PRINCE & 1984's PURPLE RAIN 40th Anniversary Special

00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:16.262
>> Tiffany Bartok: Welcome back to another bite sized edition of look behind the

1
00:00:16.286 --> 00:00:18.846
look. We are once again transporting back to

2
00:00:18.878 --> 00:00:21.598
1984, which, if you didn't know already,

3
00:00:21.694 --> 00:00:24.518
I'm officially deeming the greatest and

4
00:00:24.574 --> 00:00:27.218
most influential year in pop culture

5
00:00:27.334 --> 00:00:30.114
of all time. I might already

6
00:00:30.202 --> 00:00:32.778
have an instagram account dedicated to all things

7
00:00:32.834 --> 00:00:35.826
1984. Youll have to search for it yourself.

8
00:00:35.978 --> 00:00:38.522
From music to fashion to movies,

9
00:00:38.626 --> 00:00:41.594
1980 fours enduring impact has lasted 40

10
00:00:41.682 --> 00:00:44.506
years. Its generation defining for us

11
00:00:44.538 --> 00:00:47.122
Gen Xers and its the year that Prince

12
00:00:47.186 --> 00:00:48.986
gifted us with Purple Rain.

13
00:00:49.058 --> 00:00:51.898
Ive been really hesitating on this

14
00:00:51.954 --> 00:00:54.570
Purple Rain episode just because Prince

15
00:00:54.650 --> 00:00:57.546
is so important to me. Anyone

16
00:00:57.578 --> 00:01:00.300
who knows me knows that I am, obsessed, have

17
00:01:00.356 --> 00:01:02.860
been all my life and was

18
00:01:02.916 --> 00:01:05.540
truly wrecked at the loss of Prince.

19
00:01:05.716 --> 00:01:08.612
So I was trepidatious about writing about

20
00:01:08.652 --> 00:01:11.124
purple rain and telling you guys about some of these

21
00:01:11.148 --> 00:01:14.108
tidbits, just because I know all that there is to

22
00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:16.900
know about purple Rain and any Prince fan really

23
00:01:16.956 --> 00:01:19.372
does. But we have to celebrate this 40th

24
00:01:19.412 --> 00:01:22.388
anniversary. As a devoted Prince fan, I make it a point to

25
00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:25.294
visit Paisley park every year. Can you say the

26
00:01:25.318 --> 00:01:28.182
same? You know where it is true, Prince fans understand

27
00:01:28.262 --> 00:01:31.022
that his genius and music had already made an

28
00:01:31.062 --> 00:01:33.758
impact well before Purple Rain, but it

29
00:01:33.870 --> 00:01:36.678
is what undoubtedly solidified him

30
00:01:36.750 --> 00:01:39.446
as the most talented artist of all

31
00:01:39.494 --> 00:01:42.062
time. Dare I say yes I do. The

32
00:01:42.102 --> 00:01:45.046
album and the film havent left the zeitgeist

33
00:01:45.134 --> 00:01:47.862
since entering and revolutionizing the world. While

34
00:01:47.902 --> 00:01:50.574
Purple Rain simultaneously launched him into the

35
00:01:50.598 --> 00:01:53.406
stratosphere of superstardom, it also became

36
00:01:53.454 --> 00:01:56.278
his undoing in many ways. So purify yourselves

37
00:01:56.350 --> 00:01:59.222
in the waters of Lake Minnetonka and join

38
00:01:59.262 --> 00:02:01.966
me as we unpack Princes masterpiece.

39
00:02:02.054 --> 00:02:04.942
Purple Rain is not just a song or a film,

40
00:02:05.022 --> 00:02:07.534
its a tribute to the Minneapolis music scene of the

41
00:02:07.558 --> 00:02:10.430
eighties. Prince insisted on shooting the movie in

42
00:02:10.446 --> 00:02:13.094
his hometown to showcase the vibrant local music

43
00:02:13.158 --> 00:02:15.822
culture. The first Avenue nightclub featured

44
00:02:15.862 --> 00:02:18.614
prominently in the film was and is an actual

45
00:02:18.678 --> 00:02:21.414
venue where Prince and many other musicians performed, and

46
00:02:21.438 --> 00:02:23.874
this authenticity added a real touch of

47
00:02:23.898 --> 00:02:26.626
Minneapolis flavor to the story. And while the film was

48
00:02:26.674 --> 00:02:29.634
ultimately fictional, many of the elements were pulled from

