What was Prince's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100?

Prince's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 was “When Doves Cry.” Released in 1984 as the lead single from Purple Rain, it reached number one in the United States and stayed there for five weeks.

Prince wrote, produced, and performed the song, which was created for the film's story about The Kid's troubled family life and relationship with Apollonia. Its unusual arrangement helped make it distinctive: the recording famously omits a conventional bass line, leaving space for the song's pounding drum-machine rhythm, synthesizers, guitar, and Prince's dramatic vocal.

“When Doves Cry” became one of Prince's signature songs and was Billboard's number-one year-end single for 1984. The song was also part of a remarkable three-way achievement: that year, Prince simultaneously had the number-one film, album, and single in the United States through Purple Rain and its soundtrack. “1999,” “Kiss,” and “Purple Rain” were major Prince songs, but none was his first Hot 100 chart-topper.