Purple Rain Album: 1984

Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution is one of the most iconic albums in music history, released on June 25, 1984 (US) by Warner Bros. Records. It served as the soundtrack to the film Purple Rain (directed by Albert Magnoli, starring Prince as "The Kid"), which premiered in theaters on July 27, 1984.

Key Release Dates

US: June 25, 1984

UK: July 13, 1984 (entered UK Albums Chart at No. 21 on July 21, 1984; peaked at No. 7 in March 1985)

Album Length & Tracklist

(Original 1984 Release)

Total running time: 43:54

Side A

Let's Go Crazy – 4:39

Take Me with U (featuring Apollonia) – 3:54

The Beautiful Ones – 5:13

Computer Blue – 3:59

Darling Nikki – 4:14

Side B

When Doves Cry – 5:54

I Would Die 4 U – 2:51

Baby I'm a Star – 4:24

Purple Rain – 8:41

Recording History

Recorded between May 1983 and March 1984 at various locations:

Kiowa Trail Home Studio (Chanhassen, MN – Prince's home)

Sunset Sound (Hollywood, CA)

Record Plant (remote truck at First Avenue, Minneapolis)

Live recordings from Prince's shows at First Avenue (August 3, 1983)

Production

Produced by Prince & The Revolution, with Prince playing most instruments himself. The album was recorded quickly during a prolific period when Prince was also working on side projects and the film.

Chart Performance

Selected Highlights

US Billboard 200: No. 1 for 24 consecutive weeks (August 4, 1984 – January 18, 1985); 167 weeks total on chart

US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: No. 1 for 19 weeks

UK Albums Chart: Peaked at No. 7 (March 1985); 86 weeks total

Other countries: No. 1 in Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden; Top 10 in many European countries

Certifications & Sales

RIAA (US): Certified 13× Platinum (13 million units) by May 1996; remains one of the best-selling albums ever

BPI (UK): 2× Platinum (600,000 units)

Worldwide sales: Over 25 million copies (one of the highest-selling soundtracks of all time)

Awards & Accolades

Grammy Awards (1985):

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Purple Rain")

Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special

Academy Award (1985): Best Original Song Score (Prince)

American Music Awards (1985): Favorite Album (Pop/Rock) and Favorite Album (Soul/R&B)

BRIT Awards (1985): Best Film Soundtrack

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Inducted (as part of Prince's catalog)

Grammy Hall of Fame (2011)

Singles & Chart Success

When Doves Cry (May 16, 1984) – No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 (bass-less production was groundbreaking)

Let's Go Crazy (July 18, 1984) – No. 1 Billboard Hot 100

Purple Rain (September 26, 1984) – No. 2 Billboard Hot 100

I Would Die 4 U (November 28, 1984) – No. 8 Billboard Hot 100

Take Me with U (January 25, 1985) – No. 25 Billboard Hot 100