Celebrating 25 years of 'Purple Rain' ... one month early
Seems like only yesterday we were all coveting puffy shirts, shiny white guitars and skinny-dips in Lake Minnetonka. But Purple Rain actually turns 25 years old this year. (Pause for a moment as we collectively groan and yank out a few more gray hairs.)
Our friends over at the most-excellent Pop Matters website have begun their 25th anniversary Purple Rain tribute this week. The timing's a bit odd because technically the movie wasn't released until July 27, 1984. But their hearts are in the right places.
Among the coolest features by Pop Matters: A track-by-track analysis of the album. Just click right here if you're looking for their dissection of Darling Nikki. It doesn't disappoint: "An insinuating keyboard whine -- betraying a hint of femme fatale menace -- starts us off, and we later hear slapping drum machine beats, possibly hinting at S & M play between Prince and Nikki. A standard-issue heterosexual male fantasy, as it were, not highbrow enough for Hefner, but more likely to appear in the pages of Penthouse."
Meanwhile, over at my other all-time fave blog Pop Candy, our friend Whitney Matheson is asking her readers where they were when Purple Rain reigned. (I was a junior in high school and made out during most of the movie with a girl from my bowling league. Strange but true.)
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
Wow!! Jr high, first school dance where I had my FIRST slow dance. Shout out to Allen who thankfully didn't ruin Purple Rain for me with roving hands. I still have the vinyl.
Prince is one of a kind!
Posted by: Smplyred | June 01, 2009 at 04:48 PM
Interesting track by track analysis. Makes me want to track down the full version of "Computer Blue."
Posted by: Bassnote | June 01, 2009 at 01:17 PM