Many fans thought Prince -- to borrow the title of the 1992 song recorded with the New Power Generation -- was one "Sexy M.F." so the thought of sleeping in his bed would undoubtedly appeal to some of his devoted followers.
That's what the Prince Estate, Paisley Park and Airbnb may have had in mind when they decided to offer up the "Purple Rain house" in Airbnb's Icons program as part of the 40th anniversary of the landmark film and album Purple Rain.
The film and album will be the focus of the annual Celebration festivities from June 20-24 on the grounds of Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minn. and throughout Minneapolis.
The movie famously chronicles the semi-autobiographical story of Prince's alter-ego The Kid.
In 2015, Prince bought the Minneapolis, Minn. home that was featured in the film. Although he never actually lived in the house as an adult, it will now be offered up as an immersive experience for super fans. Prince's Revolution bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman will serve as host to those who book a night in The Kid's bedroom, where they will also hear rare Prince tracks and take a private tour of the home that will be outfitted with some of Prince's real-life possessions.
Speaking of Melvoin and Coleman, in the just published July 2024 issue of British music magazine Mojo, Pete Townshend of The Who claims that the pair told him The Who's 1973 album was an influence on the Purple One. "Wendy and Lisa told me Prince based Purple Rain on Quadrophenia," Townshend says. "I never knew that."
Neither did we, Pete!
Purple Rain was a box-office hit and a chart-blockbuster, remaining on top of Billboard's album chart for 24 weeks. "He was planning out the film and the album simultaneously in his head," co-engineer David Leonard said in an interview for The Billboard Book of Number One Albums.
While part of the album featured Prince and the Revolution recorded live at Minneapolis' famed First Avenue nightclub, the album also featured some studio tracks, including the hit "When Doves Cry."
"He wanted two boards together so he could have 48 tracks, which was something that he never did in the early days," said engineer Peggy McCreary.
As Leonard recalled, initially, Prince layered guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, and strings on the track. But in the final mix, Prince stripped the song down. "He took the bass out," McCreary said. "I remember him saying, 'It will be real different. No one else will have the guts to do that,' and he was right, because it became a hit."
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