What Prince Said About the Meaning of 'Purple Rain' (2024)

Prince was a musician who produced too many masterpieces to count. Although he made numerous great albums, Purple Rain might stand as his most important album. The album’s title song stands as one of the most acclaimed album closers in the history of music.

Some Prince songs are easy to interpret. “Purple Rain” is a little more oblique, which is what gives it some of its mystique. This raises an interesting question: What are the lyrics of the song actually about?

What Prince Said About the Meaning of 'Purple Rain' (2)

The surprising color symbolism in ‘Purple Rain’

Some lyrics of “Purple Rain” appear to address a former lover, such as “I never wanted to be your weekend lover/I only wanted to be some kind of friend.” Prince sings parts of the song as if he’s going to break into tears. Because of this, some fans interpret the track as a lament of the breakdown of a romantic relationship.

However, that interpretation doesn’t really explain the song. Some of the track’s lyrics don’t appear to have anything to do with romance. After all, what exactly does purple rain symbolize? Why would you want to see someone “dancing in the purple rain?”

Prince felt the color purple symbolized the end of the world. To him, the song “Purple Rain” was about finding divine guidance during Armageddon. According to NME, he said “When there’s blood in the sky – red and blue = purple… purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain.” Prince would say the apocalyptic connotations of the color purple made it his favorite color.

The apocalypse was on Prince’s mind in the 1980s. According to Alan Light of Spin, these themes became more prominent because of the decade’s arms race. The lyrics to “1999” are also about Armageddon. Prince said “1999” was designed to give people hope at the end of the world.

Lisa Coleman’s interpretation of the song

What Prince Said About the Meaning of 'Purple Rain' (3)

Of course, Prince was not the only artist behind the song. Lisa Coleman created the song’s string arrangement. Coleman said the two words in the title of the song symbolized different concepts. Coleman told People the song’s title signifies “a new beginning. Purple, the sky at dawn; rain, the cleansing factor.”

Coleman connected the title “Purple Rain” to the artistic renewal Prince had by learning to work with others on the album of the same name. Coleman said Prince got his start composing songs alone but eventually allowed other musicians to work with him. “Purple Rain” was the first song Prince wrote alongside the members of his band.

Prince said “Purple Rain” is about the apocalypse while Coleman said the song is about renewal. These two interpretations are not mutually exclusive. Some Christian groups consider the end of the world to be a new beginning for humanity where God rewards the just and cleanses evil from the world. Prince was raised a Seventh-day Adventist, so it’s always possible that Adventist ideas about the end times influenced the writing of “Purple Rain.” Regardless of the song’s meaning, its lyrical ambiguities have helped it endure as a classic.

Also see: Prince: Why He Refused to Perform on ‘We Are the World’

What Prince Said About the Meaning of 'Purple Rain' (2024)

FAQs

What is the spiritual meaning of the Purple Rain? ›

Prince explained the meaning of 'Purple Rain' as: "When there's blood in the sky – red and blue = purple... purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain."

What is the meaning of Purple Rain in slang? ›

Purple rain; A restless feeling. A non-descriptive feeling of boredom, restlessness and confinement. A feeling one has when wanting to escape from responsibility (chiefly emotional) by traveling. Sometimes synonymous with 'wanderlust.' The desire to travel in order to escape an emotional commitment.

What is the rain formerly known as purple reference? ›

The music playing on Sky Meadows is titled "The Rain Formerly Known as Purple" this is a reference to both the song Purple Rain by Prince as well as Prince changing his stage name to "The Artist (Formerly Known as Prince)" in 1993 due to a legal dispute with Warner Bros.

How many songs did Prince write for Purple Rain? ›

So the song was a real mixture of different people and influences." The full band appears on six tracks: "Let's Go Crazy", "Take Me With U", "Computer Blue", "I Would Die 4 U", "Baby I'm A Star" and "Purple Rain" while the remaining three tracks are essentially solo performances by Prince.

Why did Prince like purple so much? ›

Prince was known for his affinity for the colour purple, which he built into his music, fashion and persona. Purple represented his individuality, creativity and spiritual depth. Also the colour of royalty and of his father's musical instrument, Prince's use of purple established him as a pop icon.

What is the spiritual meaning of purple? ›

The color purple is often used to symbolize creativity, royalty, femininity, and spirituality. In some cases, purple is used to symbolize wealth and extravagence. It is also sometimes associated with magic, peace, and pride.

What is the drug slang for Purple Rain? ›

It's meant to help law enforcement officials know the difference between Purple Haze (pot) and Purple Rain (PCP), or Scooby Snacks (MDMA) and Kibbles & Bits (Ritalin). But slang is a tricky, ever-changing thing, and drug slang all the more so.

Is Purple Rain Based on a true story? ›

Purple Rain, the semi-autobiographical and prophetic story of a musician's rise to superstardom, opened on July 27, 1984. One month later, Prince Roger Nelson became the first artist to ever have the top movie, album, and single at the same time.

Is Purple Rain a breakup song? ›

For example The Ringer found the best breakup song to be "Purple Rain" by Prince, followed by "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette and "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt, while a list on the same topic by Time Out yielded a completely different top three, "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James, "Somebody That I ...

Is the rain formerly known as purple Prince? ›

The Rain Formerly Known as Purple

The name is a play on the song Purple Rain by Prince, and one of Prince's appellations ("The Artist Formerly Known as Prince"). In fact, the whole track IS the play, featuring similar motifs from the original song.

What is the plot of Purple Rain? ›

How old was Prince in Purple Rain? ›

This is the debut performance of Purple Rain, the title song of the album – and movie – that will propel Prince Rogers Nelson into the pop culture stratosphere. Within 18 months, the 25-year-old dynamo, who's already charted with songs like Little Red Corvette and 1999, will be selling out arenas.

What is Prince's most successful song? ›

1. When Doves Cry (1984) Again, the familiarity of Prince's most famous song tends to obscure what an audacious and daring piece of music it is.

What is the meaning of Purple Rain in the Bible? ›

purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain."

Why was Purple Rain so popular? ›

The true power of Purple Rain lay in the vitality of its songwriting, as well as the many off-the-wall production choices – with Prince and his band, The Revolution, displaying an abject disregard for instrumental conventions, blurring any attempt at defining their music by shading arrangements with elements of R&B, ...

What does purple mean biblically? ›

The spiritual meaning of purple in the Bible encompasses royalty, suffering, faith, obedience, and spiritual power. Key takeaways: Purple symbolizes wealth, royalty, and power in the Old Testament. Jesus wore a purple robe before His crucifixion, representing His suffering and resurrection.

What is the spiritual symbol of rain? ›

Rain: Life, Renewal, and Spiritual Connections

In many societies, rain is seen as a life-giving force, essential for the growth of crops and the sustenance of ecosystems. It symbolizes fertility and abundance, serving as a source of nourishment for both the physical and spiritual realms.

What does God symbolize in the color purple? ›

In both places God is seen as a white male with absolute power and authority. In the preface to the novel, Walker writes that her religious development is the inspiration for The Color Purple as she presents religion and spirituality as the main themes in the book.

What does the purple flower mean spiritually? ›

Spiritual Significance

In spiritual practices, purple is the color most often associated with the third eye chakra, which relates to intuition and inner wisdom. Thus, purple flowers can symbolize an intuitive understanding or a deeper connection between the giver and receiver.

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