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''Purple Rain'' is the sixth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by the American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. It was released on June 25, 1984, by
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
as the
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
to the 1984 film of the same name. ''Purple Rain'' was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
effects,
drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
s, and other instruments. Much of the album had a grandiose, synthesized, and
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
sheen to the production and performances. The music on ''Purple Rain'' is generally regarded as the most
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
-oriented of Prince's career, though a number of elements point towards the more experimental records Prince would release after ''Purple Rain''. The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for the album's lead single "
When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...
" sparked controversy among network executives, who thought its sexual nature was too explicit for television. The risqué lyrics of "
Darling Nikki "Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed, and performed by American musician Prince, originally released on his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain'' (1984). Though the song was not released as a single, it gained wide notoriety aft ...
" raised complaints from
Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate. She was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 through her marriage to the 45th vice president, Al Gore in 1970, from who ...
and the
Parents Music Resource Center The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related, or sexual themes via labeling albums ...
and contributed to the implementation of Parental Advisory stickers and imprints on album covers. ''Purple Rain'' became Prince's first album to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album spent 24 consecutive weeks atop the ''Billboard'' 200 and was present on the chart for a total of 167 weeks. "When Doves Cry" and "
Let's Go Crazy "Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album '' Purple Rain''. It is the opening track on both the album and the film '' Purple Rain''. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple fo ...
" reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while " Purple Rain" peaked at number two and " I Would Die 4 U" peaked at number eight. In May 1996, the album was certified 13× Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). It is Prince's commercial peak, with total sales standing at 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Prince and the Revolution won
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
for
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011. The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...
and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, while Prince also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film ''Purple Rain''. Music critics noted the innovative and experimental aspects of the soundtrack's music, most famously on the spare, bass-less "When Doves Cry". Other aspects of the music, especially its synthesis of electronic elements with organic instrumentation and full-band performances along with its consolidation of rock and R&B, were identified by critics as distinguishing, even experimental factors. ''Purple Rain'' is regularly ranked among the greatest albums of all time. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked the album number 8 on its 2020 list of the "
500 Greatest Albums of All Time 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
". It was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
and added to the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
'
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...
list of sound recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


