Prince’s definitive power ballad “Purple Rain” peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 on November 17, 1984 behind Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”. It was the title track of the album and namesake of a film in which Prince plays “The Kid” who has nostalgic yearning for a pure love.

Prince explained that the concept of purple rain “pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through”. Bandmate Lisa Coleman shared it means “a new beginning. Purple, the sky at dawn; rain, the cleansing factor.”

Upon finishing the track, Prince was concerned this song was too close to “Faithfully” so he played it for Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who told him not to worry about being sued.

He performed it during the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show as the last song on the set, appropriately during a driving rainstorm. The performance was rated the best halftime show by Billboard and NBC.

In 2011, Rolling Stone named it one of the 500 best songs of all time. In 2015, Pitchfork named it the best song of the 1980s.

Perhaps appropriately, it was the last song Prince ever played live, closing out his concert in Atlanta on April 14, 2016.