I have a complex relationship with Purple Rain. As a Prince junkie, I have to respect how impactful the album was on 80s culture and the career of his royal badness. However, I hate how synonymous it's become with Prince and his legacy. As an artist, Prince never stopped experimenting and creating. Having to watch the public measure his entire career against one album, regardless of its quality, probably didn't sit too well with a musician as prolific as Prince.
To be honest, I rank Prince's Love Symbol album and 20Ten leagues above Purple Rain. Unfortunately, whenever I mention my Prince obsession to most people, the conversation will inevitably drift back to Purple Rain. It's almost enough to put me off of the album forever.
Ironically enough, whenever my apathy for the album hits critical mass, the Beautiful Ones will pop up on my playlist and practically demand that I listen to the entire album immediately. Eventually, I just had to accept the truth. Prince may have better albums, but Purple Rain is the Prince album, for better or worse. On this day, in 1984, Prince's most popular album hit the scene and forever cemented his name in music history.
