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May 20, 2016 3:09PM ET

Lenny Kravitz: My 5 Favorite Prince Songs

Singer-songwriter picks key tracks by his late idol and mentor

By

Rolling Stone

Reporter

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Lenny Kravitz and Prince

From the very first time he heard Prince, as a high schooler in 1979, Lenny Kravitz was a huge fan. "Then he became a mentor," he says. "When he left, a part of me went too." The guitarist, singer and songwriter – who will hit the road for a few dates with his old friends Guns N' Roses in July – spoke to Rolling Stone about the Prince tracks that move him most.

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Prince was hardly on the radio when this came out, but this song was a big hit on the street and at dance parties. The bass line was just so funky.

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This took everything to the next level. It sounded so funky and mysterious and scary. It was a monumental track for me.

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I love the minimalist quality of this. There's a drum machine going with an overdub of live drums, and real simple synths. It's so funky.

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It's a beautiful feeling that this song gives me. Wendy and Lisa on it – it was such a strong period when they worked together.

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There's funky bass, slamming drums, and the melody is just incredible. This was his sound. He owned the big drum machine. Nobody else could do it.

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