49
00:02:29.658 --> 00:02:32.522
princes real life experiences. Prince initially called

50
00:02:32.562 --> 00:02:35.234
the film dreams and had a vision for the movie that was

51
00:02:35.258 --> 00:02:38.218
closely tied to his own experiences. Dreams

52
00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:40.594
was meant to reflect the aspirations of a young

53
00:02:40.658 --> 00:02:43.658
artist. However, as the project evolved,

54
00:02:43.730 --> 00:02:46.634
the title was changed and it ultimately transcended

55
00:02:46.658 --> 00:02:49.586
the typical boundaries of a rock musical by making

56
00:02:49.634 --> 00:02:52.442
the story more personal and powerful. In presenting a

57
00:02:52.482 --> 00:02:54.982
story of the complexities of the black experience,

58
00:02:55.402 --> 00:02:58.322
generational trauma, toxic masculinity and

59
00:02:58.362 --> 00:03:01.090
misogyny in and out of the music industry

60
00:03:01.226 --> 00:03:03.898
and even exploring queerness alongside the

61
00:03:03.930 --> 00:03:06.922
performative nature of gender and sexuality,

62
00:03:07.002 --> 00:03:09.458
all challenging themes of trauma managed to

63
00:03:09.490 --> 00:03:12.106
intertwine an incredible soundtrack and

64
00:03:12.154 --> 00:03:14.634
electrifying erotic and over the top

65
00:03:14.698 --> 00:03:17.298
musical sequences. The films cultural and

66
00:03:17.330 --> 00:03:20.274
monetary success was a game changer. The

67
00:03:20.298 --> 00:03:23.076
Purple Rain album spent an incredible 24

68
00:03:23.124 --> 00:03:25.596
consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard

69
00:03:25.644 --> 00:03:28.620
200 chart, and Prince won both an Oscar

70
00:03:28.676 --> 00:03:31.508
and a Grammy for his work. Purple Rain marked the

71
00:03:31.540 --> 00:03:34.460
zenith of his career and expanded his global

72
00:03:34.556 --> 00:03:37.212
influence. In 2019, the Library of Congress

73
00:03:37.292 --> 00:03:39.860
preserved the film and album for being culturally,

74
00:03:39.956 --> 00:03:42.628
historically or aesthetically significant and

75
00:03:42.660 --> 00:03:45.524
remained the cornerstone of his legacy. All of

76
00:03:45.548 --> 00:03:48.522
the splendor did come at a cost. Years before his death,

77
00:03:48.562 --> 00:03:51.386
Prince confessed, purple Rain was my albatross.

78
00:03:51.474 --> 00:03:54.402
It'll be hanging around my neck as long as I make music.

79
00:03:54.482 --> 00:03:57.450
It pigeonholed me. I nearly had a nervous breakdown on

80
00:03:57.466 --> 00:04:00.178
the Purple Rain tour because it was the same every

81
00:04:00.250 --> 00:04:03.178
night. I was doing the 75th show doing the

82
00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:06.130
same thing over and over and over and I just lost it.

83
00:04:06.186 --> 00:04:09.026
I said I can't do it. I knew I had to get away from all

84
00:04:09.074 --> 00:04:09.330
that.

85
00:04:09.386 --> 00:04:12.258
Now tell me about the wig. You say, you know, I love a wig

86
00:04:12.330 --> 00:04:15.250
story and I can't believe that I didn't realize that. For many

87
00:04:15.306 --> 00:04:17.870
scenes in the film, Prince Washington actually wearing a

88
00:04:17.886 --> 00:04:20.542
bouffant hairpiece, Prince's former art director

89
00:04:20.622 --> 00:04:23.534
Steve park published a book featuring intimate behind

90
00:04:23.598 --> 00:04:26.558
the scenes photographs that he took of Prince during his time

91
00:04:26.590 --> 00:04:29.422
at Paisley park. And in that book, park shares

92
00:04:29.462 --> 00:04:32.414
when he asked Prince's longtime hairstylist Earl Jones about

93
00:04:32.438 --> 00:04:35.310
the Purple rain era, Jones shared that Prince had

94
00:04:35.326 --> 00:04:38.182
to reshoot a few scenes after the filming wrapped, but

95
00:04:38.262 --> 00:04:41.086
he had already cut his hair and bleached it blonde,

