Thirty years ago this month, June 25, Prince released the classic soundtrack to his film Purple Rain, which combined rock, new wave, funk, soul and even psychedelia to set a new standard for what pop music could be. The album spent 24 consecutive weeks at no. 1, eventually selling 13 million copies in the US. To celebrate this remarkable album, here's my ranking of the album's nine tracks, from weakest to best.
(Note: Unfortunately, Prince doesn't allow his music to be posted on the Internet, so I won't be able to post any links to the songs. You should just buy a copy of the album if you don't already, because it's incredible.)
9. Baby I'm A Star
Purple Rain has such a perfect flow and structure that I wouldn't dare remove a single song, because each one serves a purpose in the album's narrative. After the emotional wallops of "When Doves Cry" and "I Would Die 4 U," "Baby I'm A Star" mercifully brings the album back up to a wild, dance party atmosphere. It's the album's most propulsive, danceable track, though sometimes it just seems like a time killer before we get to the album's final track.
8. Darling Nikki
While I was positive the "Baby I'm A Star" was my least favorite track, I was completely unsure of how to rank the rest of Purple Rain, because they're all stone cold classics to me. With lyrics about "a sex fiend" who loves to "grind," "Darling Nikki" is by far the album's dirtiest and most controversial track, even landing the top spot on the PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen" list in 1985. It's also the album's heaviest song, with a groove and guitar riff that could have easily been taken from Led Zeppelin.
7. Take Me With U
"Take Me With U" is one of Prince's most blatant expressions of psychedelic music, complete with exotic synth strings and finger cymbals. After the chaotic and menacing opening section, the song settles down into a breezy and decidedly un-funky pace unusual for a Prince song. Though Prince would explore psychedelia even further on his future albums, "Take With Me U" is arguably his best take on the genre.
6. I Would Die 4 U
Though nothing on Purple Rain can really be considered traditional, "I Would Die 4 U" is the album's most traditional and concise pop song, coming in at a relatively brief 2:49. With its restless, stuttering synth line and staccato vocal hook, it's easily the album's most infectious song, and also one of its most beautiful.
5. Computer Blue
"Computer Blue" is the only song from Purple Rain that was co-written by members of the Revolution, which is something that should have happened more often it meant having more songs like this. It's the album's most unusually structured song, with just one verse and one chorus followed by two separate instrumental sections, showcasing Prince's ability to play pretty much anything on guitar, from heavy metal to jazz.
4. Purple Rain
Prince had absolutely no choice but to make "Purple Rain" one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It's performed as the film's climax, and if it were lacking in any way whatsoever, the film's momentum would have been crushed. Luckily, Prince didn't disappoint at all, bringing out a heart-wrenching chord progression and vocal performance, and one of the all-time great guitar solos.
3. The Beautiful Ones
Prince gives the greatest and most emotional vocal performance of his career on Purple Rain's third track, "The Beautiful Ones," a simple, slow-building ballad that begins with his angelic falsetto and ends with his impossibly high-pitched and forceful shrieking that nearly puts Rob Halford to shame.
2. When Doves Cry
Purple Rain's lead single was the stark classic "When Doves Cry," one of the strangest songs to ever top the Billboard charts. By subtracting the song's bassline from the final mix, Prince essentially turned "When Doves Cry" into anti-funk, a song so sparse and emotional that it feels wrong to dance to it. Still, it went on to become 1984's best-selling single.
1. Let's Go Crazy
If "Let's Go Crazy" isn't including on a list of greatest opening tracks of all time, then that list is automatically rendered invalid. From its bizarre spoken word intro to its crunchy guitar riff to its irrepressible beat to its show-stopping guitar solo, few songs in pop history have ever felt more exciting. I didn't know it was my favorite song on the album before I started this list, and I sort of feel bad about choosing the opening track as the best, but there's no denying the song's power.
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