Here’s Why Prince Was Scared to Release “Purple Rain”

It’s hard to imagine that Prince hesitated at all to release “Purple Rain.” It’s unarguably his signature song and one of the most celebrated rock songs of all time to boot. Nevertheless, Prince tried to pass off the track and even get a legal block put on it. Find out why Prince was afraid to release “Purple Rain,” below.

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Here’s Why Prince Was Scared to Release “Purple Rain”

I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted, one time, to see you laughing

Prince’s first effort to get rid of “Purple Rain” was an attempt to pass it off to Stevie Nicks. Prince held her in enough esteem that he felt she could do the song justice–at least more so than him. Prince found the song to be a daunting task. With its ever-growing melody and gritty vocals, Prince felt like he needed some extra help bringing “Purple Rain” to life.

“I listened to it and I just got scared,” Nicks reportedly said after Prince tried to get her on the song. “I called him back and said, ‘I can’t do it. I wish I could. It’s too much for me.’”

Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you bathing
In the purple rain

Prince’s last ditch effort was contacting Journey, feeling he had stolen the titular melody from the band’s “Faithfully.” Despite his prestige, Prince was too in awe of “Purple Rain” to feel like he came up with it himself. It must have been stolen from somewhere, right?

Well, according to songwriter Jonathan Cain, it didn’t matter if he stole elements from their song or not. He was ultimately “flattered” by the connection.

“I’m just super-flattered that you even called,” Cain said in response to Prince’s inquiry about “Purple Rain.” “It shows you’re that classy of a guy. Good luck with the song. I know it’s gonna be a hit.”

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

In the end, Prince was stuck with the song. Luckily for him, it ended up being a massive success. It’s hard to imagine anyone would’ve thought differently, knowing the end result of Prince’s efforts. Revisit “Purple Rain,” below.

Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
Purple rain, purple rain
I only want to see you underneath the purple rain

(Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images)