Background

While Prince's previous albums were primarily solo recordings by Prince, ''Purple Rain'' contained the credits "produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and the Revolution", though he had teased the name two years earlier on ''1999'', writing "and the Revolution" backwards on the album cover. The album was mostly written and recorded between May 1983 and March 1984, with " Baby I'm a Star" dating to 1981. The last three songs on the album (" I Would Die 4 U", "Baby I'm A Star" and the title track " Purple Rain") were recorded live at the 3August 1983 First Avenue show in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, although overdubs and edits took place on all three in September 1983; this marked Prince's first album to include live recordings. Regarding the meaning of "Purple Rain", both Mikel Toombs of ''
The San Diego Union ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'' and Bob Kostanczuk of the '' Post-Tribune'' have written that Prince took the title "Purple Rain" from lyrics in the
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
song "
Ventura Highway "Ventura Highway" is a 1972 song by the band America from their album ''Homecoming'', written by Dewey Bunnell. It achieved the number 8 spot in the United States' ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 43 in the UK Singles Chart. Background Dewey ...
". Asked to explain the phrase "purple rain" in "Ventura Highway", Gerry Beckley responded: "You got me." However, Prince explained the meaning of "Purple Rain" as follows: "When there's blood in the skyred and blue = purple... purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain." "Purple Rain" was originally written as a
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
song and intended to be a collaboration with
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...
. According to Nicks, she received a 10-minute instrumental version of the song from Prince with a request to write the lyrics, but felt overwhelmed. She said: "I listened to it and I just got scared. I called him back and said, 'I can't do it. I wish I could. It's too much for me.'" At a rehearsal, Prince then asked his backing band to try the song: "I want to try something before we go home. It's mellow." According to the Revolution member Lisa Coleman, Prince then changed the song after the Revolution's
Wendy Melvoin Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band the Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy ...
started playing guitar chords to accompany the song: "He was excited to hear it voiced differently. It took it out of that country feeling. Then we all started playing it a bit harder and taking it more seriously. We played it for six hours straight and by the end of that day we had it mostly written and arranged." "Take Me with U" was written for the
Apollonia 6 Apollonia 6 was an American female singing trio founded in 1983 by Prince, as a successor to his previous group Vanity 6 following the departure of lead singer Vanity. Singers Brenda Bennett and Susan Moonsie continued from the earlier group, wh ...
album ''Apollonia6'' (1984), but later enlisted for ''Purple Rain''. The inclusion of that song necessitated cuts to the
suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite' ...
-like "Computer Blue", the full version of which did not earn an official release, although a portion of the second section can be heard in the film of the same name, in a sequence where Prince walks in on the men of the Revolution rehearsing. The risqué lyrics of "
Darling Nikki "Darling Nikki" is a song produced, arranged, composed, and performed by American musician Prince, originally released on his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain'' (1984). Though the song was not released as a single, it gained wide notoriety aft ...
" contributed to the use of Parental Advisory stickers and imprints on album covers that were the record label's answer to complaints from
Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate. She was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 through her marriage to the 45th vice president, Al Gore in 1970, from who ...
and the
Parents Music Resource Center The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related, or sexual themes via labeling albums ...
(PMRC). Prince wrote and composed the album's lead single "
When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...
" after all the other tracks were complete on ''Purple Rain''. In addition to providing vocals, he played all instruments on the track. With there being no
bass line Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, dub and electronic, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played (in jazz and ...
, the song's production is noted for being unconventionally bare in comparison to
1980s pop : ''For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 1980 in music, 80 , 1981 in music, 81 , 1982 in music, 82 , 1983 in music, 83 , 1984 in music, 84 , 1985 in music, 85 , 1986 in music, 86 , 1987 in music, 87 , 1988 in music, 88 , 1989 in musi ...
hits. Prince said there originally was a bass line but, after a conversation with singer
Jill Jones Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s. She is best known for her various collaborative works with Prince in the 1980s and 1990s ...
, he decided the song was too conventional with it included.


Composition

Like Prince's previous albums, nearly all tracks on ''Purple Rain'' were written by him. ''Purple Rain'' was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
effects,
drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
s, and other instruments. As a soundtrack record, much of the music had a grandiose, synthesized, and evenby some evaluationsa
psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...
sheen to the production and performances. The music on ''Purple Rain'' is generally regarded as the most
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
-oriented of Prince's career, though a number of elements point towards the more experimental records Prince would release after ''Purple Rain''. Apollonia6 member Apollonia recalled that after watching the ''Purple Rain'' cinematographic takes, she told Prince, "You know you're going to get an
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
for this movienot for the acting, but for the music." The Revolution member
Doctor Fink Matthew Robert Fink (born February 8, 1958), better known as Dr. Fink, is a keyboardist, producer, and songwriter best-known for playing keyboards in Prince's band, The Revolution. At Prince concerts, he was distinguished onstage for performing ...
told ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' in 2009 the recording of the album was "a very creative time... There was a lot of influence and input from band members towards what rincewas doing. He was always open to anybody trying to contribute creatively to the process of writing... But Prince was the main lyricist and melody maker for all the songs... and never took any lyrical content from people." Melvoin told ''Mojo'' in 1997 the band members were "absolute musical equals in the sense that Prince respected us, and allowed us to contribute to the music without any interference... I think the secret to our working relationship was that we were very non-possessive about our ideas, as opposed to some other people that have worked with him." Revolution members Fink, Coleman, and Melvoin helped write the album's fourth track "
Computer Blue "Computer Blue" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. Released on June 25, 1984, it is the fourth track on Prince's sixth album, '' Purple Rain'', which also served as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. In the film, the song represen ...
". Doctor Fink, who wrote a keyboard bass line for the track, said he "started playing that main bass groove which later became 'Computer Blue'. So the band he Revolutionstarted grooving on it, and Prince started coming up with some stuff, then we recorded a rough version and he took it into the studio and just incorporated it all and made it fly that way. Wendy elvoinand Lisa olemandid some of the stuff on it. Prince borrowed the bridge/portal section from the then-unreleased Father's Song, by his father jazz musician John L. Nelson, who had given him some music over the years to play around with. So the song was a real mixture of different people and influences." The full band appears on six tracks: "
Let's Go Crazy "Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album '' Purple Rain''. It is the opening track on both the album and the film '' Purple Rain''. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple fo ...
", "Take Me With U", "Computer Blue", "I Would Die 4 U", "Baby I'm A Star" and "Purple Rain" while the remaining three tracks are essentially solo performances by Prince. Apollonia sings co-lead on "Take Me WithU". Three of the tracks include a string section arranged by Coleman and Prince which were conducted by Coleman and Melvoin: "Take Me WithU", "Baby I'm A Star", and "Purple Rain". The string players are violin and viola player
Novi Novog Ilene Novog, known professionally as Novi Novog, is an American viola player. She is sometimes simply credited as "Novi" and is a cousin of Lauren Wood (also known as "Chunky"). In 1973, Novi became one of three members of her cousin's band Chunky ...
and cellists David Coleman and Suzie Katayama.


