Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution
From You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians by Peter Martin & Adam Maness
July 6, 2026 · 1h 13m · Season 14 · Episode 29
About this episode
Adam and Peter analyze Prince and the Revolution's iconic album Purple Rain, exploring its tracks and music theory.
Adam and Peter break down Prince and the Revolution's Purple Rain, the 1984 soundtrack that turned him into a global superstar. They go track by track, from "Let's Go Crazy" to the title song. With keyboards in hand, they break down the sophisticated music theory underneath this pop hit to reveal the hidden qualities that make this album great. You'll never hear Purple Rain the same way again. Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a bonus track: A jazzy live performance of Purple Rain by Open Studio and St. Louis soul singer Brian Owens. For more tracks from Open Studio's band, check out @openstudiomusic on YouTube. 00:00 Purple Rain - Prince 01:27 Prince, the Revolution & the Biggest Album of 1984 04:25 🎧 "Let's Go Crazy" 07:54 Making the Movie and the Album at Once 12:58 🎧 "Take Me With U" 19:59 Wendy Joins the Revolution 23:38 🎧 "The Beautiful Ones" 30:24 🎧 "Computer Blue" 35:16 🎧 "Darling Nikki" 41:50 🎧 "When Doves Cry" 45:41 🎧 "I Would Die 4 U" 48:58 🎧 "Baby I'm a Star" 52:21 🎧 "Purple Rain" 58:41 Best Moments On Purple Rain 1:01:33 Quibble Bits 1:04:56 Snobometer 1:06:23 Open Studio Performs "Purple Rain"
People in this episode
Hosts: Adam, Peter
Guest: Brian Owens
Topics covered
- Prince
- Purple Rain
- music theory
- album breakdown
- 1984 soundtrack
- pop music
- live performance
Keywords
- Prince
- Purple Rain
- music theory
- album analysis
- 1984
- pop music
- Open Studio
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Prince and the Revolution, Open Studio, St. Louis
Books & works: Purple Rain, Let's Go Crazy, Take Me With U, The Beautiful Ones, Computer Blue, Darling Nikki, When Doves Cry, I Would Die 4 U, Baby I'm a Star
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