Purple Rain

Purple Rain

Author: BBC Radio 4 May 30, 2022 Duration: 27:55

"I never meant to cause you any sorrow, I never meant to cause you any pain..."

True stories of what Prince's epic ballad means to different people around the world, from the very first jam in 1983 to the global hit that reigns over us today.

Bobby Z, the drummer from Prince and The Revolution, remembers the buzz of the first ever performance of Purple Rain, and how the recording from that night lives on.

Susan Rogers, Prince's recording engineer, tells stories from the Purple Rain tour, when the crew took bets on how long Prince's guitar solos would last.

Comedian Sindhu Vee first heard the song as a teenager growing up in India and was knocked sideways by it.

Weather reporter Judith Ralston describes the beautiful and rare weather phenomenon of purple rain.

Social historian Zaheer Ali sees the song as a cry out for change, bringing audiences from different backgrounds together in cross-genre harmony.

And finally, an intensive care hospital nurse played Purple Rain to Kevin Clarke while he was in a coma, because his sister knew he loved the song and hoped it might pull him through.

Producer: Becky Ripley

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2022.


There’s a certain piece of music that, when you hear it, seems to stop time. It might be a melody from your childhood, a song that played at a pivotal moment, or a composition that simply reaches into your chest and grips your heart. Soul Music, from BBC Radio 4, is built around that very phenomenon. This isn’t a program about genres or charts; it’s an intimate exploration of why specific pieces of music carry such profound emotional weight. Each episode focuses on a single, iconic work-from classical adagios to folk ballads, from film scores to pop anthems. The podcast weaves together the voices of people whose lives have been indelibly marked by that music: listeners share personal, often moving stories of grief, joy, love, and remembrance, while composers and performers might shed light on the piece’s creation. You’ll hear the music itself, of course, but framed in a way that reveals its deeper resonance in human experience. It’s a quiet, thoughtful series that reminds us how soundtracks our inner lives. Tuning into this podcast feels like being part of a conversation about the invisible threads that connect us all through notes and rhythms, exploring how a sequence of sounds can become a vessel for collective memory and feeling.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Soul Music
Podcast Episodes
Ich Habe Genug [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:32
JS Bach wrote his cantata Ich Habe Genug for the Feast of the Purification of Mary to be performed in Leipzig on 2nd February 1727. The work is a retelling of the story of the old man Simeon who, waiting in the temple, w…
Redemption Song [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:44
"If you've never heard of Bob Marley then you must be living under a rock" - Neville Garrick, Bob Marley's Art Director and friend. At the time he wrote 'Redemption Song', circa 1979, Bob had been diagnosed with the canc…
O Holy Night [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:56
"O' Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining..." and so begins the gentle carol of reflection that has touched the lives of listeners around the world. For The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, it's the carol that l…
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:49
Sandy Denny was just 19 years old when she wrote 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?', her much-loved song about the passing of time.Soul Music tells the story behind the song and speaks to people for whom it has special mea…
You Are My Sunshine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:42
You Are My Sunshine was written in or around 1939 and was adopted by the then governor of Louisiana, Jimmy Davies, who recorded and used it as his campaign theme song. It has since been recorded by more than 400 artists,…
Siegfried Idyll [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:36
Wagner's peaceful Siegfried Idyll was written to thank his wife after the birth of his son Siegfried. On her birthday in 1870, she awoke to find an orchestra on her staircase performing the music for the first time. It's…
My Favourite Things [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:20
"Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens". Guests from around the world share their special memories of The Sound of Music classic 'My Favourite Things'.Written by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1959, this deceptively sim…
Waterloo Sunset [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:18
Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks was released in 1967. Soul Music hears the poignant, thoughtful and life-changing memories of those who love it.Childhood holidays were an escape from bullying for John Harvey. He describes t…
The Star-Spangled Banner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:11
America's national anthem was written by a lawyer, Francis Scott Key, after watching the British navy bombing Fort McHenry in 1814. It was set to an English social men's club song and recognized as the national anthem in…
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:46
Memories of first love, first borns and loss are stirred by 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'.This timeless love song was written by Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, and made famous by Roberta Flack. Activist and folk…