Prince "Little Red Corvette"

Although Prince had been a fixture on the R&B charts from his 1978 debut For You, his crossover success into the pop mainstream had been limited to his 1979 hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover," which had just missed the Top Ten, peaking at #11. It appeared that the likelihood of his fifth album, 1983's double album 1999, being his breakthrough to a wider audience seemed slim when the title song stalled at #44 on the pop charts upon its release. Then, in March of 1983, "Little Red Corvette" was pulled from the album as the second single and, as it roared up the charts, it ignited sales of the album, revving Prince's career into high gear.

With his deft use of lyrical double entendres, Prince had created a provocative and suggestive masterpiece that pushed the bounds of radio acceptance. However, it's likely that more than a few listeners never took the song as being about anything more than a sports car despite the sly sexual references and Prince's lust-filled vocals. The musical blend of funk, rock, and pop made the song inescapably catchy whether the listener is aware of the track's meaning or not. Building slowly from its tentative, synthesizer-laden opening, Prince opens things up full throttle on the chorus and closes with a fiery, guitar-laden climax.

It was an irresistable combination and a transcedent example of pop craftsmanship that became not only a hit on the R&B charts, but in clubs, on mainstream rock stations, and on the pop charts as well. It reached #6 on the US Top 40 charts becoming the first major hit of Prince's career. Benefiting from the momentum, 1999 climbed into the Top Ten on the album charts, selling over two million copies. It would set the stage for the release the following year of Purple Rain and a decade of pop superstardom for Prince.

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