This Sunday marks the 30th anniversary of the Oscar-winning rock musical drama Purple Rain.
It has been three decades since Prince made his big screen debut and played the memorable role of The Kid in Purple Rain. The singer’s semi-autobiographical film was directed by Albert Magnoli and grossed more than $80 million at the box office.
In the 1984 flick, Prince played a talented but troubled frontman of a Minneapolis-based band. In an effort to escape his physically abusive father and emotionally abusive mother, The Kid spends his days rehearsing and nights performing. Later, he meets an aspiring singer named Apollonia, who he becomes romantically involved with before repeating his father’s destructive behavior. By the end of the movie, The Kid tries to come to grips with his life and gives a crowd-pleasing performance that showcases his musical and emotional maturity.
The film spawned the chart-topping hits singles "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy" and of course, "Purple Rain." The album of the same name sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
In honor of Prince’s iconic performance in the film, we decided to countdown some of the singer’s other great performances.
Here is a top 10 list of the best performances from the musical genius that is Prince.