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 |
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| Recording Sessions | | Date | Studio | Additional info |
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| Summer 1983 | The Warehouse,
St. Louis Park, MN, USA | writing/rehearsal recording | | 3 August 1983 | First Avenue,
Minneapolis, MN, USA | Live recording | | August 1983 (estimate) | Kiowa Trail Home Studio,
Chanhassen, MN, USA | Rehearsal recording | | 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 | Basic 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 - all vocals and instruments, except where noted
- Bobby Z. - drums and percussion
- Brown Mark - bass and vocals
- Wendy Melvoin - guitars and vocals
- Lisa Coleman - keyboards and vocals
- Matt Fink - keyboards and vocals
- David Coleman - cello
- Novi Novog - violin and viola
- Suzie Katayama - cello
- David Z. - engineer (First Avenue)
- David Leonard - engineer (First Avenue)
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| | Versions |
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| Released Versions | | Title | Length | Released | Version | Additional info |
|---|
| Purple Rain | 8:41 | Purple Rain Album
Purple Rain Single
The Hits 2
The Hits / The B-Sides
The Very Best Of Prince
Ultimate
4Ever
| Live with overdubs | 3 August 1983, First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, USA | | Purple Rain | 8:41 | Purple Rain (Expanded) Deluxe Edition
| Remastered 2015 | | Purple Rain (Edit) | 4:02 | Purple Rain Single
The Crown Jewels promo
Strange Tales From The Rain promotional album
The Story So Far... promotional album
Purple Rain Deluxe Expanded Edition - Single Edits & B-Sides
| Edit | a.k.a. 7' Single Edit | | 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 | 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
| 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 |
| | Broadcasts/streaming (only) | | Title | Length | Released | Version | Additional info |
|---|
| Purple Rain | T.B.C. | Live concert radio 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 | T.B.C. | Live performance TV broadcast
| Live | 4 September 1991 (mat.), Paramount Studios, Hollywood, CA, USA | | 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 |
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