Prince: All Number 1 Songs Ranked Worst To Best
6. Diamonds & Pearls
9th number one, 1992
One of the most debated songs in Prince's repertoire, and all because of a boy.
When Prince sings, "If I gave you diamonds and pearls/Would you be a happy boy or a girl?", the world at large naturally questions what meaning lies therein. Was Prince alluding to his ever-presumed bisexuality, even if merely feeding that supposition for fun? Was the song written from God's perspective and directed at any given person? Or was it dedicated to his then-unborn child, who sadly died six days after being born?
Whatever the case may be, Diamonds & Pearls is one of the loveliest Prince songs, despite being criticised for catering unabashedly to a more mainstream audience. The music video somehow backs up all of the above theories about its meaning, by showing Prince using pearls as rosary beads, or being surrounded by children.
But for once, Prince is almost outstaged on his own song. The show is stolen by New Power Generation member Rosie Gaines, whose background vocals lift the tune to a higher level - those whistle notes at the end could give Mariah Carey a run for her money.
Fun Fact: Despite this being the titular track of its parent album, the music video for this song sidelines back-up dancers Diamond (Lori Elle) and Pearl (Robia LaMorte), who were of course named especially for this era.