Early configurations

Prince configured at least two unique track listings of ''Purple Rain'' prior to setting the final running order. November 7, 1983 and March 23, 1984, configurations are listed below. The early configuration included "Wednesday" (a song by Prince with Jill Jones) and "Father's Song". The latter was replaced by "When Doves Cry". Edits to "Let's Go Crazy" and "Computer Blue" were introduced in order to include "Take Me withU" in the final running configuration. The full length version of "Let's Go Crazy", as it can be seen in the movie, would later be released as "Special Dance Mix" on 12" maxi-single. November 7, 1983 configuration * Side one # "Let's Go Crazy" – 7:37 # "The Beautiful Ones" # "Computer Blue" – 7:23 # "Darling Nikki" # "Wednesday" * Side two # "Purple Rain" # "I Would Die 4 U" # "Baby I'm a Star" # "Father's Song" March 23, 1984 configuration * Side one # "Let's Go Crazy" – 7:37 # "The Beautiful Ones" – 5:15 # "Computer Blue" – 7:23 # "Darling Nikki" – 4:15 * Side two # "When Doves Cry" – 5:52 # "I Would Die 4 U" – 2:51 # "Baby I'm a Star" – 4:20 # "Purple Rain" – 8:45


Promotion


Artwork

The album cover was photographed at the Warner Bros Studio Backlot in California. The area known as Hennesy St, designed to look like a New York tenement area, was the location of the balcony where the album photo was taken.


