Prince and the Revolution “Purple Rain” 1984. 12″ single on purple vinyl. Today, June 7th, would have been Prince’s 60th birthday (b. 1958, d. 2016). “Purple Rain” is one of Prince’s most iconic singles, released from both the album Purple Rain and the soundtrack to the movie. The song hit #2 in 1984 and #8 in the UK, reentering the charts after his death in 2016 at #4 (US) and #6 (UK). It was the last song he ever performed live, at a concert in Atlanta on April 14th, 2016. The version on this 12″ is the original long version, clocking in at 8:45; the more radio-friendly edit (4:02) appeared on the 7″ single release. According to wiki, “’Purple Rain’ was originally written as a country song and intended to be a collaboration with Stevie Nicks. According to Nicks, she received a 10-minute instrumental version of the song from Prince with a request to write the lyrics, but felt overwhelmed. She said: ‘I listened to it and I just got scared. I called him back and said, ‘I can’t do it. I wish I could. It’s too much for me.’” The song is about judgement day – “When there’s blood in the sky – red and blue = purple… purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain.“ The b-side, “God” is also, obviously, highly religious with a lot of soaring vocal experimentation. The instrumental version was used in the movie Purple Rain.