Those are the first words spoken in Prince’s 1984 film Purple Rain, released two days after his multi-generational defining studio album of the same name. Thirty years before Beyoncé gave us her masterful film-album, Lemonade, in 2016, the Artist Who Reclaimed His Name Prince set the bar not yet otherwise reached by anyone else by bringing his album to the screen, walking us into not only the realm where his spirit lived, but the visuals that resided alongside it.
Purple Rain navigates us through Prince’s social and political core through the creation of The Kid, the Artist’s on-screen avatar. The Kid’s persona is a result of the uncomfortable living conditions of his home. His father, Francis, is a physically abusive man. In the film we meet him following a triumphant performance by The Kid, who comes home only to see his father beating his mother. The Kid attempts to intervene with and stop one of his father’s many assaults on his mother. But he ends up being assaulted himself.
Source: ‘They’ll Hurt You Every Time:’ Prince Tried To Help Us Heal 40 Years Ago With His Film ‘Purple Rain’
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