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1984, USA: the place and time of Springsteen, and of his return with the blockbuster “Born in the USA,” jeans-clad butt on the cover. It would reach the top, sure, but it wouldn't stay there long due to the arrival of an unexpected competitor: in early August, Warner released the new 45 minutes of Prince, titled “Purple Rain,” which accompany the film of the same name. Result? Prince knocks Springsteen off the top and stays there for a very, very long time, and the eponymous movie enters the collective imagination, earning the genius an Oscar for Best Song, “When Doves Cry.” Why? How did Prince manage with this album to dethrone America's working-class hero from the chart peaks?
Because his album is, if possible, more American, rock, and catchy than Springsteen's, despite being experimental, inlaid as it is with funk, LSD, and new wave, and highly personal: it contains all his obsessions, from religion to sex, to ballads where he prostrates himself at the feet of his beloved. Just think of that masterpiece that is “When Doves Cry”: a mega-sold, overplayed single yet without a bassline, and with a guitar intro that's anything but pentatonic, with cold and melodramatic keyboards typical of the new wave, a skewed and staggering structure and an absolutely bare and minimal sound. Yet, incredibly catchy, a success. And “Take Me With You”? A psychedelic ballad with acoustic guitars prominently displayed, and a very simple structure; then there’s the opening track, “Let’s Go Crazy,” or lysergic Hendrix cubed meeting Devo (and to think that in the film, in the middle of the song, Prince inserts a dissonant piano solo); then there's the airy, hallucinatory, and evocative “The Beautiful Ones,” where Prince displays all his vocal talents to offer us an absolutely dramatic declaration of love; and then the almost-instrumental “Computer Blue,” a psychedelic tale of Prince's problems with a robot (easy to guess, given the character) with sexual functions. Does that seem like enough? Or does it seem there isn’t enough sex, indecency, extreme pornography in this album of his? Are you thinking “there you go, to get into the homes of merry American families, he self-censored...” You know the "parental-advisory" labels? Well, “Darling Nikki” is the reason. It's the story of a shocking sexual encounter (“my body will never be the same”) between Prince and a prostitute (in whom some even saw the devil) who is masturbating in a hotel hall, all proclaimed amid screams and orgasmic warbles. And then, there's the tight and concise funk of “I Would Die For You,” with lyrics of sexual-religious pretensions, and “Baby I’m A Star,” an anthem to himself and the arrival of his success, which once again convinces of the dual nature of this album: yet another step in the Prince's experimental path and a single-producing machine designed to sell. To conclude, a historic piece, a heartfelt and chilling tribute to the master, Jimi Hendrix: the title track, “Purple Rain,” a long litany in C between strings and piano, with an incredible guitar coda. A piece of rock history.
There is everything, too much, in Purple Rain: 45 minutes that are a tribute to two of the Prince's strongest influences, namely the ’60s psychedelia (see the then-upcoming "Around the World in a Day") and Hendrix’s hard-rock-blues, with a glance at the new wave with its minimal arrangements; all mixed in such a way as to be easily digestible by the general public and much appreciated by critics, a feat achieved just by the Beatles. A great album, in short, a step above “1999” and “Dirty Mind”; perhaps surpassed just by “Sign ‘O the Times”... But that's another story...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
12 When Doves Cry (00:00)
Dig if you will the picture
Of you and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can you my darling...can you picture this?
Dream if you can
A courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat
The heat between me and you
CHORUS:
How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase you
Even doves have pride
CHORUS:
How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world so cold (world so cold)
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
22 Purple Rain (00:00)
I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted one time to see you laughing
I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you bathing in the purple rain
I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend
baby I could never steal you from another
it's such a shame our friendship had to end
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you underneath the purple rain
honey, I know, I know, I know times are changing
it's time we all reach out for something new, that means you too
you say you want a leader,
but you can't seem to make up your mind
I think you better close it
and let me guide you into the purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you, only want to see you
in the purple rain
43 Let's Go Crazy (00:00)
''Dearly beloved
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called LIFE.
Electric word "life"
It means forever and that's a mighty long time
But I'm here to tell you, there's something else
The afterworld.
A world of never-ending happiness
You can always see the sun, day or night.
So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills
You know the one, Dr. Everything'll-Be-Alright
Instead of asking him how much of your time is left
Ask him how much of your mind, baby
'Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the afterworld
In this life, you're on your own
And if de-elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor''
If you don't like
The world you're living in
Take a look around you
At least you got friends
I called my old lady
For a friendly word
She just picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
"Aah, aah!" is all I heard
I'm not gonna let de-elevator bring us down, oh no, let's go
Let's go crazy, let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck
Let's go
All excited, but don't know why
Maybe it's 'cause, we're all gonna die
And when we do (when we do)
What's it all for? (what's it all for)
Better live now
Before the grim reaper comes knocking on your door
Tell me baby,
Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go
Let's go crazy, let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
'Til they put us in the truck
Let's go
Come on baby, let's get nuts!
Yeah, crazy
Let's go crazy
Are we gonna let de-elevator bring us down?
Oh, no, let's go
Go Crazy
I said, let's go (crazy)
Dr. Everything'll-Be-Alright
Make everything go wrong
Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill
Hang tough children
He's coming
He's coming
Coming
Take me away
45 When Doves Cry (00:00)
Dig if you will the picture
Of you and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can you my darling...can you picture this?
Dream if you can
A courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat
The heat between me and you
CHORUS:
How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world that's so cold
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You've got the butterflies all tied up
Don't make me chase you
Even doves have pride
CHORUS:
How can you just leave me standing?
Alone in a world so cold (world so cold)
Maybe I'm just too demanding
Maybe I'm just like my father too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
She's never satisfied
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like when doves cry.
47 Purple Rain (00:00)
I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted one time to see you laughing
I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you bathing in the purple rain
I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend
baby I could never steal you from another
it's such a shame our friendship had to end
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you underneath the purple rain
honey, I know, I know, I know times are changing
it's time we all reach out for something new, that means you too
you say you want a leader,
but you can't seem to make up your mind
I think you better close it
and let me guide you into the purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you, only want to see you
in the purple rain
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