Prince Purple Rain- 1984
RMR Album Rating- 9
Let’s start with the stats on this album:
—13x platinum (which mean’s it has sold over 13 million copies)
—Voted Rolling Stone’s 2nd best album of the 80’s (1st “London Calling” by the Clash)
—2 Grammy Awards
—An Oscar (Best score for the movie “Purple Rain”)
Those are just a few pieces of praise around this album; there are many more, and it deserves every one because every song is great. The mega hits were the opener “Let’s go Crazy,” the side two opener “When Doves Cry,” and the almost 9-minute album closer “Purple Rain,” which in my opinion is one of the greatest ballads every written, and it received radio play even at its running time of 8:41, which is unheard of for almost any song, especially an R&B/ Pop ballad
The other songs are fantastic as well, especially Prince’s duet with Apollonia on “Take Me With You,” and the penultimate track “Baby I’m a Star”. There’s also Tipper Gore’s favorite song from the album “Darling Nikki,” which was the catalyst for her “PMRC” campaign. The PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) was the committee that lashed out against rock music in the 80’s, and it resulted in the “Parent Advisory” sticker that still comes on albums to this day. The song does feature some edgy content, but there is no real derogatory language. I think the vibe and mood that Prince creates in the song is what makes it seem inappropriate to some people.
One final note on “Darling Nikki.” The plot of the song mirrors the plot of The Beatles’ hit “Norwegian Wood” exactly. Prince just creates a more vivid picture, but the stories are exactly the same, with one small exception. At the end of “Darling Nikki,” Prince leaves quietly with Nikki’s number like a true gentleman. On the other hand, once Lennon’s evening has come to an end on “Norwegian Wood,” he burns down the woman’s apartment. So, I wonder if Tipper has “Rubber Soul” in her collection, and if so, maybe we can look forward to her creating a campaign for parents against songs about arson.
“Purple Rain” is undoubtedly my favorite R&B/rock/pop/dance album; it is completely timeless, and even if you don’t own it, you should at least hear it.