Prince released is iconic power ballad “Purple Rain” on this day in 1984. It went on to become a signature song of his, named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs shaped rock and roll; Rolling Stones ranked it at number 18 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. The main track was recorded live at the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. Prince would go in a few months later to overdub at Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles.
The song has become on of the most defining works of Prince’s career. He closed his Super Bowl XLI halftime show with the song, amidst a downpour of rain illuminated by purple stage lights. It was the final song he ever performed, closing his show in Atlanta, Georgia on April 14, 2016, a week before his death.
This video finds him at his famous estate and production hub Paisley Park performing the iconic song in 1999.
