BoDeans "Good Things"

One of the mastermind's behind Prince's music helped launch the BoDeans into a new direction. A trip to meet producer David Z. at Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis turned out the BoDean's hit "Good Things" in 1991. Later in the '90s, the Fox television show Party of Five helped turn the band a household name when it chose to use "Closer to Free" as its theme song.

Janet Jackson "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"

Originally thought of as a duet with Prince, "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" is the last single from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 -- her wildly successful album that charted seven Top 5 singles. Only four artists have ever achieved this feat. Rhythm Nation 1814 managed to be a pioneer in another category -- it became the first album to chart #1 hits in three successive years: "Miss You Much" (1989), "Escapade" and "Black Cat" (1990), followed by "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" in 1991.

Prince & The Revolution "Take Me With U"

Credit the Purple Rain Soundtrack for "Take Me With U". Originally intended for Prince's Apollonia 6 album, the song was pulled for inclusion on the soundtrack. A different song intended for Apollonia 6 album already had some drama attached to it. "Take Me With U" was the final single released from the wildly successful Purple Rain Soundtrack.

Prince "Raspberry Beret"

"Did you ever hear the story of the lady who sent brownies laced with acid to the radio station?" A colleague from our Classic Rock station posed that question to me recently. Although he didn't partake in the brownies, one of his fellow DJ's did -- causing him to "trip balls" for a few hours. His story lends credence to the Golden Rule among radio DJs: never EVER eat food from a listener.

While producing a radio dating show that aired during the mid-2000s, listeners would come into our studio each night and question three eligible singles who were on the phone -- while we all listened. One night, a congenial bachelorette came to the studio bearing gifts: homemade chocolate-covered strawberries. While her gesture seemed innocent enough, the two hosts and I looked at one another with concern. We all knew the Golden Rule, but how do we not insult this person bearing these delicious hand-made strawberries? The male host finally broke the ice and bit into one of the strawberries. Our guest, however, wasn't satisfied. "You have to one!" she said to the other host and me. Throwing caution to the wind, we both popped the sweet treats into our mouths fulling expecting to bite into a razor blade or perhaps rat poison. Instead of tripping balls, slicing our mouths open or vomiting profusely, we both survived. In fact, during the course of the dating show's two-year run, several contestants came bearing gifts of homemade cannoli, pot roast and candy. Again, we survived.

Prince "I Wanna Be Your Lover"

A recent eight-day trip to Florida to renovate a beach house forced me to live like a Florida local and, for once, not a tourist. There were no trips to the pool, Gulf of Mexico or miniature golf, but rather lots of trips to the hardware and tile store. With a long list of things to do and limited time, I went to work each morning and even borrowed my dad's 1998 Buick LeSabre to make my first of a half-dozen treks to the local Home Depot. Trying to remember where I parked isn't easy in the first place, but when every other car in the parking lot is a Buick, it's that much harder.

One morning, I tuned on the Buick's radio and ended up listening to WDUV-FM "The Dove". The radio station clearly targeted an older audience as it didn't seem to play anything beyond the mid-1980s. The station was a time machine to what Adult Contemporary radio stations sounded like in 1988--minus any elevator music. Just lots and lots of soft rock. You know what? I actually found myself enjoying the no-nonsense and music-intensive delivery. One particular ride down Cortez Road in Bradenton featured The Dove spinning Christopher Cross, Lionel Richie, Chicago, and Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (and odd choice but, again, I'm not complaining). I even caught a bit of Delilah on my ride home and found myself having my own Calgon moment.

America "Ventura Highway"

Rumor has it Prince got the title for "Purple Rain" after hearing the words in the lyrics of America's "Ventura Highway".

The Bangles "Manic Monday"

Prince originally wrote "Manic Monday" for Apollonia 6 -- a female trio that Prince put together in the 1980s.  The song later went to The Bangles.  According to Wikipedia, Prince offered the song to The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs in hopes that she would sleep with him.  Ironically, "Manic Monday" peaked at #2 -- it was blocked from the #2 spot by "Kiss" from Prince & The Revolution.  Karma?

Bette Midler "The Rose"

Which of the following nicknames sounds the coolest?
Michael Jackson: The King of Pop
Prince: The Purple One
Madonna: The Material Girl
Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul
James Brown: The Godfather of Soul
Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M

I'll put my money on Bette Midler.

Sheryl Crow - "Good Is Good"

Some fun facts about Sheryl Crow:

• She had a bit part as a singer in the much maligned 1990 TV show Cop Rock
• She was a backup singer to Prince's song "Baby Knows"
• She owns a farm in Nashville, TN
• She loves to wear jeans and even owns a brand of denim called Bootheal Trading Company (and named her adopted son "Levi")
• She was engaged to Lance Armstrong, but later broke off the engagement.  I wonder if Sheryl Crow knew Lance Armstrong was doping.  

Prince - "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"

The 1990s gave us names such as Joey Buttafuoco, Tonya Harding, and Judge Ito.  It was also a decade when Prince asked to be known by a different name--or some silly symbol.  Disc-jockeys on the radio lovingly referred to him as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince" when his 1994 hit "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" topped the charts.