10 Hard Rock Songs By Non-Hard Rock Artists

By the time Prince had gotten around to making Purple Rain, he was already known as a pop music genius. With hits across records like 1999 and Controversy, the Purple One had the world laying at his feet, ready for him to take over the music landscape. Starting off with a bang, Prince's magnum opus helped show his audience his ability to rock with the best of them.

After an intro of grandiose organ fanfare, the tune quickly shifts gears into more high-energy territory, with a fantastic guitar and synth interplay that screams the 80's. Even if the synths play an equal role in the sound, the song's identity is still firmly in the rock category, as the riffs fly across your eardrums as Prince struts across the rhythm track.

This all culminates in a blistering guitar solo that adds just the right amount of spice to this infectious party anthem. Just when the song seems like its about to come to an end, Prince unleashes one last blast of guitar with the speed and agility of a bengal tiger let loose on a six-string. From the very start of his masterpiece, Prince went from pop superstar to guitar hero in one fell swoop.