Was Purple Rain written about Stevie?
 

So this is just a thought, but I was listening to Purple Rain today and I suddenly remembered an interview Stevie did in which she said: "Prince and I became really good friends, and he actually gave me a cassette, and said, 'There's a song on it, and I would like you to write.' I take it home and put it on, and I'm listening to this like amazing song ... and it's 'Purple Rain'! And I'm like, I can't write a song to this! It wasn't 'Purple Rain' yet, but it was the track that became 'Purple Rain.' "


I know a lot of people think Purple Rain is written about Denise Matthews, but nobody is really sure. A few weeks back we were talking about Stevie's song Thousand Days and how it was probably written about Prince and how they had this strange relationship that no one understands. He wasn't her lover and he wasn't her friend, but it seems like there was definitely more going on than the fact that he helped her on Stand Back. And these lyrics just really made me think it could be about Stevie.

I never wanted to be your weekend lover
I only wanted to be some kind of friend, hey
Baby, I could never steal you from another
It's such a shame our friendship had to end

Honey, I know, I know, I know times are changin'
It's time we all reach out for something new, that means you too
You say you want a leader, but you can't seem to make up your mind
And I think you better close it and let me guide you to the purple rain

Stevie was married at the time, so it seems like by not wanting to be her "weekend lover", he didn't want to have some secret affair with her and he didn't want to steal her from Kim, but he wanted to be "some kind of friend", he wanted to be there when she needed him and if she did decide to leave Kim, but their friendship ended and he wasn't there for that time in her life. He also talks about the times are changing and Stevie was very old fashioned, both romantically and musically. Stevie was very much the 70s druggy rock star and Prince was very much in the 80s and he stayed away from drugs. And Stevie is always sorta looking for someone to lead her, be it Lindsey, Jimmy, Tom, Don, or whoever she was working with, but they were all 70s druggy rockstars too with the exception of Jimmy, and I think Prince is saying, "Why dont you look up to me as a leader and let me guide you, because time are changing and I'm part of the new whereas are the guys you look up to now are part of the old??"
Like I said, it is just all speculation and a random thought that crossed my mind today, but I thought I'd share it.
What do you guys think??

I don't think that about Strange Relationship, but Prince's Fury always made me think of the Mac. So many buzz words. Sure, they're generic, but all together in one song they bring to mind the theme of so many Stevie/Lindsey tunes: King, Queen, thorn, he's so afraid, rainy day . . .

Fury

You must have heard it on the news this morning
Congratulations! A new star is born
Sun 2 a shadow, rose 2 a thorn
There ain't no fury like a woman scorned

Y'all must have dug it, when u did your thang
It's like a song, everybody wanna sang
When the music's over, ur ears ring
With a voice that's saying, "Queen got no King!"

He got a message saying, u tried 2 reach him on the phone
He didn't wanna answer cuz he's so afraid
U'd probably tell him just 2 leave u alone

U must have heard he got another band
They're makin' money, they're makin' plans
U feel left out, but u need 2 understand
Word on the street - he's still ur man
(he's still ur man)

Look out, here comes ur rainy day
Now u think you got a good reason 2 say
Everything that's in ur heart, come what may
Even though his might get broken

Who's the guilty one when there ain't no judge or jury?
Shadow 2 the sun, next 2 the one
Hell ain't got no fury

It will approach us, the debt he's been in
Open to the heart in need of mending
Will this song have a happy ending?
Only the woman knows, only she knows

2 sides 2 every story
One man's gloom is another man's glory
Sun 2 a shadow, rose 2 a thorn
Ain't no fury like a woman scorned
Ain't no fury like a woman scorned
No fury like a woman scorned

Didn't Prince asked her to write the lyrics when he had only finished the music? Stevie couldn't do it, and he eventually wrote the lyrics to Purple Rain himself?

I don't know about Purple Rain, but in my opinion, in the video for "When Doves Cry," if you look at the picture of the woman who's crying, at the back of the set, when Prince and the girls are dancing, it's clearly supposed to be a picture of Stevie. I feel it's completely unmistakeable that it's supposed to be her. :nod:

Interesting post although I do not believe Purple Rain was written about Stevie. Some of the concepts in the song may apply to her but I don't think it about her per say.

On another note, is there still an ongoing debate about the song "All Over You" and whether or not it's Stevie singing with Prince? I'm still undecided.

Yes:

"Prince and I became really good friends, and he actually gave me a cassette, and said, 'There's a song on it, and I would like you to write.' I take it home and put it on, and I'm listening to this like amazing song ... and it's 'Purple Rain'! And I'm like, I can't write a song to this! It wasn't 'Purple Rain' yet, but it was the track that became 'Purple Rain.' "

Not like it matters in the slightest, especially not on a Fleetwood Mac board,
but it's spelled "per se." I'm not trying to nitpick; just simply letting you know that
that's the correct way to spell it. :)

hehe...Lindsey uses that expression a lot.......:]:nod:

Anyone have a link to the video?

Do you always need someone to hold your hand?

Just as Prince helped out on "Stand Back" I think Stevie helped lyrically with "When Doves Cry". I say this because for a while there when doing "Edge Of Seventeen" live she would often end it as "I know what it sounds like when doves cry..." It may be a stretch, but it's a huntch I have.

I was listening to Prince's song "Pop Life" this morning and decided that it was written about Stevie - "Whatcha puttin' in your nose? Is that where all your money goes?".:blob2:

Hey, Stevie has worn a raspberry beret! So, I think that's about her too.:laugh:

I went on a game show called Joker's Wild in the eighties and I had to finish a line, "she went in through the out door. She wore a _____________."

Of course, that was a piece of cake!

Michele

Well I would have thought it was fairly obvious that Darling Nikki was written about Stevie, the lyrics make total sense and everything :p

Quite obviously he changed it from Nicksy to Nikki but that was just to protect the innocent

NO, NO, NO.