Prince’s Purple Rain doubles in sales from one week to the next in the U.S., helping the title reenter several Billboard charts. DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 4: American singer Prince (1958-2016) performs onstage during the 1984 Purple Rain Tour on November 4, 1984, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images)
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When it comes to movie soundtracks, few are as highly regarded or as commercially successful as Prince’s Purple Rain. The album, which turned 40 last year, remains a favorite among millions and is regarded as one of the best releases in Prince’s long and storied career.
Decades after Purple Rain became both a blockbuster and a critical smash, the title rebounds onto multiple Billboard charts as sales more than double from one week to the next in the United States.
Purple Rain Sales Double
Luminate reports that in the past tracking frame in America, Purple Rain sold a little more than 3,100 copies. The period prior, it managed just over 1,400 pure purchases. From one tracking week to the next, Purple Rain saw its sales — a different figure from total consumption — grow by 119%.
Prince’s Purple Rain Returns to Multiple Billboard Charts
Thanks to that sizable uptick in purchases, Purple Rain finds its way back onto a pair of Billboard rankings. The set relaunches highest on the Vinyl Albums chart, coming in at No. 13, which suggests that many of last frame’s purchases were on wax.
The Prince classic also finds its way to the Top Album Sales ranking, where it narrowly sneaks back inside the top 40. This frame, Purple Rain places at No. 38 on Billboard’s list of the bestselling full-lengths and EPs of any genre throughout the nation.
Purple Rain Remains a Vinyl Collector Essential
Purple Rain is one of a handful of titles that have become must-haves for any vinyl collector. That loosely-defined group also includes classics like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers, which seem to be present anywhere vinyl records are sold and fixtures on the Vinyl Albums roster.
How Many No. 1 Vinyl Albums Has Prince Charted?
Prince performing on stage at the Joe Louis Arena, Chicago, USA, 11th November 1984. The Purple Rain Tour. (Photo by Mike Maloney/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
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Purple Rain is one of two No. 1s on the Vinyl Albums chart in Prince’s catalog. The soundtrack arrived on the format-specific roster in July 2016 and hit the summit the following frame. Only The Truth has also managed to conquer, as it opened in first place in June 2021.
Where Did Prince’s Purple Rain Peak on the Billboard Charts?
While Purple Rain has already sold exceptionally well throughout the decades, the set has never managed to lead the charge on the Top Album Sales chart. Prince has topped that list with both 3121 and The Very Best of Prince, while Purple Rain is one of four projects that stalled just one rung shy of ruling.
How Many Copies Has Prince’s Purple Rain Sold?
Purple Rain is far and away Prince’s bestselling album in America. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has certified the full-length 13 times platinum, meaning it has shifted at least 13 million copies, and almost all of those are actual purchases. The title has not earned a new certification from the music industry organization since 1996, so the real figure may be significantly higher.
LOS ANGELES – CIRCA 1985: Prince performs in concert circa 1985 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Purple Rain outpaces 1999 as Prince’s strongest seller, as that project — last certified in 1999, appropriately — is up to four times platinum status.
Purple Rain Returns to the Top 10
As Purple Rain finds its way back to both the Vinyl Albums and Top Album Sales charts, Prince’s career-defining release also rises on one list it doesn’t need to return to. Purple Rain rockets from No. 14 to No. 6 on the Soundtracks chart, finding its way back into the top 10.
Purple Rain Continues Its Historic Run on the Soundtracks Chart
Purple Rain almost never disappears from Billboard’s soundtracks-specific list. In fact, the classic — which is connected to Prince’s movie of the same name — has spent more than twice as long on the soundtracks-only ranking than on the Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums charts combined. Purple Rain has now spent 730 weeks on the Soundtracks chart and under 600 on the other two.
What Are the Biggest Hits from Prince’s Purple Rain Album?
Purple Rain was Prince’s sixth album and was credited to both him and his backing band, The Revolution. It also acted as the soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name, which helped the project earn the mysterious superstar both Grammys and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score, a category that no longer exists.
The album is remembered for its many hit singles, including “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U,” and the title track, all of which remain among Prince’s most famous songs to this day.
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