Purple Rain (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

Editors’ Notes Purple Rain—both the semi-autobiographical No. 1 film and its No. 1 soundtrack—marks the moment that Prince became Prince, the most complex pop mastermind of his generation. After inviting his “dearly beloved” to the opening frenzy of “Let’s Go Crazy,” he leads us on a synth-driven, psycho-sexual odyssey that never lets up. Hits like “When Doves Cry” and the soulful title ballad (which was intentionally modeled after the stadium-filling anthems of Journey and Bob Seger) became pop monuments. But the more eclectic moments—like the menacing fantasy of “Darling Nikki” and the pleading desperation of “Baby I’m a Star”—give shape to this wildly adventurous and irrepressibly freaky masterpiece.