"Purple Rain" is a song by Prince and The
Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which
in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was
released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of
rock, R&B, gospel, and orchestral music. It reached number 2 in the United
States for two weeks, behind "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!,
and it is considered one of Prince's signature songs. It was certified gold by
the Recording Industry Association of America in 1984, shipping one million
units in the United States, and it was certified silver by the British Phonographic
Industry in 2013.
Following Prince's death in 2016, the song rose to number
one on the US and UK iTunes Charts, allowing "Purple Rain" to
re-enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number 17, later reaching number four. It
also re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 6, making it two places higher
than its original peak of number 8. Originally peaking at number 12 in France,
"Purple Rain" reached number one on the national singles chart. As of
April 30, 2016, it has sold 1,186,215 copies in the United States.
"Purple Haze" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix
and released as the second record single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on
March 17, 1967. As a record chart hit in several countries and the opening
number on the Experience's debut American album, it was many people's first
exposure to Hendrix's psychedelic rock sound.
The song features his inventive guitar playing, which
uses the signature Hendrix chord and a mix of blues and Eastern modalities,
shaped by novel sound processing techniques. Because of ambiguities in the
lyrics, listeners often interpret the song as referring to a psychedelic
experience, although Hendrix described it as a love song.
"Purple Haze" is one of Hendrix's best-known
songs and appears on many Hendrix compilation albums. The song featured
regularly in concerts and each of Hendrix's group configurations issued live
recordings. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is included on
lists of the greatest guitar songs, including at number two by Rolling Stone
and number one by Q magazine.
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