Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain

by Alan Light

From the former senior editor of Rolling Stone and author of The Holy or the Broken, a new book on the unlikely coming-to-be of Prince's now legendary album.

Purple Rain is a song, an album, and a film - each one a commercial success and cultural milestone. How did this semi-autobiographical musical masterpiece that blurred R&B, pop, dance, and rock sounds come to alter the recording landscape and become an enduring touchstone for successive generations of fans?

Purple Rain is widely considered to be among the most important albums in music history and often named the best soundtrack of all time. It sold over a million copies in its first week and blasted to #1 on the charts, where it would remain for a full six months and eventually sell over 20 million copies worldwide. It spun off three huge hit singles, won Grammys and an Oscar, and took Prince from pop star to legend.

Coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary year of Purple Rain's release, acclaimed music journalist Alan Light takes a timely look at the making and incredible popularizing of this once seemingly impossible project. With impeccable research and in-depth interviews with people who witnessed Prince's audacious vision becoming a reality, Light reveals how a rising but not yet established artist from the Midwest was able not only to get Purple Rain made, but deliver on his promise to conquer the world.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Film, Pop Culture, History

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 9, 2014

About the author

A veteran music journalist, Alan Light is the author of The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah" and Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain. Light was previously the editor-in-chief of Vibe and Spin and a senior writer for Rolling Stone. He is also a frequent contributor to the New York Times.

Reviews

[Jodee · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a die-hard Prince fan, I didn't learn much new here. Most of the info about Prince, his background, his music and the musicians who made up his inner circle can be found elsewhere. The author also seems to neglect important aspects to the story, such as Prince's relationship with Vanity and how their sudden breakup affected the film. The new tidbits I did get from this book were additional details about the filming of the movie itself. New interviews from the director Albert Magnoli and Prince's former manager Bob Cavallo were enlightening. There were also some new interviews from Wendy & Lisa, Susannah, Matt Fink, Alan Leeds and Jill Jones that made it worth reading.

The thing I found slightly annoying about the book was the author's tendency to randomly insert himself into the story. A few times it would add context to the culture of the time, but most of the time it just seemed random and distracting. For example, when discussing themes of nuclear war in Prince's music, the author has to mention that was also the topic of his senior year high school project. Who cares? And then when discussing the critical reception of Purple Rain he includes random quotes from people like Adam Levine, Tori Amos and the guy from Hootie and the Blowfish. I mean really? These people were not involved with Purple Rain and not relevant at the time (or ever relevant, some would argue.)

Also disappointing is the lack of any pictures. As a Prince collector, I decided to buy this book in the hardcover edition rather than just download the ebook, thinking there would at least be some photos included. But there isn't even one, aside from the front cover. I already know what these people look like, but I think this does a disservice to new fans who might not be familiar with all the players in the Prince camp.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a bad person. I bought this for my brother, the biggest Prince fan I know, for Christmas, then I hurried up and read it before I wrapped it.

I am of exactly the right age to have been caught up in the "Purple Rain" phenomenon. I vividly remember buying the cassette at a record store in Myrtle Beach, SC while I vacation and then seeing the movie multiple times in the theatre. With all that said, I really enjoyed this book, but this is definitely not a definitive biography of the artist, more like a moment in time of a two-ish year period of making the music and the movie with a bit of rumination on Prince's place in pop culture history.

This can occasionally get a bit "in the weeds" if you don't care about both the film and the soundtrack equally, and the book focuses a bit more on the music than the filming, but since this was my soundtrack to 1985 I thoroughly enjoyed it.....and I think I managed to read it without leaving any tell-tale chocolate smears or anything.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needed something light and painless after my previous book (the heartbreaking and fury-inducing How I Survived a Chinese "Reeducation" Camp: A Uyghur Woman's Story), and this one - which had been on my TBR list forever - perfectly fit the bill.

I still remember seeing the just-released "Purple Rain" at the Juliet right next to Vassar College with high school buddy Steve Duffield, (even though we were by then a dozen years out of school) - just blew me away, and I still have the soundtrack on regular rotation…genuinely classic and culture-shifting stuff, at least to folks of my generation.

