On this day in 1984, the classic movie “Purple Rain” was released into theaters across the U.S. and scores of Prince fans flocked to theaters. soulhead.com founder Ron Worthy recalls “I remember that day like it was yesterday. I went to the Tenleytown movie theater in Northwest Washington, D.C. with two female friends of mine from Jr. High. We were all too young to buy a ticket to the movie at the time, so we purchased a ticket to another movie and snuck into “Purple Rain” like any enterprising teenager would do. From the opening image montage to the last note of Baby I’m A Star, we were simply amazed. I think I broke my jaw when it hit the floor during the infamous ‘purification’ scene.”
Official Trailer for Purple Rain
With the legendary singles When Doves Cry (and the amazing 17 Days B-Side) and Let’s Go Crazy (and the insane Erotic City B-Side) released prior to the movie, music fans were salivating in anticipating of the movie. Starring Prince as the Kid, the movie includes an impressive array of characters straight from the Minneapolis music scene, many of whom played themselves in the movie. In addition to Prince and the Revolution, the film includes timeless performances by The Time, Dez Dickerson (formerly a bandmate of Prince) and his group The Modernaires and Apollonia 6. Prior to the release of the movie, Prince’s co-star, Apollonia replaced his previous love interest, Vanity, who had been the lead singer of Vanity 6 and left to pursue a solo career.
Official Movie Poster for “Purple Rain”
The film went on to gross over $68MM in the U.S. box office sales and the title track Purple Rain won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. The film ranks as one of the greatest music movies of all time and will be beloved by music fans forever.
Finally, in tribute to Purple Rain, we are pleased to share this incredible rare live performance by Prince & The Revolution at First Avenue in Minneapolis on Prince’s birthday, June 7, 1984, a little over a month before the release of the movie.
Setlist:
1) Intro
2) 17 Days
3) Our Destiny
4) Roadhouse Garden
5) All Day, Up All Night
6) Free
7) Noon Rendezvous
8) Erotic City
9) Something In the Water Does Not Compute
10) When Doves Cry
11) “Happy Birthday 2 Prince”
12) Irresistable Bitch
13) Possessed
In case you haven’t picked up the recently released remastered version of Purple Rain Deluxe (Expanded Edition)(3CD/1DVD)
Or if you just want to stream it, check it out below: