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MTV Spotlights Purple Rain 25 Years After its Premiere

6:02 p.m. · July 27, 2009 · by Jenna Humphrey

A showering of 25-year-anniversary pieces about Prince’s Purple Rain movie and corresponding soundtrack have been published lately. Kurt Loder’s own perspective was published yesterday by MTV, which was establishing its own pop status at the time of the release. Loder talks about how the album, “a dizzying synthesis of rock, pop and R&B,” drew up images of the movie, which depicted Minneapolis as “a glam-pop fairyland” of chichi Casanovas and glamorous babes, and the fabulous music they made. The seduction of Purple Rain was mirrored by its commercial success: The album sold 13 million copies and was on the Billboard chart for 72 weeks. Loder discusses master musicianship that offered elaborate structures, strong vocal work, “fat and beautifully ornamented” electro-percussion, a Jimi Hendrix influence, and, of course, “a gentle drizzle of falling-rain effects.”