Tour

The
Purple Rain Tour The Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince (musician), Prince and The Revolution (band), the Revolution following up on the success of his sixth studio album ''Purple Rain (album), Purple Rain'' and his 1984 film ...
began at the
Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena ...
in Detroit in November 1984. In addition to Prince and the Revolution, the Purple Rain Tour featured Apollonia6, and
Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957), known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the greatest musicians of her generation; she is known for skills as a multi-instrumental ...
and her band. The tour opened with the album's opener, "Let's Go Crazy". Three singles from ''
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
'' (1982) followed: "
Delirious Delirious may refer to: * A state of delirium Film and television * ''Delirious'' (1991 film), an American comedy directed by Tom Mankiewicz, starring John Candy * ''Delirious'' (2006 film), an American comedy-drama directed by Tom DiCillo, sta ...
", "
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
" and "
Little Red Corvette "Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful pr ...
". An instrumental interlude of "
Yankee Doodle "Yankee Doodle" is a traditional song and nursery rhyme, the early versions of which predate the Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today. It is the state song of the U.S. ...
" usually introduced another song from ''1999'', "
Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, the ability to act or change without constraint or restriction * Emancipate, attaining civil and political rights or equality * Free (''gratis''), free of charge * Gratis versus libre, the difference betw ...
". The B-side "God" was often played, followed by a usual sequence of "Computer Blue", "Darling Nikki", "
The Beautiful Ones "The Beautiful Ones" is the third track on Prince and the Revolution's soundtrack album '' Purple Rain''. It was one of three songs produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince, the other two being "When Doves Cry" and "Darling Nikki". ...
" and "When Doves Cry". As encores, the remaining ''Purple Rain'' songs closed the concert, "I Would Die 4 U", "Baby I'm a Star" and "Purple Rain". The tour spanned 98 shows, ending in April 1985, and sold 1.7 million tickets. Prince and the Revolution played the final date of the tour, to an audience of 55,000 in Miami's
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. Played annually since 1935 Orange Bowl, January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in ...
. Prince ended the show saying, "I have to go now. I don't know when I'll be back. I want you to know that God loves you. He loves us all." Two weeks after the end of the tour, ''
Around the World in a Day ''Around the World in a Day'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the third release on which his backing band the Revolution is billed. It was released on April 22, 1985, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. ...
'' (1985) was released, which officially brought an end to Prince's ''Purple Rain'' era. The tour was considered by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' as "groundbreaking in many ways" because it introduced Prince's most "elaborate" sets and featured occasional cameos from Bruce Springsteen and
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
, which confirmed Prince's place as "pop's most commanding star" during the ''Purple Rain'' era.


Singles

''Purple Rain'''s lead single "When Doves Cry" was Prince's first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single, staying there for five weeks, and was also a worldwide hit. It was ranked number one on the ''Billboard'' Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984. The
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
, directed by Prince himself, was premiered on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
in June 1984. The video sparked controversy among network executives, who thought its sexual nature was too explicit for television. The second single "Let's Go Crazy" became Prince's second number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Common to much of Prince's writing, the song is thought to be exhortation to follow
Christian ethics Christian ethics, also known as moral theology, is a multi-faceted ethical system. It is a Virtue ethics, virtue ethic, which focuses on building moral character, and a Deontological ethics, deontological ethic which emphasizes duty according ...
, with the "De-elevator" of the lyrics being a metaphor for the
Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
. A
power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...
and a combination of
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
, R&B,
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
, and
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
l music, "Purple Rain" reached number2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and stayed there for two weeks. "I Would Die 4 U", the fourth and final ''Billboard'' Hot 100 top 10 hit from ''Purple Rain'', reaching number eight on the chart. The album's final single, "Take Me withU", was released on January 25, 1985.


