Purple Rain is a song by American musician Prince and his backing band The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name.
Originally written as a country song and intended to be a collaboration with Stevie Nicks, Prince explained the meaning of the song as follows: "When there's blood in the sky... red and blue = purple. Purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain."
The song was recorded during a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. City Pages described the 70-minute performance as Prince's "sweatiest and most soulful hometown concert yet."
The song ranked number 144 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Q magazine placed it at number 40 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, and Pitchfork named it the best song of the 1980s. The song is also included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Source: Wikipedia.