10 Perfect Closing Songs In Rock History
2. Purple Rain - Prince
Up until this point in his career, Prince was already on the rise to becoming a superstar. Having just made some of the cornerstone albums of the early '80s like 1999, Purple Rain was what established him as a cultural force, with the movie tie-in and some of the most solid playing on all of his albums, attributed to him and his band the Revolution. Every movie needs to have a blockbuster ending though, and Prince managed to bring down the curtain in the only way he knew how.
When the Purple One first starting writing this tune, he originally envisioned it as a song in the realm of acts like Bob Seger, before turning it into one of his most endearing ballads. You can tell where the influence comes from too, with the guitars having that trademark shimmer that you would find in heartland rock. Spanning over 8 minutes, this song is the mission statement of the entire album, with Prince packing every ounce of emotion into his performance, giving way to a jaw dropping guitar solo.
From the massive soundscapes to the callbacks to classic rock, R&B, and soul music, this is practically every single aspect of Prince condensed into one glorious recording. While many have drawn comparisons between him and Michael Jackson over the years, songs like this is why you only get an artist like Prince once every millennium.