CoronaVinyl Day 55 ('80s Soundtrack): Purple Rain by Prince & The Revolution

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When I added today's CoronaVinyl category -- '80s soundtrack -- to the list, I wasn't even thinking about Purple Rain because I honestly forget that it was a movie.  But alas, it is, so today you get to listen to Prince instead of the Big Chill soundtrack.  You're welcome, mothers.  This is another album cover that I have hanging in my office, but I hope you can appreciate the creepy inner sleeve.

Released in June 1984 -- about a month before the film hit theaters -- Purple Rain served both as Prince's sixth studio album, but also the soundtrack to the film and his first album with The Revolution as his backing band.  The iconic cover features Prince on a purple motorcycle, presumably named Rain.  I don't know, I've never seen the movie, but I assume it's like a Pee Wee's Big Adventure-type thing where some evil genius played by Morris Day steals Rain to harness what he believes are its mystical and healing powers, and Prince spends the movie trying to get it back, making love to Apollonia as a way to gain sight beyond sight.  But who's side is she really on?  

Purple Rain is widely considered one of the best albums of the '80s.  It spent about two and a half years on the Billboard album charts, including an astonishing 24 weeks in a row at #1, from August 1984 to January 1985.  It has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, including over 13 million in the U.S., making it a certified diamond album by the RIAA.  It's one of the top ten best-selling soundtracks ever.  It won multiple Grammys.  The film won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score.  Simply put, Purple Rain is a masterpiece, and everyone should own a copy, or at least listen to it on your favorite streaming service.

Of course, a great album is comprised of great songs.  Purple Rain had five Top 40 hits in the U.S., including Prince's first two #1 songs ("When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy"), the title track (#2), "I Would Die 4 U" (#8), and "Take Me With U" (#25).  And then there's "Darling Nikki," the song about female masturbation that prompted Tipper Gore to go ape shit and start the PMRC.  So, in many ways, you can thank this album for the fact that "Parental Advisory" stickers were eventually placed on certain albums, only serving to encourage teenagers and tweens to specifically seek out such albums.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Let's Go Crazy"
"Let's Go Crazy" is my favorite Prince song.  It's the first track off the album.  From the beginning eulogistic sermon to that wicked guitar solo at the end, it's fun, catchy, rocking song.  I love the subtle interplay in the second verse between Prince and the backup singer (not sure if that's Wendy Melvoin or Lisa Coleman).  It's little things like that that made Prince a master songwriter.  All in all, it's a fantastic song that always puts me in a good mood.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "I Would Die 4 U"
Side 2 of Purple Rain has four awesome songs -- the title track, "When Doves Cry," "Baby I'm a Star," and my personal favorite, "I Would Die 4 U."  It's kind of a frantically paced dance pop song sung from the point of view of a messianic figure to his or her followers.  The song was not only a Top 10 song upon its release in 1984, but then recharted on the Top 40 after Prince's death in 2016, reaching #39.