Critical reception

''Purple Rain'' was well received by contemporary critics.
Kurt Loder Kurt Loder (born May 5, 1945) is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at ''Rolling Stone'', during a tenure that ''Reason'' later called "legendary". He has contributed ...
, writing for ''Rolling Stone'' in 1984, compared Prince to
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
and praised him for merging "black and white styles": "The spirit of Jimi Hendrix must surely smile down on Prince Rogers Nelson. Like Hendrix, Prince seems to have tapped into some extraterrestrial musical dimension where black and white styles are merely different aspects of the same funky thing. Prince's rock & roll is as authentic and compelling as his soul and his extremism is endearing in a era of play-it-safe record production and formulaic hit mongering." At the end of 1984, ''Purple Rain'' was voted the second best album of the year in the
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''. However, the newspaper's chief critic and poll creator
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
was less impressed by the album, saying that while it is "quirky, dangerous, ndunabashedly pop", it is also plagued by "despair" and, "for Prince ... ingratiatingly unsolipsistic", although he would later call it "seriously gorgeous". Prince and the Revolution won a 1984
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for ''Purple Rain'', for
Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011. The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...
, the four composers (Nelson, Coleman, Prince, and Melvoin) won Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, and the album was nominated for Album of the Year. Prince won a third Grammy that year for
Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Ba ...
for
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
's cover of "
I Feel for You "I Feel for You" is a song written by American musician Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. The most successful and best-known version was recorded by R&B singer Chaka Khan and appeared on her 1984 album of the same ...
". ''Purple Rain'' also won an
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
for Best Original Song Score in 1985. ''Purple Rain'' posthumously won Top Soundtrack at the
American Music Award The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
s in 2016. Retrospective appraisals have also been positive. Music critics noted the innovative and experimental aspects of the soundtrack's music, most famously on the spare, bass-less "When Doves Cry". Other aspects of the music, especially its synthesis of electronic elements with organic instrumentation and full-band performances (some, as noted above, recorded live) along with its landmark consolidation of rock and R&B, were identified by critics as distinguishing, even experimental factors. Stephen Erlewine of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote that ''Purple Rain'' finds Prince "consolidating his funk and R&B roots while moving boldly into pop, rock, and heavy metal", as well as "push ngheavily into
psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...
" under the influence of the Revolution. Erlewine identifies the record's nine songs as "uncompromising ... forays into pop" and "stylistic experiments", echoing general sentiment that ''Purple Rain''s music represented Prince at his most popular without forsaking his experimental bent. In a retrospective review, Kenneth Partridge, writing for ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', described the album's opening track, "Let's Go Crazy", as "arguably the best intro in pop history".


Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Purple Rain'' debuted at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' 200 the week of July 14, 1984. After four weeks on chart, it reached number one on August 4, 1984. The album spent 24 consecutive weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 from August 4, 1984, to January 18, 1985, and more than 32 weeks in the top 10, becoming one of the most successful soundtracks ever. Prince also joined
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
and
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
in being the only artists to have the number-one album, single and film in the US all at the same time. It traded the number-one position on the chart with
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
's ''
Born in the U.S.A. ''Born in the U.S.A.'' is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984, by Columbia Records. Produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt, and Chuck Plotkin, the album was reco ...
'' twice, during 1984 and 1985. ''Purple Rain'' was present on the ''Billboard'' 200 for one hundred twenty two weeks. After the advent of the
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
era in 1991, the album sold a further three million copies. By 1996, the album had sold 13 million copies in the United States, making it certified 13× Platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). In the United Kingdom, ''Purple Rain'' entered the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
at number 21 on July 21, 1984, after thirty five weeks on the chart it reached and peaked at number seven during the week of March 16, 1985 and stayed there for a week, it fell off to number twelve the next week. The album remained on the chart for 86 weeks. It was certified 2× Platinum by the BPI on May 1, 1990, denoting shipments of 600,000 units. By 1988, ''Purple Rain'' had sold 17 million copies worldwide making it one of the most successful albums of the 1980s. Its sales as of 2008 stood at over 25million copies worldwide. The album is also multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.


