Influence Mural at his Paisley Park studio.
‘Like a Prayer’ – Madonna (1989)
Madonna had been recording her fourth LP at Paisley Park, Prince’s home and studio, and in 1988, Prince co-produced and duetted with Madonna on ‘Love Song’. “[W]e’ve been friends for years and admirers of each other’s work,” Madonna said told Rolling Stone in 1989, “so we’d always talked about getting together to write.”
Prince also offered contributions of guitar riffs and accompaniment on other tracks on the album, in addition to co-writing others. He was only credited for co-writing ‘Love Song’, with his real name, but he left a lasting impression on the ‘Like a Virgin’ singer: “He’s great when you get to know him. Charming and funny, in his own way. More than anything, he really comes alive when he’s working.”
