The album contains most of his commercially successful singles from 1979 to 1991 including the US number 1s "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy", "Kiss" and "Cream".

The Very Best of Prince does not include the US number 1 hit "Batdance" most likely due to the licensing of the character Batman.

Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine believed that the Batman album was unofficially being written out of Prince's discography.

On the chart dated August 18, 2001, The Very Best of Prince debuted at number 66 on the US Billboard 200.

[5] As of September 21, 2004, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 1 million copies in the United States.