96
00:04:41.174 --> 00:04:43.842
making a wig necessary to match his

97
00:04:43.902 --> 00:04:46.882
signature glorious curly locks. Prince's hair

98
00:04:46.922 --> 00:04:49.834
had been totally fried and he was recovering from the

99
00:04:49.858 --> 00:04:52.706
fallout, literally. Jones shared that this

100
00:04:52.754 --> 00:04:55.594
lasted beyond the reshoots by adding the

101
00:04:55.618 --> 00:04:58.514
hairstyle in raspberry beret was literally all I

102
00:04:58.538 --> 00:05:01.402
could do with it. And while we're here talking about Prince's

103
00:05:01.442 --> 00:05:04.154
hair, let's not forget the rest of his unforgettable

104
00:05:04.218 --> 00:05:06.978
look. Costume designer Marie France aimed to

105
00:05:07.010 --> 00:05:09.802
capture Prince's eclectic style, blending rock,

106
00:05:09.842 --> 00:05:12.746
funk and a bit of androgyny. The most memorable

107
00:05:12.794 --> 00:05:15.790
of all his costumes was, of course, the purple trench coat

108
00:05:15.826 --> 00:05:18.462
coat with the studded right shoulder and the white

109
00:05:18.502 --> 00:05:21.398
ruffled shirt, which became a synonymous symbol of

110
00:05:21.430 --> 00:05:24.358
Prince's image. The outfit was collectively designed

111
00:05:24.390 --> 00:05:27.294
by Lewis Wells, von Terry and Marie France

112
00:05:27.398 --> 00:05:30.358
and now lives at the Minnesota History center. You can also see

113
00:05:30.390 --> 00:05:32.998
a lot of Prince's costumes at Paisley park. Of

114
00:05:33.030 --> 00:05:35.718
course, in an interview with Billboard magazine, Lewis

115
00:05:35.750 --> 00:05:38.710
Wells shared about working with Prince to design his look. He

116
00:05:38.726 --> 00:05:41.646
told me he would call it purple rain because purple was

117
00:05:41.654 --> 00:05:44.594
the, the color of royalty and he thought of himself as

118
00:05:44.618 --> 00:05:47.498
a musical majesty. And he was. I chose

119
00:05:47.530 --> 00:05:50.314
this fabric because it was attention grabbing and a

120
00:05:50.338 --> 00:05:53.330
trench because he loved the drama and the fit. It

121
00:05:53.346 --> 00:05:55.658
was a mixture of romanticism and punk

122
00:05:55.730 --> 00:05:58.522
encompassing multiple genres. Just like his music,

123
00:05:58.682 --> 00:06:01.170
he wasnt afraid to challenge stereotypes or gender

124
00:06:01.226 --> 00:06:04.210
biases. He knew if he wore it, it would be

125
00:06:04.226 --> 00:06:07.226
great. In this clip from a 2016 official academy event,

126
00:06:07.274 --> 00:06:09.898
costume designer Marie Frantz shares a little more on the process

127
00:06:09.970 --> 00:06:12.148
with and the lasting impact.

128
00:06:12.300 --> 00:06:15.036
>> Speaker B: You know, I knew his music and

129
00:06:15.204 --> 00:06:17.918
I knew, you know, like, I had seen his, music

130
00:06:17.990 --> 00:06:20.894
videos from before, so I

131
00:06:20.918 --> 00:06:23.758
had a feeling of what I wanted to bring

132
00:06:23.830 --> 00:06:26.312
to make, his look more iconic,

133
00:06:26.772 --> 00:06:27.628
you know.

134
00:06:27.780 --> 00:06:30.632
>> Speaker C: And what was his reaction when you,

135
00:06:31.012 --> 00:06:33.908
when you, did he immediately get it or did.

136
00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:36.580
>> Speaker B: Yeah, I think, you know, because he needs

137
00:06:36.676 --> 00:06:39.532
all the videos. he wore a,

138
00:06:39.586 --> 00:06:42.548
those, ruffle, tuck shirt, you know, but

139
00:06:42.644 --> 00:06:45.412
like, kind of cheap tuck shirt. And I

140
00:06:45.436 --> 00:06:45.912
thought, ah, so you.

141
00:06:45.928 --> 00:06:47.368
>> Speaker C: Came up with, like, the cool version.

142
00:06:47.416 --> 00:06:50.312
>> Speaker B: I wanted to take from that,

143
00:06:50.408 --> 00:06:52.896
but make it more

144
00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.912
romantic, more, you know, you

145
00:06:55.928 --> 00:06:58.896
know, more m artistic, I mean, in my view, you know?

