Purple Rain Review — beachboymusicreviews

Purple Rain is the sixth album from the late, multitalented musician, Prince. It was released on June 25th, 1984, making it 40 years old as of this review. While I haven’t seen the movie, I grew up with Prince’s music, as my mom has always been a massive fan of his. I can remember rocking out in my mom’s Saturn as a kid on my way to school with songs like “Let’s Go Crazy,” “1999,” and “Raspberry Beret.” This made his death all the more tragic, because he was such a talented and respected man. His support for the families of Trayvon Martin, and quiet, but impactful contributions to environmental and civil rights organizations, greatly raised the already high amount of respect I had for him. On the musical side of things, he played multiple instruments, like the guitar, bass, and piano, and was the lead singer in all of his music. He handled most of the production as well. But back to the point, Purple Rain is not just an album, but a soundtrack to the film of the same name. How does it hold up 40 years later?

We open up the album with the second single on the album, “Let’s Go Crazy,” which is one of my favorite Prince songs. That introduction is so iconic, as it feels like a sermon or eulogy of some sorts. The guitar riffs and synthesizers on this track are magical, and Prince sounds like he’s having the time of his life with his energetic vocals. It has a fantastic message, as it’s encouraging the listeners to enjoy every moment of their lives like its their last day on Earth. “You better live life before the grim reaper come knocking on your door.” Prince’s guitar solo on this track is also one of my favorites. After Prince died in 2016, this was one of the songs of his that I listened to on repeat. I also like Prince’s explanation of the song, he said, “‘Let’s Go Crazy’ was about God and Satan. I had to change those words up. The de-elevator was Satan in that song. And “Let’s Go Crazy” was God to me. Stay happy, stay focused, and you can beat the de-elevator.”

“Take Me with U,” has a calmer sound to it, with a string orchestra, and acoustic guitar instrumentation. It’s a total love song, and was the last single off of the album. “I don’t care where we go. I don’t care what we do. I don’t care, pretty baby, just take me with you.” It reminds me a bit of “Raspberry Beret,” production wise. “The Beautiful Ones,” is a ballad where Prince sings about unrequited love and competing for the woman that is interested in another man. The drum orchestration sounds futuristic and spacey, and Prince’s vocal range is impressive on this track. The piano passages are another strength of the song. “Computer Blue,” has funky synths and guitars with a slight industrial sound in the mix. The lyrical content of the song is short, but production wise, it’s an otherworldly experience that’s incredibly groovy as a result. “Darling Nikki,” is a raunchy sex song, that’s notable for Al Gore’s wife getting into a hissy fit about it, as she caught her daughter listening to it. By today’s standards, sure it’s sexual, but there’s way more sexually-charged music out there today. I love Prince’s energetic vocal presence on this track, as well as the guitar riffs.

“When Doves Cry,” is another single off the album, and a song I remember distinctively listening to with my mom in the car. The synthesizers and drums are minimalist, in comparison to other tracks, but they’re distinctive and catchy. The chorus is memorable as well, “Maybe you’re just like my mother. She’s never satisfied. Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like, when doves cry.” I like that his lyrics are self-aware, as he sees the conflicts within himself and how that carries over to his relationships. It has a melancholy tone to it, as a result, even though instrumentally it sounds very upbeat. This seems like it was intentional to me. Fun fact, Prince made this song specifically for the soundtrack, as the film’s director, Albert Magnoli, requested him to write a song to fit within a specific scene in the movie.

“I Would Die 4 U,” has lyrics that make Prince’s character in the film out to be a sort of deity, as he sings, “I’m not a woman, I’m not a man. I am something that you’ll never understand.” My mom taught me the hand signals from the chorus when I was a kid, and every time I hear this track it’s the first thing that I remember. It also makes me think of Jesus Christ, as in the Bible, he died for our sins, and had an otherworldly presence to him. Given that Prince has always incorporated elements of religion and spirituality into his music, it seems very possible. “Baby I’m A Star,” has an irresistible beat that always makes me dance when I hear it. I also like Prince’s humorous lyrics in this song, “Hey I ain’t got no money. But honey, I’m rich on personality!” I think his songwriting goes really under appreciated, partly because he’s such a celebrated singer, guitarist, and performer.

Finally, we close off the album with the title track, “Purple Rain,” an 8 minute ballad with dramatic instrumentation, and emotional lyrics and vocals from Prince. Fun fact, he played this during his halftime show at the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami, and while he performed it, it was pouring rain. That halftime show is probably my favorite, and it’s the first one I ever watched. I remember as a kid sitting on the bed with my parents, amazed that Prince continued performing despite it drenching the whole stadium and stage. He was completely unfazed. More sadly, it was the last song he ever performed live. I like Prince’s explanation of the song’s meaning as he said that the idea of purple rain, “pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through.” This song feels like a goodbye from someone about to enter the afterlife.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Purple Rain is one of the greatest albums of the 1980s, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. Prince’s impressive vocal range, diverse range in production, and his amazing guitar technicality paint a truly beautiful picture of the desire for pure love. The raunchiness, excellent writing, and well composed instrumentation, illustrate a self-aware man who is a walking contradiction at the same time. He’s religious, but highly sexual. He knows the world is ending, and accepts it, but also doesn’t want life to end. This album is magical, his backing band, The Revolution did a phenomenal job, as did Prince, and there’s a reason why this record is considered to be a genre-defying record that raised the standards for pop music. I didn’t review the deluxe edition, but I highly recommend the tracks, “Erotic City,” and “Electric Intercourse.”