Legacy and influence

''Purple Rain'' further established Prince as a figurehead for
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
of the 1980s and is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2010, ''Purple Rain'' was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
. In 2012, the album was added to the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
's
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...
list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important". In 2019, the film was selected by the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Writing for ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'',
Carvell Wallace Carvell Wallace (born October 20, 1974, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author, writer, and podcaster. He is a regular contributor to ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork'', MTV News, the ''Huffington Post'', and ''Slat ...
appraised the album's impact and Prince's musicianship, "With ''Purple Rain'', Prince bursts forth from the ghetto created by mainstream radio and launches himself directly onto the Mt. Rushmore of American music. He plays rock better than rock musicians, composes better than jazz guys, and performs better than everyone, all without ever abandoning his roots as a funk man, a party leader, a true MC... for the 24 weeks ''Purple Rain'' spent atop the charts in 1984, the black kid from the midwest had managed to become the most accurate expression we had of young America's overabundance of angst, love, horniness, recklessness, idealism, and hope." Partridge of ''Billboard'' emphasized Prince's popularity during the ''Purple Rain'' era, writing, Described as a "masterpiece" by the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s, Ana Yglesias wrote, "Even after his heartbreaking passing, Prince will live on forever in our hearts, through his music, and even on the charts. ''Purple Rain'' was inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011, celebrating it as a 'recording of lasting qualitative or historical significance'.... It is safe to say there will never be another star quite like Prince." For ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', Ben Greenmane wrote, "''Purple Rain'' may or may not be Prince's best record, but it came at the best time, propelling him from ordinary stardom (his previous album ''
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
'' put three singles into the ''Billboard'' top 20) to supernova status. It created his iconic look (ruffled shirt, purple jacket, motorcycle), formally introduced his most famous backing band (the Revolution), and included the lion's share of the songs most likely to appear in a capsule bio ('When Doves Cry', 'Let's Go Crazy', and the title track)." In ''Rolling Stone'''s list of The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, ''Purple Rain'' was described as "an epic celebration of everything rock & roll, which means sex and religion and eyeliner and motorcycles and guitars and Lake Minnetonka". Chris Gerard wrote for ''PopMatters'' that "''Purple Rain'' is one of the cornerstone albums not just of the 80s, but in all of pop/rock history... at the core of rince'slegacy ''Purple Rain'' will always stand as his signature triumph, a monument to his boundless talent and ambition." Gerard also praised "When Doves Cry" for being the "gateway" to the "''Purple Rain'' universe: an album, a major motion picture, and a tour that dominated the pop culture landscape of 1984". Andrew Unterberger of ''Billboard'' gave the album high appraisal, regarding it as one of the greatest albums in
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
: "''Purple Rain'' is certainly in contention for the most perfect album in rock or pop history, expertly flowing from track to track while delighting, surprising and astounding at each bend. Personal and universal, familiar and challenging, romantic and narcissistic, religious and orgasmic, accessible to all and profoundly weird, ''Purple Rain'' rightly remains the cornerstone of Prince's recorded legacy, almost too obvious in its brilliance to even be worth discussing at length."
Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...
, lead singer of the rock band
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...
, observed that "There's every emotion n ''Purple Rain''from the ballad to the rocker" and "All the influences were evident, from
Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
to
Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...
."
Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...
praised Prince for making a "very important step" in advancing the concept from creating music videos for songs to making a motion picture for an album.


Accolades

''Purple Rain'' is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time by numerous publications. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked ''Purple Rain'' number two on its list of the 100 Best Albums of the 1980s and number eight on its list of the
500 Greatest Albums of All Time 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
. In their list of The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, ''Purple Rain'' was ranked second, behind
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' ''
Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the sin ...
''. ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' included it in its list of the All-Time 100 Albums. The album was ranked 18th on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
's ''Greatest Rock and Roll Albums of All Time'' countdown. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' ranked ''Purple Rain'' at number 15 on its list of the 100 Best Albums of All Time. In 2007, the editors of '' Vanity Fair'' labeled it the best soundtrack of all time, and ''
Tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
'' magazine named it the greatest album of the 1980s. In 2008, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked ''Purple Rain'' at number one on their New Classics list, the top 50 best albums of the previous 25 years. The album was also included in the 2008 edition of ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music criti ...
''. In 2012, ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' ranked the album at number two on its list of Best Albums of the 1980s. In 2012, ''Entertainment Weekly'' also ranked the album at number two on their list of the 100 Greatest Albums Ever. In 2018, ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' regarded it as the best album of the 1980s, ranking it at number one on its list of the 200 Best Albums of the 1980s. In 2002, the album had placed at No. 12 on Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the decade list.) In ''Billboard'''s list of All 92 Diamond-Certified Albums Ranked From Worst to Best: Critic's Take, ''Purple Rain'' was ranked first. ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
'', in its ranking of the greatest albums of all time, placed ''Purple Rain'' at number one. The 2024
Apple Music 100 Best Albums The Apple Music 100 Best Albums is a list of the best albums in history created by the streaming service Apple Music based upon an opinion survey and curated music ranking. Its team crafted the list alongside a group of artists that included Ph ...
poll ranked ''Purple Rain'' as number four. In its ranking of the 101 Greatest Film Soundtracks of All Time,
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
ranked Purple Rain as the number one album.