146
00:06:59.000 --> 00:06:59.352
>> Tiffany Bartok: Yes.

147
00:06:59.408 --> 00:07:02.338
>> Speaker B: And I think he caught on right away that

148
00:07:02.386 --> 00:07:05.178
I was not trying to change him in any way. I was

149
00:07:05.226 --> 00:07:07.654
trying to add on to.

150
00:07:08.714 --> 00:07:10.314
>> Speaker C: Who he was evolving.

151
00:07:10.474 --> 00:07:12.242
>> Tiffany Bartok: And didn't she achieve that, you guys?

152
00:07:12.338 --> 00:07:13.234
>> Speaker D: Yes, ah, she did.

153
00:07:13.314 --> 00:07:16.250
>> Tiffany Bartok: The film introduced Prince as an actor, but it introduced the

154
00:07:16.282 --> 00:07:19.250
world to Apollonia Cotero, a former lingerie model

155
00:07:19.282 --> 00:07:22.066
and musician famously dating David Lee Roth at the

156
00:07:22.090 --> 00:07:24.930
time. Before Apollonia, vanity, the lead

157
00:07:24.962 --> 00:07:27.754
singer of Vanity six and Princess, OG, muse and

158
00:07:27.794 --> 00:07:30.682
girlfriend was initially cast in the role. But due

159
00:07:30.698 --> 00:07:33.434
to them having a creative falling out and ultimately breaking

160
00:07:33.474 --> 00:07:36.198
up, he was left searching for a new love

161
00:07:36.246 --> 00:07:39.118
interest. At one point, Jennifer Beals was offered the role

162
00:07:39.166 --> 00:07:42.030
but passed. Apollonia was the last tape to be

163
00:07:42.062 --> 00:07:44.918
seen by prince and she instantly captivated him. in

164
00:07:44.942 --> 00:07:47.846
this clip from Own's where are they now? Apollonia looks back

165
00:07:47.886 --> 00:07:50.558
on her callback with Prince and the decades of love and

166
00:07:50.582 --> 00:07:51.946
friendship they shared.

167
00:07:54.726 --> 00:07:57.590
>> Speaker D: I get back home from the audition and they said,

168
00:07:57.638 --> 00:08:00.342
you have a callback, but they're going to fly you to Minnesota

169
00:08:00.454 --> 00:08:03.054
to meet princess. He picks me up

170
00:08:03.150 --> 00:08:05.668
and, we go for a long drive in his purple

171
00:08:05.692 --> 00:08:08.188
limo. We had a date that

172
00:08:08.212 --> 00:08:10.948
evening, so he just danced up the storm, had a great time

173
00:08:11.012 --> 00:08:13.678
and, you know, dropped me off at my, hotel room. His

174
00:08:13.702 --> 00:08:16.306
bodyguard said, you know, the kid really likes you.

175
00:08:17.086 --> 00:08:19.790
And I said, cool. I like him

176
00:08:19.838 --> 00:08:22.654
too. Were we

177
00:08:22.750 --> 00:08:25.734
romantically involved? Well, back then, I

178
00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:27.986
used to always say, I don't kiss in town.

179
00:08:28.576 --> 00:08:30.656
We were and still are,

180
00:08:30.776 --> 00:08:33.096
platonically, romantically

181
00:08:33.176 --> 00:08:35.836
involved. There's a lot of romance.

182
00:08:36.616 --> 00:08:39.488
I was not his girlfriend. He was not my

183
00:08:39.512 --> 00:08:41.920
boyfriend. But he's my greatest friend.

184
00:08:42.048 --> 00:08:44.968
>> Tiffany Bartok: Their undeniable chemistry made for an unforgettable

185
00:08:45.032 --> 00:08:47.832
performance. Apollonia inspired an entire

186
00:08:47.904 --> 00:08:50.752
generation of admirers and girls dedicated to recreating

187
00:08:50.784 --> 00:08:53.528
her perfectly curled, teased hair, lace

188
00:08:53.592 --> 00:08:56.568
ensembles, and baritoned hues. Plus, she had me

189
00:08:56.592 --> 00:08:59.424
fantasizing about hopping onto someone's motorcycle and looking

190
00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.096
as effortlessly cool as she did.

191
00:09:02.256 --> 00:09:04.968
Thank God I was too young to get anywhere near one. But her

192
00:09:04.992 --> 00:09:06.848
coolness hypnotized me.

