Pop music superstar Prince died Thursday morning at his Paisley Park home in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57 years old. Photo: Warner Bros./Everett

IT’S the question asked at every quiz night. Who wrote this famous song? If you guess Prince you’ve got a good chance of being right because when he wasn’t creating classics like Purple Rain, Little Red Corvette, 1999, Let’s Go Crazy — he was handing over hits to other performers. His songs were often their biggest successes.

As the New York Post wrote after the sad news of his death, Prince was so good, “he had to manufacture his own opposition”. No doubt casual fans will be aware he was behind at least a few of these tracks, but some should take you by surprise ...

MANIC MONDAY — THE BANGLES

The song that describes us all on a Monday morning waking up. Prince originally wrote it under the pseudonym Christopher for the girl group Apollonia 6 and there are some early demos of it around. But it was The Bangles who scored big with the song after releasing it in 1986. It was their first hit, reaching number two in the United States and United Kingdom and number three in Australia.

LOVE ... THY WILL BE DONE — MARTIKA

A massive hit for Martika, this Australian number one ended up as one of the biggest songs of 1991 in this country. Prince later reclaimed the track, playing it live most recently during his Australian tour in February.

NOTHING COMPARES 2 U — SINEAD O’CONNOR

Who can forget O’Connor with her shaved head and mournful face singing to camera in the video clip? The song was a smash hit for the Irish singer in 1990. Her relationship with Prince was less successful with the singer claiming in 2014 he physically assaulted her after inviting her to his home. In an interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, she said: “He summoned me to his house — and it’s foolish to do this to an Irish woman — he said he didn’t like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to f**k off.”

Unpopular opinion alert: We actually prefer Prince’s version of this, performed with incredible backing singer Rosie Gaines. You can find it on his The Hits / The B-Sides compilation.

I FEEL FOR YOU — CHAKA KHAN

This track originally appeared on Prince’s 1979 self-titled album, and he didn’t even bother releasing it as a single. Five years on, soul survivor Chaka Khan picked the track up, dusted it off, gave it an oh-so-80s makeover and scored the biggest hit of her career.

The song revitalised Khan’s career, going to number one and selling more than a million copies. Prince, as songwriter, won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1985.

HOW COME U DON’T CALL ME ANYMORE — ALICIA KEYS

Think about this: Prince released this timeless, intimate ballad — the sort of hit-in-waiting any other artist would clamour for — as a B-SIDE. It remained a fan favourite until Alicia Keys recorded a faithful version for her 2001 debut album, releasing it as the album’s final single.

STAND BACK — STEVIE NICKS

It’s not known for sure exactly how much Prince contributed to this song, as his contribution went uncredited, but this much is clear: Nicks struck upon the track when humming along to the melody of Little Red Corvette on her car radio. She quickly recorded a demo of her Prince-inspired creation, and when time came to record the final track, he came into the studio to play synthesisers on it. Then, she says, “he just got up and left as if the whole thing happened in a dream.”

GLAMOROUS LIFE — SHEILA E

This 1984 hit has been oft-covered by everyone from Rihanna to our own Melissa Tkautz. But Prince wrote it for Sheila E, the singer and percussionist who served as a loyal member of his band for years. It served as her first hit as a solo artist, allowing her to step out from her mentor’s shadow and forge her own successful career.

SUGAR WALLS — SHEENA EASTON

Ah, back in the days when Prince still wrote FILTH. Sheena Easton was the perky Scottish singer famous for her hit 9 To 5 (‘My baby takes the morning train / he works from 9 to 5 and then’ — bless). Until she met Prince, that is. On this X-rated hit she invites the listener to ‘Come spend the night inside my sugar walls’ — and she’s not talking about a Gingerbread house, dear reader.

WHEN YOU WERE MINE - CYNDI LAUPER

Another brilliant Prince-penned song that he didn’t even bother to release as a single himself, leaving it as an album track on his 1980 release Dirty Mind. Cyndi Lauper saw what a gem it was, and released it as a single from her perfect 1983 debut, She’s So Unusual.

NASTY GIRL — VANITY 6

The ‘80s were a great time to be a Prince protege, as he wrote funky feminine hit after hit for the ladies he was working with. This saucy 1982 track was penned for his fledgling girl group Vanity 6. It’s been a tragic few months for Prince fans, as lead singer Vanity — nee Denise Matthew — passed away in February, also aged 57.