This book is NOT a true bio of Prince,* but a more narrowly-focused (yet fascinating) "making of" that focuses on the "Purple Rain" totality - song, album, movie and tour; and as such is very similar in structure - and a nice companion - to Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road. And when you think about it, there are surprising similarities between Prince and Tom Hardy, both in their single-minded dedication to their craft, as well as their overall weirdness. But there are major differences too, in that "Purple Rain" will forever to seen as a portrait of Prince at the height of his career; despite another 30+ years of insane musical output, Prince never came close to recapturing the lightning-in-a-bottle that was the whole "PR" phenomenon - not in album sales, singles or on film, (and let's NOT talk about his other movies).** Whereas "Fury Road" was just one Hardy movie in a long and still-growing career, after which…well, okay - after which he gave us "Capone," but also "Dunkirk," "Legend," "The Revenant" and a still-growing body of equally solid work.

Looking at it that way - any way, really - "Purple Rain" can be seen as both triumph and tragedy. Too much success too early is not necessarily a recipe for disaster, but it can certainly pave the way for future disappointment, (I'm also looking at you, David Lee Roth). Nearly all critics consider "Sign O'the Times" the better album, but neither it - nor any of his other works - received anything close to the popular success of "Purple Rain." Indeed, when he played the Super Bowl (23 years after the movie/album came out), 3 of his 6 songs were from "Rain"…while the other three weren't Prince songs at all.

Anyway…great book for maybe a limited audience, but did it's job of scraping me off the ceiling after How I Survived. And if you DO read, keep Google handy so you can check photos, names, songs and music videos.
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* Okay - not a "true bio" per se, but of necessity it still includes the necessary background as lead-up to "Purple Rain," and then a lengthy "where are they now" epilogue on whatall happened to everyone over the next 30 years, (the book was published two years before Prince's untimely and certainly unnecessary death). It's sad to note that of 1984's four undeniable superstars - Prince, MJ, Madonna (all coincidentally born in 1958) and Springsteen (1949) - the first two for all intents and purposes peaked that year (and then later died too soon), while both Madge and The Boss continued to surge in both fame and popularity, and are still going strong.

** Except, well, LET'S talk about his other movies. Just coincidentally, they were showing "Graffiti Bridge" on HBO this week, so I taped and watched it, and now I basically want to stab out my eyeballs, it was so bad. Especially since it turns out that this was actually a sequel to "Purple Rain" - something I hadn't known, (since I knew literally nothing about the movie before I read the book). That said, much as I immediately had to re-watch "Fury Road" (twice) after reading Blood, Sweat and Chrome, I am definitely going to watch "Purple Rain" again sometime this week - both to (mainly) enjoy the concert pieces again (with closed captions on, so I can follow the lyrics)…but also to get that horrible "Graffiti" taste out of my mouth. Oh, SO bad…

"Purple Rain" is available on HBO Max; while 1987's "Sign O'the Times" - Prince's only concert film - can be seen on Amazon Prime (which redirects you to something called Freevee). Will also give that a watch, as it's supposed to be great, even though it is sadly "Revolution-free" (only Matt Fink remains on keyboards), and doesn't include any of the "Purple Rain" songs. "Graffiti Bridge" can be seen pretty much anywhere, but really - DON'T.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been in love with Prince since I was 14. Nothing else less than 5 stars could I even consider.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was eager to read this book from the moment I first heard about it last year. But of course, after the tragic death of Prince this Spring, I moved it up to the top of my list. This is a very well written look at the creative genesis of "Purple Rain" both the album and motion picture. While Prince did not agree to be interviewed for the book, members of the Revolution, Prince's management at the time, and key creative members of the film were interviewed extensively, which helps illustrate the picture of how Prince essentially willed the movie "Purple Rain" into existence, all while pushing himself musically to create the most perfectly distilled collection of his musical essence. Anyone with even a passing interest in Prince and his music would find this book interesting, but as a super fan, I was riveted. I had read quite a bit about Prince and his work, but still learned an impressive amount I hadn't known about the performer and his collaborators and protégées. Towards the end of the book, a little bit of light is shed on subsequent projects, vis-a-vis how they were affected by "Purple Rain." It certainly made me wish for additional volumes from Alan Light about other periods in Prince's life and career. Worth a read from anyone interested in Prince's work, and mid-80's pop culture.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you wanted to know about Prince's musical history and the story of making the film Purple Rain with help from many interviews with former band members and producers. The book gives a good description of Prince's personality - he is described by one person as having a huge work ethic and an executive capacity as a leader and boss, simultaneously making his own music while creating and producing musical groups like the Time and Vanity 6 (later Apollonia 6).