193
00:09:06.912 --> 00:09:09.656
Speaking of Purple Rain, I can't leave without telling you one more

194
00:09:09.696 --> 00:09:12.048
story, which most Prince fans

195
00:09:12.152 --> 00:09:14.920
absolutely know by heart, but others may

196
00:09:14.968 --> 00:09:17.656
not. Right after Prince passed away, they opened

197
00:09:17.696 --> 00:09:20.472
Paisley park in October for the first time

198
00:09:20.544 --> 00:09:23.440
after, his death. And I went

199
00:09:23.488 --> 00:09:26.240
with my husband, and this story was told to me by

200
00:09:26.288 --> 00:09:29.262
someone who worked at Paisley park and knew, this

201
00:09:29.294 --> 00:09:32.046
story firsthand, one of the security guards. And it was

202
00:09:32.086 --> 00:09:34.926
just the most amazing thing to hear because they

203
00:09:34.966 --> 00:09:37.814
told me the story while the video was playing in the

204
00:09:37.830 --> 00:09:40.558
background. As the story goes, Prince was warned

205
00:09:40.622 --> 00:09:43.462
about the rainstorm that was impending. And

206
00:09:43.494 --> 00:09:45.906
as it poured down and poured down and poured down,

207
00:09:46.406 --> 00:09:49.254
somebody said, well, princess, what do you want to do? He turned to them and

208
00:09:49.270 --> 00:09:52.198
said, can you make it rain harder? And headed on out to

209
00:09:52.222 --> 00:09:54.506
play. So picture that if you will

210
00:09:54.966 --> 00:09:55.374
only.

211
00:09:55.430 --> 00:09:57.766
>> Speaker D: Want to see you, see you.

212
00:09:57.926 --> 00:09:59.426
>> Speaker C: Can I play this guitar?

213
00:10:22.906 --> 00:10:25.866
>> Tiffany Bartok: I get chills absolutely every time I watch

214
00:10:25.946 --> 00:10:28.834
the Super bowl performance. Only Prince could summon mother

215
00:10:28.890 --> 00:10:31.746
nature and make it rain for the perfect live performance.

216
00:10:31.866 --> 00:10:33.978
Just like the film ended with such

217
00:10:34.042 --> 00:10:36.882
grandeur, let's go all the way back to the start where it all

218
00:10:36.914 --> 00:10:38.566
began with that opening scene.

219
00:10:39.066 --> 00:10:40.326
>> Speaker E: Dearly beloved,

220
00:10:41.906 --> 00:10:44.366
we are gathered here today to get through this thing.

221
00:10:47.286 --> 00:10:50.182
>> Tiffany Bartok: I feel like Prince intended let's go crazy to serve

222
00:10:50.214 --> 00:10:53.134
as a revolving celebration and eulogy for his life.

223
00:10:53.230 --> 00:10:56.150
And I always go back to this song and the music video

224
00:10:56.278 --> 00:10:59.254
as a pick me up. Whether it's putting on makeup in

225
00:10:59.270 --> 00:11:01.694
the mirror, transforming for the day, or

226
00:11:01.790 --> 00:11:04.670
rediscovering the wonder in performance and creation,

227
00:11:04.798 --> 00:11:07.670
the film opens and ends much like Prince's real

228
00:11:07.718 --> 00:11:10.574
life did. It's still hard to believe that Prince will

229
00:11:10.630 --> 00:11:13.616
never write another song for us, but his life

230
00:11:13.656 --> 00:11:16.478
and vision continue to inspire and are, cause for

231
00:11:16.518 --> 00:11:19.486
celebration. Purple rain, in particular, is a time

232
00:11:19.542 --> 00:11:22.502
capsule that perfectly represents the era yet

233
00:11:22.550 --> 00:11:25.270
remains timeless. It's ready to be reinterpreted

234
00:11:25.334 --> 00:11:28.254
generation after generation. Yes. I could go on

235
00:11:28.286 --> 00:11:31.246
forever. I will leave the rest to you guys for now.

236
00:11:31.342 --> 00:11:34.238
I'd love to hear your favorite purple rain tidbits and stories

237
00:11:34.278 --> 00:11:36.218
in the comments. Until next time,

238
00:11:41.688 --> 00:11:42.192
don't.

239
00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.616
>> Speaker E: I was living

240
00:11:44.672 --> 00:11:47.208
here. Take a breath.