Reissues

The album was re-issued on June 23, 2017. It is the first Prince album to be remastered and reissued, and was released in a variety of formats, including a 20-track ''Deluxe'' edition with unreleased bonus tracks and a 35-track ''Deluxe Expanded'' edition with additional B-sides, rarities and a live DVD of the Purple Rain Tour from 1985. The album debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 at with 52,000
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s earned in its first week. It debuted at number three on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart, its highest peak in 32 years having previously spent 19 weeks atop the chart in 1984. The album debuted at number one on the
Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart and the
Vinyl Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
chart. On June 21, 2024, a
Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels as well as free-moving sound objects, interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horiz ...
version of the original album was released to
Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...
and other streaming services. The new mix of the album was created from the original multi-track master tapes by Chris James. On April 25, 2025, this mix would be released on an audiophile Blu-ray, which also included the original 1984 stereo mix in high-definition 24bit / 96kHz audio.


Track listing


Original album


Deluxe and expanded editions

The 2017 ''Deluxe'' edition consists of two discs, the first being a remaster of the original album made in 2015 overseen by Prince himself and a bonus disc of previously unreleased songs called "From the Vault & Previously Unreleased". The ''Deluxe Expanded'' edition consists of two more discs, a disc with all the single edits, maxi-single edits and B-sides from the ''Purple Rain'' era and a DVD with a concert from the
Purple Rain Tour The Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by American recording artist Prince (musician), Prince and The Revolution (band), the Revolution following up on the success of his sixth studio album ''Purple Rain (album), Purple Rain'' and his 1984 film ...
filmed in
Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
on March 30, 1985, previously released on
home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...
in 1985.


Personnel

Adapted from Michael Aubrecht, Benoît Clerc, Joe Regen, Duane Tudahl, and the album's liner notes.


Musicians


Prince and the Revolution

*
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
– lead vocals , spoken vocals , backing vocals ,
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
,
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
,
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
, Yamaha CP-80 ,
synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
,
Oberheim OB-SX The Oberheim OB-SX was a preset-based polyphonic analog synthesizer by Oberheim, designed to be a smaller and more live performance friendly version of their OB-X. Specification The OB-SX featured the same VCO/ VCF/ VCAs as the OB-X and the ...
,
Yamaha DX7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 1980s, th ...
,
programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...
,
Linn LM-1 The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics and released in 1980. It was the first drum machine to use samples of acoustic drums, and one of the first programmable drum machines. Its designer, the American en ...
,
LinnDrum The LinnDrum, often erroneously referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Development The LinnDrum was designed by the American engineer Roger Linn. It was ...
,
Simmons SDS-V The Simmons SDS 5, SDSV, or Simmons Drum Synthesizer (notated as ''SDS-V'' on the following) was the first viable electronic replacement for acoustic drums. It was developed by Richard James Burgess and Dave Simmons, manufactured initially by M ...
,
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
,
electronic drums Electronic drums are a modern electronic musical instrument, primarily designed to serve as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit. Electronic drums consist of an electronic sound module which produces the synthesized or sampled percussion sound ...
, tamborine ,
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
, claps *
Brownmark Mark Brown (born March 8, 1962), better known by the stage name Brown Mark, also styled Brownmark and BrownMark, is an American musician, bassist and record producer. Life and career Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Brown's early ...
– backing vocals , bass * Lisa Coleman – co-lead vocals , spoken vocals , backing vocals , synthesizers , claps *
Doctor Fink Matthew Robert Fink (born February 8, 1958), better known as Dr. Fink, is a keyboardist, producer, and songwriter best-known for playing keyboards in Prince's band, The Revolution. At Prince concerts, he was distinguished onstage for performing ...
– backing vocals , Yamaha CP-70 , synthesizers ,
Memorymoog The Memorymoog is a polyphonic electronic music synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music from 1982 to 1985, the last polyphonic synthesizer to be released by Moog Music before the company declared bankruptcy in 1987. While comparable to other polyph ...
, Linn LM-1 *
Wendy Melvoin Wendy Ann Melvoin (born January 26, 1964) is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band the Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy ...
– spoken vocals , backing vocals , electric guitar *
Bobby Z. Robert B. Rivkin (born January 9, 1956), aka Bobby Z., is an American musician and record producer, best known as being the drummer for Prince's backing band The Revolution from 1978 to 1986. Life and career Early life Rivkin began his mus ...
– backing vocals , Linn LM-1 , Simmons SDS-V , drums , percussion