I didn't know that he and Rick James had a rivalry and that Alexander O'Neal had been a member of the Time.

[Read In Colour]

So far I've learned that 777-9311 (the Time's big hit) was actually Dez Dickerson's phone number. Dez was Prince's guitarist in the 1999 days, remember? He was mad at Prince for using his number for the song.

Also, Wendy and Lisa were a couple! Who knew? Not me. I've been a fan all these years and never knew that.

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for super fans & casual listeners. I wasn't old enough to see Purple Rain in the theaters when it first came out, but every kid on the playground was singing "When Doves Cry."

[Jason Meuschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an interesting glimpse behind the scenes of what went into the making of and its importance. That was something I’d never considered and was entertained by its affect on music entertainment. Prince was no doubt a musical genius. The only reason this doesn’t go 5 stars is how it, at times, stretches into territory I didn’t think it needed to go nor did it really have anything to do with Prince per se.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm biased, because I consider Prince a complex, unknowable genius. But he deserved better than this Variety article in book form. The last image, the last scene of this book, captures its suspicious lack of depth and its utter inability to capture any of Prince's nuances, the technical genius of the members of the Revolution, and the intriguing machinations of the making of Purple Rain: the author recounts a moment in a club with Prince, in 1994, in which the superstar orders both of them "a glass of port" and makes a toast. I'm sure this is possible, but most fans know that Prince never touched alcohol. He even forbid it from his tour buses, from Paisley Park, from any club where he'd tour. Perhaps he hadn't gotten quite so "dry" in 1994, but still: The Sinatra feel to this last, summary image of Prince only underscores how Light misapprehends Prince and the making of Purple Rain. There's so little detail on the actual making of the film that I found it maddening to read. Do I really need Adam Levine and Darius Rucker's hot takes on Prince? Does he really think Chanhassen is "rural"? I imagine Toure's book on Prince may offer more insight. Flew through it because the prose was undemanding.

[Helen Swartwout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read as a Prince/Purple Rain fan....Lots of behind the scenes details about Prince's early days and subsequent career and the success of a film that initially had little backing. It speaks to Prince's tenacity and vision.

[Bryan Cebulski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great interviews, a showcase of fantastically incomprehensible Prince behavior, and some insightful perspective on Prince's career. A focused little book that does exactly what it wants to.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

20171130 ◊ I enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting to. The author is a self-professed superfan, and yet still managed to refrain from publishing a hagiography. I was engrossed by the interviews with members of The Revolution -- especially Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, and Dez Dickerson -- as well as other key figures in the making of the album and the film. Contextual information about the pop music industry and Prince's musical career bookending Purple Rain helped to illustrate just how much of an impact it had on the mid '80's music scene. A poignant walk down memory lane, and a respectful investigation into the groundbreaking work of an inscrutable soul.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating on a number of levels. 300 pages later, I dont really understand Prince any better. But I also feel like Prince would appreciate it if my superficial review did not spoil the magic for future readers.

[mic · Rating 4 out of 5]

