Seven Songs Associated With Purple Rain

Monday already! I am learning to love Mondays and its all because of Herc's posts.  This post is of a time sensitive nature, Herc demanded I publish it this week.  This week is the 27th anniversary of one of his favorite movies of all time, date happens to fall on the 27th of the month as well.  I believe this is a golden birthday, but is it a golden anniversary?   

You'll notice that there is a link at the bottom of the post to a Spotify playlist.  Maybe scroll down and click it and listen to the tracks while reading about them.  I did, and it sets a nice mood.  Its also thundering and lightening and pouring rain outside my window right now which is SO SO SO PERFECT.  Not even joking. At 9:48 PM there is a monsoon at my house right now.  Just another sign.  

Read this post and as you read it, soak up some of the incredible bits of knowledge that Herc shares.  Educational, recreational, and inspirational reading!

7 Songs associated with Purple Rain

[part of ongoing series 7 Song Playlists]

On July 27th, 1984, Prince’s debut film Purple Rain was released on an unsuspecting public.  It contained some of the rawest, most electrifying concert scenes ever filmed.  Herc viewed this movie no less than 10 different times on its opening weekend with just about everyone he knew at the time, even taking his own parents to the drive-in for a screening.

The soundtrack album, containing only the songs performed by Prince and the Revolution, was released a month prior to the film and it was preceded by the lead single “When Doves Cry” at the beginning of May.  By the first week of July, the song was #1 on the Pop charts and the album was rising fast behind it, hitting the top spot the week after the movie opened and staying there for the rest of the year as well as the first two weeks of 1985.  Four additional singles were spun off from Purple Rain: “Let’s Go Crazy”, the title track, “I Would Die 4 U” and “Take Me With U”. Two albums by other acts in the film were released as well: The Time’s Ice Cream Castle on July 2 while the self-titled Apollonia 6 followed in October.

Here are seven songs associated with Purple Rain:

(no video links)

“Let’s Go Crazy [Special Dance Mix]”

For whatever reason, the soundtrack album did not feature this version which is the actual opening song of the movie.  Thankfully it was released as a 12” vinyl single and later on the Ultimate Prince compilation CD in 2006.  It is longer and stronger then the album version or the abbreviated single version.  Rock band Incubus covered the album version on their 2009 hits & rarities collection Monuments and Melodies.

“Erotic City (“make love not war Erotic City come alive”)”

Another in a long line of ultra-funky non-album B-sides from Prince, this song featured Sheila E. providing supporting vocals.  The irresistible rhythmic track is topped with equally suggestive lyrics making it unequivocally the sexiest war protest song ever.  Seek out the full version which clocks in at just over seven minutes on the aforementioned “Let’s Go Crazy” 12”.  Funkmeister George Clinton later covered “Erotic City” for the movie PCU.

“17 Days (the rain will come down, then U will have 2 choose. If U believe, look 2 the dawn and U shall never lose.)”

This long titled B-side to “When Doves Cry” was originally recorded for Vanity 6’s second album but Prince took it back and re-recorded most of the vocals himself leaving only Vanity 6 (and later Apollonia 6) member Brenda Bennett’s backing vocals.  Herc includes this song on all of his Rain themed playlists because of the song’s pleas to “let the rain come down”.  Living Colour covered this song as a B-side to one of their lesser known singles.

“The Bird”

Originally recorded with all instruments played by Prince (like every other previous album and single by The Time), this one was rerecorded live with the actual band and included in Purple Rain and on The Time’s own release, Ice Cream Castle.

“Jungle Love”

Prince plays every instrument on this one except lead guitar which is handled by Jesse Johnson.  Perhaps the band’s most popular song, it has been featured in Bringing Down The House, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

“Baby I’m A Star”

In another head scratcher, this song is the last song played in the film yet is third to last on the soundtrack album.  A high-powered rocker featuring Prince tooting his own horn, this song served as a musical pick-me-up after the melancholy title track was performed in the movie.  HERC’s Purple Rain playlist features the songs in their proper order for the desired effect.

“Darling Nikki”

This is the song that caught one mom’s ear and changed the way records and later CDs were sold forever.  The mom was Tipper Gore, now estranged wife of Al Gore, and she bought the Purple Rain soundtrack for her children but was shocked to hear her oldest daughter, then 11 years old, listening to this song and, in particular, it’s lyric “I met her in a hotel lobby/masturbating with a magazine”.  Tipper watched music videos with her family and became “frightened” by the graphic sex and violence she saw.  She formed the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) with other like minded Washington Wives and mothers and the group drew up a list of of 15 songs they called the Filthy Fifteen. (Prince holds the two top spots: #1 is “Darling Nikki” and #2 is a song he wrote and produced for Sheena Easton called "Sugar Walls") The PMRC succeeded in getting congressional hearings held on the subject of labelling or rating records much like movies are rated and in just over a year, record companies agreed to voluntarily place “Parental Advisory” stickers on albums.  This led to Wal-Mart’s refusal to carry any stickered albums and the sales of rap as well as metal albums skyrocketed.  Bands who had never used profane lyrics or violent imagery felt compelled to do so, to get a sticker as a badge of honor in order to sell their albums.  Offending bands went so far as to self censor their own albums, creating two versions, to place them on Wal-Mart’s shelves.  As an informed parent, Herc bought several of these edited versions of CDs for his own children because those were the versions they heard on the radio and saw in music videos on TV.  He remains an anti-censorship crusader.  In case you didn’t know, Foo Fighters covered “Darling Nikki” as a B-side to one of their singles, too.

Spotify playlist