Purple Rain

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Purple Rain

Purplerain.jpg
from the album Purple Rain
Purplerain single.jpg
single art for Purple Rain
Song details
Performer: Prince and the Revolution
First Released: 25 June 1984 - Purple Rain album
Album(s): Purple Rain

The Hits 2
The Hits / The B-Sides
The Very Best Of Prince
Ultimate
4Ever
Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition
Piano & A Microphone 1983
Prince And The Revolution: Live
Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition

Writer(s): Prince (credited to Prince and the Revolution)
Producer(s): Prince (credited to Prince and the Revolution)
Live Appearances
First and last live appearance:
Performed regularly on tour:
Performed occasionally in shows:

Purple Rain is the ninth and final track on Prince’s sixth album Purple Rain, the first album to be credited to Prince and the Revolution. Three months after the album’s release, Purple Rain was released as the album’s third single, available worldwide. The track is also featured in the movie Purple Rain.

In 1993, the track was included as the 18th and final track on the compilation album The Hits 2 (also included as the second disc of The Hits / The B-Sides).

In 2001, the track was included as the sixth track on the compilation album The Very Best Of Prince.

In 2006, the track was included as the eighth track on the first disc of the compilation album Ultimate.

A brief solo piano rehearsal of the track was released on the 2018 posthumous album Piano & A Microphone 1983.

Although it is unclear when a first incarnation of the song was ready, it was first rehearsed and worked on with the band in the summer of 1983 at the The Warehouse in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Prince and the Revolution then recorded the song live on 3 August 1983 at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota (at the same concert where I Would Die 4 U and Baby I’m A Star, among others were also recorded).

This live version was worked on further between mid-August and into September 1983, at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California, where the track was edited to omit a verse and a solo, and a new string section was overdubbed over the finale of the track.

It was included as the sixth track on the 7 November 1983 configuration of Purple Rain, before becoming the eighth and final track on the 23 March 1984 configuration. It became the ninth and final track on the final 14 April 1984 configuration after some tracklist changes to the album.


Recording Information
Recording Sessions
Date Studio Additional info
Summer 1983 The Warehouse,
St. Louis Park, MN, USA
writing/rehearsal recording
3 August 1983 First Avenue,
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Live recording
Late Summer - Autumn 1983 Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Rehearsal recording - (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
15 August 1983; 18 August 1983; 13 September 1983 - 15 September 1983 Sunset Sound Studio 3 ,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Editing and string overdubs, mix
27 November 1983 Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA
Tracking 'Lisa and Wendy’s Movie Mix'
7 February 1984 Sunset Sound Studio 2,
Hollywood, CA, USA
Overdubs on 'Lisa and Wendy’s Movie Mix'
Recording Personnel

Prince and the Revolution version



Piano & A Microphone 1983 version


Versions
Released Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Purple Rain 8:41 Purple Rain Album

Purple Rain Single
Prince Sampler promotional album
Sounds O’ The Times promotional album
Eye88.png Love Prince promotional album
Nothing Compares 2 Him promotional album
The Hits 2
The Hits / The B-Sides
My Name Was Prince promotional album
The Very Best Of Prince
Ultimate
4Ever

Live with overdubs 3 August 1983, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Purple Rain 8:41 Purple Rain Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Expanded Edition
Remastered 2015
Purple Rain (Edit) 4:02 Purple Rain Single

Strange Tales From The Rain promotional album
The Story So Far... promotional album
The Crown Jewels promotional album

