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Prince, an American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, released his sixth studio album, Purple Rain. Warner Bros. Records released it on June 25, 1984, as the soundtrack album for the same-titled 1984 movie. Compared to Prince's earlier albums, Purple Rain featured numerous layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments, as well as full band performances.

The production and performances of a large portion of the record had a grandiose, synthetic, and hallucinogenic luster. Although several aspects of Purple Rain's music hint at the more experimental albums Prince would release later, the song is generally considered to be the most pop-oriented of Prince's career. According to network executives, the music video for the album's lead song "When Doves Cry" was too explicit for television due to its sexual content. Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center voiced their disapproval of the risqué lyrics of "Darling Nikki," which helped lead to the adoption of Parental Advisory stickers and imprints on record sleeves.