the things we do for record club

[Georgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect a miracle here; after all, it's a book written about the scope of one fantastic album, movie, tour.
However, I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did (not meaning to sound like a sourpuss, but music books tend to swing one way or another, and this one was really objective and factual, despite the author being a fan. So a swing in the right direction).
I think Prince is a genius; always have, always will (despite half of the NPG catalog giving me great moments of pause), but this really shines the light on his creative process. The guy just wants to be left the hell alone by the annoyances of the paparazzi and press relations, and make music. MAKE MUSIC. Not a lot of artists are still relevant today and really only care about the music. Prince, refreshingly, continues to reinvent himself time and time again, releasing two very different albums in the past six months, and giving us the best SNL musical performance of the past decade. (Not joking, I am serious). It had to start somewhere, and this, while it may have been the apex of his career, just goes to show that he is truly a legend. Even if he leaves Culture Club records playing on repeat on a turntable all day (vinyl, yes).
The book is filled with interviews of members of The Revolution, The Time, Dez Dickerson (Prince's first guitarist through 1999), as well as producers and writers of the movie, and those who coordinated the tour. The author makes no bones about the fact that he is a fan and that he's had the pleasure of interviewing The Purple One on several occasions. Moreover, from the author's vantage point, it appears that Prince rather likes Mr. Alan Light. I rather like Mr. Alan Light, after reading this book. It's objective, goes into definitive detail about the making of the movie, and you get a lot of interesting stories not yet published, some humorous, others merely proving that Prince's methods don't always bear madness. Sometimes the simplest way to get the true story across is to just deliver an effective view of a massive pop culture phenomenon. And Alan Light has accomplished that in spades.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager in the 80s, some memorable parts of my life were soundtracked by Prince and his music, especially that from the early-to-mid-80s, always makes me think of good times. I didn’t see the film “Purple Rain” until after he died (there was an open-air showing of it) and, although I had problems with it, it was enjoyable enough for me to want to pick up this, which is essentially a biography of his career around the making of the album and film. It starts off slowly, as Light sets his stage and introduces the key players (and there were several) but really picks up once “Purple Rain” starts to come together. As someone who enjoys the nuts-and-bolts of the creative process, I loved seeing how the songs were developed and the script put together and Light goes into detail with the processes (and, interestingly enough, has the same issues with the film as I did). Prince comes across well, a driven, hugely creative man but his boredom with the songs (he was writing too much material to keep up with) leads to fractures within the band and other colleagues, creating some rifts that never properly healed. It’s quite a sad end to what appears to have been a thoroughly exciting process and you wish, as the reader, that Prince had slowed down enough to enjoy it all a little bit more. In addition, Light places the album - and Prince - in the greater context of 1984 and the American music scene (with him, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson and Madonna setting the world on fire) which is interesting. Clearly a fan, Light is level-headed enough to highlight Prince’s downside (such as the debacle over “We Are The World” and his subsequent directorial efforts), but presents a strong-willed, hyper-creative and restless man who pushed himself relentlessly. Fascinating, occasionally poignant and a wonderful slice of 80s nostalgia, this is a great read and I’d very much recommend it.

[Byron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never mind people trying to argue that this is inadequate because it doesn't include anything you wouldn't already know from having read like 20 other Prince books, and because the author doesn't interview one random guy no one else interviewed. This is pretty much perfect for what it is. At over 300 pages, of which, admittedly, a pretty good chunk is just index, this might still be longer than it needed to be. I would have gotten rid of the parts in which the author discusses standing in line to cop tickets to a Prince show, seeing the movie in the theater twice and what have you because that's quite literally all that happens -- the guy just goes to the movie and stands in line to buy concert tickets. I guess it's important to know that he was there. Clearly, the guy's a Prince fanatic. He's interviewed and written about him for major publications on multiple occasions. This is as thorough an overview as any reasonable person would need, without being overly redundant or pedantic.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a must-read for any walk of Prince fan... whether you're a newbie or have years of experience behind you. Lots of great information on the creative process from the people who were there. Perhaps the closest look into the making of "Purple Rain" since the 25th anniversary DVD.

The only negatives are a couple chapters that go into the business of comparing it to what other artists at the time were doing... those parts tended to drag for me, but that's just my personal opinion.

But as a book on Prince, it's really well-written and informative and I'd absolutely recommend it.
Part of me wants to say "too bad this wasn't around when I became aware of him 7 years ago" but at the same time, I probably wouldn't have appreciated the book as much had I not known all I had about Prince beforehand. Even chock full of trivia about him, I still learned a lot.

