Purple Rain

"I never meant to cause you any sorrow, I never meant to cause you any pain..."

True stories of what Prince's epic ballad means to different people around the world, from the very first jam in 1983 to the global hit that reigns over us today.

Bobby Z, the drummer from Prince and The Revolution, remembers the buzz of the first ever performance of Purple Rain, and how the recording from that night lives on.

Susan Rogers, Prince's recording engineer, tells stories from the Purple Rain tour, when the crew took bets on how long Prince's guitar solos would last.

Comedian Sindhu Vee first heard the song as a teenager growing up in India and was knocked sideways by it.

Weather reporter Judith Ralston describes the beautiful and rare weather phenomenon of purple rain.

Social historian Zaheer Ali sees the song as a cry out for change, bringing audiences from different backgrounds together in cross-genre harmony.

And finally, an intensive care hospital nurse played Purple Rain to Kevin Clarke while he was in a coma, because his sister knew he loved the song and hoped it might pull him through.

Producer: Becky Ripley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2022.