Most frequent collaboratorLisa Coleman · 22 tracks
GenresFunkR&BPopRockSoulNew WavePsychedelic Pop
Complete Artist
96%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 381 of 396 tracks
Did Prince write his own songs?
Yes, almost all of them, and usually alone. Prince wrote around 96% of his catalogue, most of it entirely by himself, and he also produced, arranged, and played nearly every instrument. Songs like 'When Doves Cry,' 'Kiss,' and 'Little Red Corvette' are all his. He occasionally shared credits with his bands, the Revolution and the New Power Generation, and with his father, John L. Nelson.
By the Numbers
33
Studio Albums
396
Tracks Credited
96%
Self-Written
100M+
Records Sold
38
Years Active
69
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 381 / 396 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 396 tracks: how many Prince wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Prince has a writing credit96%
85%
11%
4%
Sole author338tracks85%
Co-written43tracks11%
Outside writers15tracks4%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Prince's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 396 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)96%
Composer (music)95%
Producer100%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Prince's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 96%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
89%
100%
45%
94%
100%
90%
100%
100%
100%
92%
100%
100%
83%
100%
100%
100%
1978For You
1979Prince
1980Dirty Mind
1981Controversy
19821999
1984Purple Rain
1985Around the World in a Day
1986Parade
1987Sign "☮" the Times
1988Lovesexy
1989Batman
1991Diamonds and Pearls
1992Love Symbol Album
1994Come
1994The Black Album
1995The Gold Experience
1996Chaos and Disorder
1996Emancipation
1998Crystal Ball
1998New Power Soul
1999Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
2001The Rainbow Children
2002One Nite Alone...
2004Musicology
20063121
2007Planet Earth
2009Lotusflow3r
2009MPLSoUND
201020Ten
2014Plectrumelectrum
2014Art Official Age
2015HitnRun Phase One
2015HitnRun Phase Two
Early · 100% written
Mid · 93% written
Late · 97% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
100%
1970s
For You, Prince
100%
1980s
Dirty Mind, Controversy +7 more
93%
1990s
Diamonds and Pearls, Love Symbol Album +8 more
97%
2000s
The Rainbow Children, One Nite Alone... +5 more
97%
2010s
20Ten, Plectrumelectrum +3 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Prince sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Prince
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. LC Lisa Coleman · RG Rosie Gaines · NP New Power Generation · JW Joshua Welton · BZ Bobby Z
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Prince is the control group for full creative ownership, the benchmark against which every other artist in this dataset should be measured. He wrote virtually every lyric, composed virtually every melody and arrangement, produced almost his entire catalog, and famously played all instruments himself on his first five solo albums. His authorship score approaches 99-100% across all three credit categories simultaneously: lyricist, composer, and producer, a combination almost no other major pop artist can claim. Where most successful artists achieve ownership in one axis (a rapper who writes all his own rhymes, or a producer-songwriter who writes for others), Prince owned all three axes, all the time, at the highest commercial and artistic level.
Quick Facts
One-man bandWrote, produced, arranged, and played all 27 instruments on his 1978 debut album
Rock HallInducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004
OscarWon an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for Purple Rain
Name changeChanged his name to an unpronounceable 'Love Symbol' in the 1990s
OutputReleased 33 studio albums and left a vast vault of unreleased music
Creative Fingerprint
The ultimate one-man auteur: Prince wrote, produced, and played nearly everything himself across 33 albums, credited alone on the vast majority of his songs, from 'When Doves Cry' to 'Kiss.'
The Story
Prince Rogers Nelson was a singular musical genius who defined an era of pop, funk, and R&B with an unprecedented combination of virtuosity, sensuality, and artistic control. He wrote, produced, and performed virtually every element of his recordings, routinely playing dozens of instruments on a single album and refusing to cede creative authority to anyone. Across a career spanning nearly four decades, he released an astonishing catalog of material, much of it still locked in his famed Vault, and influenced generations of artists who followed.
Awards & Recognition
Sold more than 100 million records worldwide, one of the best-selling music artists of all time
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility
Won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for Purple Rain (1984)
Wrote, produced, arranged, and played all 27 instruments on his debut album
Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most inventive musicians of all time
Frequently Asked Questions Prince
Did Prince write his own songs?
Yes, almost all of them, and usually alone. Prince wrote around 96% of his catalogue, most of it entirely by himself, and he also produced, arranged, and played nearly every instrument. Songs like 'When Doves Cry,' 'Kiss,' and 'Little Red Corvette' are all his. He occasionally shared credits with his bands, the Revolution and the New Power Generation, and with his father, John L. Nelson.
Did Prince play all the instruments?
Often, yes. On his 1978 debut he wrote, produced, arranged, and played all 27 instruments himself. Throughout his career he was famous for recording much of his music alone, playing guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums.
Who wrote 'When Doves Cry'?
'When Doves Cry' (1984) was written, produced, and performed entirely by Prince for the Purple Rain album and film. Famously, the track has no bass line, an unusual choice he made himself.
Who wrote 'Purple Rain'?
'Purple Rain' (1984) is credited to Prince. It is the title song of his most famous album and film, and one of the defining rock ballads of the 1980s.
Who was in Prince's band?
His best-known backing bands were the Revolution, on Purple Rain and the mid-1980s albums, and the New Power Generation from the early 1990s on. Members like Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman occasionally share writing credits.
How many albums did Prince release?
This catalogue covers 33 of his studio albums, from For You (1978) to the HitnRun records of 2015. He was famously prolific and left a large vault of unreleased material.
How many records did Prince sell?
More than 100 million worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
When did Prince die?
Prince died on April 21, 2016, at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota, at the age of 57, from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Why did Prince change his name to a symbol?
In 1993, during a dispute with his record label, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable 'Love Symbol' and was often called 'the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.' He returned to using Prince in 2000.
What genre is Prince?
He fused funk, R&B, rock, pop, soul, and new wave into a sound of his own, often called the Minneapolis sound. His versatility across genres is a core part of his legacy.
Prince