[Marti Carrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. Hmm.
How to review what was essentially a 280 page album/movie review?
The author is upfront about his adoration of Prince and this album, so he comes across as a bit of a fanboy. My love of this album got me to read the book and put it back on my regular morning playlist, but I didn't need almost 300 pages to tell me how great it is. Perhaps this book would be more enjoyed by someone not as familiar with His Majesty, or at least someone with less of a 2000s devotion to VH1. Still, it was a fun, silly, guilty read full of "yeah, I could see that" Prince moments.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even with 3 stars, I enjoyed this book. Prince is my all time favorite and Purple Rain is my favorite movie. I did learn some things I didn't know, but mostly it was a great trip down memory lane. My issues with the book....it needed an editor. It jumped all over the place. Lots of repetition and he said and she said. Read like a gossip group speaking vs actual facts. Half the time I didn't know who the "he said" even was. No pictures which was disappointing. I was hoping for some new behind the scenes shots. Bottom line...Prince was a genius.

[Eugenia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's more enjoyable as an excuse for a trip down memory lane than in its own right. It was fine for what it was, but very slight -- the content could have been covered in a Kindle Single, really, and since there are no illustrations, it's not really worth buying this in hardcover. It made me wish for a VH1 "Behind the Music" about the topic, instead, but since Prince controls his image and his archive so obsessively, this is probably the best we can do.

[James Vitarius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my eye while browsing in Barnes and Noble. Purple Rain has influenced me both musically and spiritually throughout the years. I use purple ink in my hand written notes and my gmail messages are in the color as well. Mr. Light, who like me was a senior in high school when the movie made its debut, has produced a well-written account of the music and the film. While it is a interesting read and I recommend the book, the story behind Prince's iconic guitar is tragically absent.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not fully embraced by his hardcore fans (because yes we do already know everything that is this book), it nicely put together and really highlights the importance of both Prince and Purple rain in music history and pop culture.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining look at the making of the movie Purple Rain. I was a big fan of the movie and soundtrack though just a casual fan of Prince so I learned quite a lot. Also enjoyed the look back at the year 1984 and remembering all the other big albums that sold in the millions that year.

[Debra Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, easy read. I love music and 1984 was a great year for rock! Enjoyable insight into what drives popular culture.

[George Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was shocked at how much I learned from this book. The author, a fan and a critic, offered substantial insight into the artist, the music, and the career.

[Cory Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My family bought this book for me a couple years ago, just after Prince died. I never got around to reading it until today. (I had heard "Purple Rain" on the radio, and just wanted to learn a little more about the movie for which it was the theme song.) This author did a fine job describing the unlikely success of the film, and its impact on the rest of Prince's career, as well as the careers of the members of the Revolution. I imagine the kind of Prince fan who simply thinks he was a musical god who could do no wrong would not appreciate the book. But for regular Prince fans like myself, who think he was an amazing musician who could occasionally make some ridiculous mistakes, will really enjoy this in-depth look at the Purple Rain phenomenon. So I would highly recommend it to those normal folks. I read it in a matter of a few hours, so it's a pretty easy read. The one sad thing (and the reason I gave it 4 stars) is that the book was written 2 years before Prince's untimely death, so there was a bitter sweetness to the end of the book. Not the author's fault, but it did have an impact on my enjoyment of the work.

[Robert Carver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing Purple Rain and listening to the album on repeat in 1984. It was fantastic, and I still feel that the album is one of the best of all time. I didn't know the story about the making of the movie and the album, so it was an education for me. Prince was a fantastic talent, and the Revolution was a vital contributor to Purple Rain's success. It's a shame that successful collaboration didn't last. After reading this book, I am shocked that the movie was made, given all of the hurdles it faced. I am not surprised at all that it was a significant success and is still revered to this day. I know the band wasn't thrilled playing in the Superdome due to acoustical issues, but I wish I had been able to score a ticket to see the show. I wonder what Prince and the Revolution would have created if they had continued in the vein of Purple Rain. It is one of the great what-ifs in music history.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until recently, my exposure to Prince had been minimal. However, after being blessed with a greatest hits album a few months ago, I felt like my understanding of Prince and his music greatly increased. And then I read this book and now I feel like I understand so much more.
This book primarily focuses on what led up to the phenomenon that is Purple Rain and the aftermath. Coming into this book with very little understanding of Prince and his music, I greatly appreciated what a wonderful introduction this provided and how much better it helped me to understand Prince and his place in the 1980's music scene. I especially loved reading thoughts on Prince from individuals like Darius Rucker and Questlove (who teaches a class on Prince at NYU).
Recommended for lovers of music history and for those looking to understand Prince better.