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Prince · S5 E2
The Movie
Albert Magnoli directs, Prince stars. A semi-autobiographical film about a troubled Minneapolis musician, shot for seven million dollars
November 1983, Minneapolis in the dead of winter. A twenty-five-year-old pop star with no acting experience walks onto a movie set for the first time, and the film he's about to make will gross more than ten times its budget.
"The Bird" (The Time, 1984). Performed in the Purple Rain movie by Morris Day and The Time, who play Prince's on-screen rivals. Prince wrote and produced this track, then handed it to his fictional competition. Even in a movie, Prince can't stop creating bands.
The Bird, The Time (1984)
"The Bird" is a party-funk track with a gimmick so simple it's genius: the entire dance is based on flapping your arms like a bird. Morris Day performs it in Purple Rain with the showmanship of a man who knows he's stealing every scene. The production is pure Prince: Linn drums, punchy horns, and a groove that refuses to let you sit still. It became The Time's most recognizable song and one of the movie's most memorable scenes.
Sources
Hahn, Alex. "Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince." Billboard Books, 2003.
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
The Gamble
Nobody in Hollywood thinks Purple Rain is a good idea. The budget is roughly $7 million, the star has never acted, and the script is a thinly veiled autobiography about a Minneapolis musician with family problems and a rivalry with his own opening act. Warner Bros. gives it a limited release, expecting it to disappear quietly.
Sources
Hahn, Alex. "Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince." Billboard Books, 2003.
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
TAP TO REVEAL: How did director Albert Magnoli get the job?
Purple Rain Filming Location
First Avenue and 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis, where the majority of Purple Rain's concert scenes were filmed in late 1983. The club's exterior and interior both appear throughout the movie, turning a real Minneapolis venue into a Hollywood set.
The Underdog Hit
Purple Rain opens on July 27, 1984, and nobody is prepared for what happens. The film debuts at #1 at the box office, eventually grossing over $68 million domestically. Critics are surprised, audiences are obsessed, and Prince is suddenly the biggest star in America.
Sources
Hahn, Alex. "Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince." Billboard Books, 2003.
Thorne, Matt. "Prince: The Man and His Music." Faber & Faber, 2012.
Purple Rain (The Movie): The File
Paisley Park, Prince and the Revolution (1985)
From Around the World in a Day, the album that followed Purple Rain. "Paisley Park" describes a utopian place where love and creativity flow without limits. Prince later named his recording complex in Chanhassen after this song. The utopia in the lyrics became a real building, and the building became the center of Prince's universe for the rest of his life.
Paisley Park, Prince and the Revolution (1985)
The lyrics describe a place where there's no pain, no hunger, no war. Prince sings about it like it's a dream he's already living. After the chaos of making Purple Rain and the madness of its success, these words read like a map to somewhere quieter. Prince would spend the next three decades trying to build this place in real life.
What was Albert Magnoli doing before he was hired to direct Purple Rain?
The movie is a hit, but the album is about to do something even bigger. Next episode: a song called "When Doves Cry" with no bass line, and the moment Prince decides to break every rule of pop production.
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