Adventures in the "Purple Rain" Quiz

Answer: Let's Go Crazy

The movie "Purple Rain" was released in 1984 and is a musical drama, starring Prince in the lead role. It was meant to showcase his talents and does that really well with lots of concert footage throughout the movie. It opens with the song "Let's Go Crazy" which the band is playing at a packed nightclub in Minneapolis where the movie takes place.

The song "Let's Go Crazy" is the opening song on both the movie and album of the same name and one of Prince's biggest hits, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Answer: The Kid

The movie was written by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn and is in part about the life of Prince. Many of the characters in the movie keep their own names but Prince does not. He plays the part of The Kid, a very talented but moody and troubled lead man for the band The Revolution. Through the movie he struggles with his relationships and his career.

Answer: First Avenue

First Avenue is a club in Minneapolis where most of the movie takes place. The club was paid $100,000 for the twenty-five days the filming took place there. Many of the club employees were extras in the movie. Locally the club is known as The Mainroom and many acts have gotten their start there, including The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Semisonic, Prince, and The Revolution. Following the movie's success, the owners at the time were of course happy for the revenue but a little nervous that the audience would change from music lovers to tourists.

Answer: At the club

The character Apollonia, played by Apollonia Kotero, comes to Minneapolis with a little bit of money and a big dream to play at First Avenue and become famous. She sneaks into the club and sees The Kid play and is of course mesmerized. He notices her and they have an awkward encounter in the club where he is standing behind her and she says something to him only to turn around to find him no longer there.

She does end up singing in a band and performing an awful song called "Sex Shooter" that was written and produced by Prince.

It was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song. Apparently it's received more favourable reaction over time but I stand by my original take on this song.

Answer: Lake Minnetonka

After their awkward meeting at the club, The Kid meets up with Apollonia and decides to take her on a motorcycle ride. They ride to a lake and once there, The Kid learns that Apollonia wants to become a singer but tells her he won't help her. He does tell her that she needs to purify herself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, so she strips down to her underwear and plunges into the lake. It's a funny and mean scene as The Kid weakly tries to stop her from jumping in, only to tell her afterwards when she's soaked and cold that the lake she jumped into isn't actually Lake Minnetonka. Despite him treating her pretty horribly, she gets dressed, gets back on the bike with him and they ride off.

Throughout the movie, their relationship seems to mirror that of his father and mother as The Kid is abusive and hurtful to Apollonia.

Answer: She is thrown into a dumpster.

Morris Day, played by Morris Day, is another musician in the movie who plays at First Avenue. He adds some levity to the movie as well as helps to add some drama into the relationship between The Kid and Apollonia. He is a ladies man and has women hanging off him whenever he's at the club. While walking down the street, he meets up with someone he's wronged and as she's yelling at him, he instructs fellow band member Jerome to throw her into a dumpster. Another funny but mean scene.

In the movie, Day is putting together a girl group and ends up picking Apollonia as the lead singer, which drives a wedge between her and The Kid.

Day is an extremely entertaining singer and showcases his songs "Jungle Love" and "The Bird" in the movie.

Answer: Himself

The Kid's father, played by Clarence Williams III who has had roles in numerous American TV shows including "The Mod Squad" and the original "Twin Peaks", is a verbally and physically abusive man to his wife and his son. He is also a singer-songwriter who wasted his talents and of course there are similarities between father and son.

In the movie, he shoots himself in the head and while he is taken to hospital The Kid rages in the basement, smashing and tearing whatever he can get his hands on. He finds a box with his father's compositions and falls asleep surrounded by his dad's work.

Answer: Purple Rain

The Kid does not treat his fellow band members well at all and constantly ignores Wendy and Lisa, fellow band members who have written a musical composition they try desperately to get him to listen to. He only relents after his dad shoots himself, playing the cassette tape and then putting lyrics to the music. The end result is the fantastic song "Purple Rain".

The song was released as the third single from the album and made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song that kept it out of the number one spot? "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!

Answer: His dad

As the movie comes to an end, The Kid and his band have one last chance to impress the club owner who has too many acts to fill his time spots and is looking to dump a band. He's pretty sick and tired of The Kid's antics who shows up late to rehearsal and brings his personal life into his performances, losing his audience along the way.

The Kid takes the stage and there is silence from him and the audience until he states that the song he's about to sing was written by band mates Wendy and Lisa and dedicated to his father. The result is an emotional performance of the song "Purple Rain" which draws everyone in, including the club owner.

The song "Purple Rain" was originally written as a country song and shared with Stevie Nicks who felt she couldn't take it on. It's also the last song Prince sang live before he died, at the end of his final performance at a show in Atlanta on April 14, 2016, one week before he tragically died.

Answer: Baby I'm a Star

After the emotional performance of "Purple Rain", The Revolution launches into "I Would Die 4 U" and follows with "Baby I'm A Star", which closes the movie. As a moviegoer it's a treat to see the performances and watch the band have the audience dancing and clapping along to these upbeat songs.

As the movie closes, we see The Kid visiting his father in hospital and tidying up the basement and organizing his father's compositions, with the help of Apollonia. It's a hopeful and upbeat end for The Kid.