The songs Prince wrote but didn't sing

Plenty of singers have a lot to thank His Purpleness for

Prince on stage during his 'Diamonds and Pearls Tour' at the Earl's Court Arena, 1992 (Reuters)

Not content with a reputation as one of the most creative, groundbreaking musicians ever to grace Planet Earth, Prince took things one step further and wrote a ton of hits for an eclectic bunch of others.

Most music fans know that it was The Purple One’s pen behind Sinead O’Connor’s 1990 hit “Nothing Compares 2 U”, but fewer spotted his overriding influence in “Hung Up” by Madonna.

Here’s a reminder of how his talent pervading the repertoires of some of your favourite singers:

“Nothing Compares 2 U” - Sinead O’Connor

Irish singer O’Connor has a lot to thank Prince for with this weepy ballad (literally, she sheds a real tear in the video). It topped charts and, along with O’Connor’s iconic haircut, soon became synonymous with the Nineties.

“Hung Up” - Madonna

Yet another singer who owes a lot to His Purpleness, Madge reused the catchy hook from her 1989 duet with Prince, ‘Love Song’, in her comeback single.

“Manic Monday” - The Bangles

Prince originally offered up this hit to girl band Apollonia 6 under the pseudonym ‘Christopher’. The Bangles ended up releasing it as an official single in 1986, when it reached the top ten around the world and gave them their first hit.

“With This Tear” - Celine Dion

This song was a present from Prince to Celine. He wrote it specifically for her and she used it on her second UK album.

“I Feel For You” - Chaka Khan

Prince wrote this 1984 hit for Patrice Rushen but it ended up going to Khan, who enjoyed great success with it.

“Sugar Walls” - Sheena Easton

Just one look at the title of this raunchy track and it’s pretty obvious that Prince wrote it. The sexually-explicit ’Sugar Walls’ was written under the pen name Alexander Nevermind and performed by Sheena Easton.

“When You Were Mine” - Cyndi Lauper

This track featured on Lauper’s breakthrough album She’s So Unusual but it was originally recorded by Prince.