> In 1986, The Bangles released the hit single "Manic Monday." Who wrote the song?And the answer is: Prince. Photo Courtesy: Richard E. Aaron, Redferns.Reaching number two on the charts inthe US, UK, and Canada, "Manic Monday" was The Bangles' first hit song. Theywere offered the tune by its songwriter, Prince, who also wrote hit songs forSinead O'Connor, Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, and others.Born Prince Rogers Nelson, Prince pursued the arts from a very young age. TheArtist (as he was later known) wrote his first song, "Funk Machine," at age 7 onhis father's piano. At age 19, he had signed his first manager and successfullyrecorded his first demo at a recording studio called Sound 80 in Minneapolis.The demo attracted the attention of labels such as Warner Bros, A&M Records, andColumbia Records, leading to Prince's first recording contract. Prince's first album, For You, was impressively written, produced, arranged, andcomposed by himself (not to mention the 27 instruments he played). From there,Prince only gained steam. With the release of his 1979 album Prince, thesinger-songwriter earned his first #1 hit, launching him into the mainstream.However, it wasn't until the release of his hit film and album Purple Rain thatPrince solidified his influence in the music industry, and his role as one ofthe greatest artists of his generation. At one point in 1984, Princesimultaneously had the #1 album, single, and film in the United States. It wasthe first time a singer had achieved this feat.Did you know?For a point in time, Prince went by an unpronounceable symbol instead of hisname! While the world took to calling him "The Artist" or "The Artist FormerlyKnown as Prince," the symbol, pictured below, was used in a ploy to mess withWarner Bros' release policies. When Prince's contract with Warner Bros. expiredat midnight on December 31, 1999, he announced that he was reclaiming his givenname.Photo Courtesy: fair use.