Prince | Purple Rain | Retro Album Review

Warner Records

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The 1984 classic Purple Rain was released by Prince before the release of the same name and accompanied the film as the soundtrack. The album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, thus making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Purple Rain begins with one of the most iconic musical monologues anyone has ever heard. With Prince’s voice stating, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life,” as if he were officiating a wedding. Soon the song picks up and becomes quite the tune to get down and groove to. It’s hard to not dance when “Let’s Go Crazy” is playing as it feels like it would be behind a silly dance montage between two people.

The album has many great love songs that are perfect for dedicating to that special someone. “I Would Die 4 U” is not only upbeat and exciting but it can also show someone how much they really mean. The lyrics tell a sweet story of how it feels to really want to give everything to another person with lines like “‘Cause you, I would die for you, yeah / Darling if you want me to / You, I would die for you.” Prince did a perfect job of capturing that feeling.

Finally, the guitar riffs at the opening of the actual song “Purple Rain” are slow and sweet making it perfect for the Valentine’s Day season. In fact, “Purple Rain” is easily one of the most recognizable love songs around.

Prince wasn’t called the Prince of Funk for nothing; Purple Rain perfectly shows exactly why he earned that nickname. Not only is the album perfect to dance to, but it’s home to many iconic love songs that are just as meaningful 35 years later.