Edit a.k.a. 7" Single Edit
Purple Rain (7" Single Edit) 4:08 Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition - Single Edits & B-Sides
Edit Remastered
Purple Rain (Long Version) 7:05 Purple Rain Single
Edit
Purple Rain (Radio Edit) 4:19 Purple Rain promo
Edit
Purple Rain (7" Edit) 4:30 Purple Rain promo
Edit
Purple Rain (Long Radio Edit) 5:37 Purple Rain promo
Edit
Purple Rain 'Lisa and Wendy’s Movie Mix' Purple Rain movie
Purple Rain 1:26 Piano & A Microphone 1983 'Rehearsal' a.k.a. Purple Rain (Piano & A Microphone 1983 Version)
Purple Rain 19:26 Prince And The Revolution: Live Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA
Purple Rain 19:25 Prince And The Revolution: Live (2022 re-release) Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA. Remastered
Purple Rain 5:40 Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition Live 20 June 1987: Stadion de Galgenwaard, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Video Versions
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Purple Rain 7:05 Purple Rain 20th Anniversary DVD Promo video See Purple Rain video for more details
Purple Rain 18:24 Prince And The Revolution: Live VHS/laserdisc

Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition – Live at the Carrier Dome (DVD)
Prince And The Revolution: Live (2022 re-release)

Live 30 March 1985, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, USA
Purple Rain 4:08 Lovesexy Live 1 VHS
Live 9 September 1988, Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, West Germany
Purple Rain 10:37 Rave Un2 the Year 2000 VHS/DVD
Live 18 December 1999, Paisley Park, Chanhassen, MN, USA
BRIT Awards 12:20 NPG Music Club WMA download
Live 15 February 2006 2006 BRIT Awards, Earls Court, London, England; part of medley containing Te Amo Corazón / Fury / Purple Rain / Let’s Go Crazy
Purple Rain T.B.C. Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Edition DVD Live 31 December 1987: Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA
Purple Rain ?:?? Welcome 2 America Deluxe edition Live 28 April 2011, The Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
Broadcasts/streaming (only)
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Purple Rain T.B.C. Live performance TV broadcast
Live 28 January 1985, American Music Awards, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Purple Rain T.B.C. Live concert radio broadcast
Live 22 July 1990, Estadio Vicente Calderón, Madrid, Spain
Purple Rain T.B.C. Delayed concert TV broadcast Live 29 July 1990, Estadio Santa María del Mar, La Coruña, Spain
Purple Rain T.B.C. Delayed concert TV broadcast
Live 31 August 1990, Tokyo Dome (東京ドーム), Tokyo, Japan
Purple Rain ?:?? Delayed concert TV broadcast Live 19 January 1991 (a.m.), Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Purple Rain T.B.C. Live performance TV broadcast
Live 4 September 1991, Arsenio Hall Show, Paramount Studios, Hollywood, CA, USA (first aired on 9 September 1991)
Purple Rain 9:04 Delayed live recording radio broadcast
Live 02 August 1993, Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England
Purple Rain T.B.C. Live performance TV broadcast
Live 12 November 1996, Emancipation Freedom Concert, Paisley Park, Chanhassen, MN, USA
Purple Rain (Live From Las Vegas 1999) 7:00 Love4oneanother.com RealAudio stream
Live 2 January 1999, Studio 54 @ MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Purple Rain T.B.C. Live awards performance TV broadcast
Live 8 February 2004, 46th annual Grammy Awards Ceremony, Staples Center, Los Angeles, California; with Beyonce
The Superbowl 11:52 Lotusflow3r.com video stream
Live medley 4 February 2007, Dolphins Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL, USA; medley of We Will Rock You / Let’s Go Crazy / 1999 intro / Baby I’m A Star / Proud Mary / All Along The Watchtower / Best Of You / Purple Rain
Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
Title Length Released Version Additional info
Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got 4 :24 Graffiti Bridge album

Can’t Stop This Feeling I Got single

Studio Instrumental interpolation heard during a break
Purple Medley 11:03 Purple Medley single
Studio medley See Purple Medley for more details
Purple Medley (Edit) 3:14 Purple Medley single
Edit See Purple Medley for more details
Unreleased Versions
Title Version Additional Info
Purple Rain Live recording before overdubs 3 August 1983, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Purple Rain Live with overdubs 3 August 1983, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA; contains extra verse and string overdubs
 
Additional Information

See also Trivia


References
Purple Music   < < < All Songs Unreleased Songs > > >   Push