Additional musicians

* Apollonia – co-lead and backing vocals *
Jill Jones Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s. She is best known for her various collaborative works with Prince in the 1980s and 1990s ...
– co-lead vocals , backing vocals * David Coleman –
cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...
,
finger cymbals Zills, zils, or sagat, also known as finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dance, belly dancing and similar performances. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pairs can be set in a frame to make ...
*
Novi Novog Ilene Novog, known professionally as Novi Novog, is an American viola player. She is sometimes simply credited as "Novi" and is a cousin of Lauren Wood (also known as "Chunky"). In 1973, Novi became one of three members of her cousin's band Chunky ...
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
,
electric violin An electric violin is a violin equipped with an electronic output of its sound. The term most properly refers to an instrument intentionally made to be electrified with built-in pickups, usually with a solid body. It can also refer to a violin fi ...
* Suzie Katayama – cello


Production

* Prince – producer,
strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...
* David Leonard
recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
*
Susan Rogers Susan Rogers (born August 3, 1956) is an American professor, sound engineer, and record producer best known for being Prince's staff engineer during his commercial peak (1983-1987), including on albums like '' Purple Rain'', '' Around the World in ...
– recording engineer * Peggy McCreary – recording engineer * Don Batts – recording engineer * David Hewitt, Kooster McAllister, David Rivkin – recording engineers * Lisa Coleman – strings arrangement *
Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...
– mastering


Technical

* Prince – clothing (credited for "rags"), art direction * Laura LiPuma – design * Ed Thrasher and Associates – front cover photograph * Ron Slenzak – front cover photograph * Larry Williams – additional photography * Doug Henders – painting * Earl Jones – hair * Jayson Jeffreys – makeup * Louis & Vaughn – clothing (credited for "rags") * Marie France – clothing (credited for "rags")


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


See also

*
List of 1980s albums considered the best This is a list of 1980s music albums that music journalists, magazines, and music review websites have named among the best of the 1980s, listed by the years of their release. Each album is included in at least four "best/greatest of the 1980s/ ...
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 1984 * List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 1985 *
List of best-selling albums This is a list of the world's best-selling albums of Comparison of recording media, recorded music in physical mediums, such as vinyl, audio cassettes or compact discs. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable so ...
*
List of best-selling albums in the United States The following is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States based on RIAA certification and Nielsen SoundScan sales tracking. The criteria are that the album must have been published (including self-publishing by the artist), and the ...
*
List of fastest-selling albums This is a list of the world's fastest-selling albums of recorded music. To appear on the list, the figure must have been published by a reliable source and all sales must have occurred in the first week of release. This list may include any type ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1984 soundtrack albums 1984 albums Prince (musician) soundtracks Prince (musician) albums Albums produced by Prince (musician) Warner Records albums Warner Records soundtracks Drama film soundtracks Musical film soundtracks Dance-rock soundtracks Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients United States National Recording Registry recordings Albums recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders Single-artist film soundtracks United States National Recording Registry albums Scores that won the Best Original Score Academy Award Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal