http://www.nytimes.com/19...gewanted=1

Prince's ''When Doves Cry'' is currently listed as the No. 1 single on Billboard's charts, and Warner Brothers claims to have sold 1.3 million copies of the singer-songwriter- multi-instrumentalist's ''Purple Rain'' album its first day in the stores. A film conceived by and starring Prince, also titled ''Purple Rain'' and based on the album, will be released later this month.

Is that a trick question? Because a lot of people wanted it and it was the follow up to a very successful album and there was alot of anticipation and When Doves Cry was a huge hit and the movie was about to be released?

The movie was out before the soundtrack -- people were out of their minds for the album by the time it came out.

When Doves Cry, the single, was also in heavy rotation.

EDIT: Not sure about the timing of the album release -- I got mine after I saw the movie.
[Edited 4/4/09 17:45pm]

Cause he's BAD.

there was no soundscan at the time, so this figure is most likely completely made up by Warner Bros' PR machine

Because word on the streets was that the record was brilliant and the lead single "When Doves Cry" broke genre barriers and was one of the most unique pop songs ever released. It was a very different time.

asg said:

Not in its first day, but it's first week.

The album was out before the movie.

I don't think a lot of fans who climbed on the wagon after those years have a concept of Prince's popularity at the time.

Prince owned the airways. At the grammies and American Music Awards, after Purple Rain was released, other artists where dressing like Prince. The soundscape of America completely changed on pop radio, and sexual themes were becoming more and more explored.

Prince was everywhere. Everyone was wanting to get ahold of that album. You couldn't find somebody who didn't have a copy of the album, whether the original recording, or a taped recording from a friend whose parents would actually allow them to own it .

Purple Rain was so popular as a matter of fact that when Around The World in a Day was released without any promotion whatsoever, it sold 2 million copies just off the afterglow of Purple Rain.

Prince was huge then. Every one of his following #1 records, though as impressive as their sales where (especially considering the methods prince used to sell some of them or lack of promotion thereof), all pale in comparison to the buzz that Purple Rain had generated. It was cool to be a Prince fan for one hot minute in 1984/85.

When Doves Cry

I was already a fan, but this song just blew me away on first listen.
Its easy to take WDC for granted now, but there was nothing like it on the radio or anywhere when it was first released.

errant said:

wrong !!! back then if u wanted new music you had to BUY it ! no torrents and all the cyber shorcut ways of getting stuff like it is now...nowadays most people just download.

if technology we have now was available back in the day, Micheal jackson's "triller" wouldnt sell as much as it did, no one else in that era either...its just the era and lack of technology then...thats why only true artiste like Prince survives nowadays with very little record sales..HE IS A BAD ASS LIVE...nowadays no one selling above 3million copies anymore...back then you talking bout 10 ,million and up...

"Little Red Corvette," laid the Royal Carpet 4, "Purple Rain." MTV was also influential in record sales at the time.
When Prince did "1999," The World just wasn't ready 4 beautiful, sexual, curiosity, like Prince delivered. I'm sure Prince left them(US) hanging on his last sung word.
[Edited 4/4/09 19:25pm]

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

'When Doves Cry'was released to radio on my birthday. I cried the first time I heard it. The dj didn't announce it, but when I heard that guitar, I knew it had to be Prince and I thought it was so brilliant about a third of the way through.
It was my birthday, Prince was brilliant, and I knew Prince was going to have his first #1 single in a couple of weeks . . .

Everyone was feeing for this album to drop after the single was out for a month. It damn sure did sell a mil in it's first week. Prince was the hottest thing in the wporld that summer.

That picture of him with head shop Lennon glasses was such an enigmatic pose that just raised the anguish factor.

because people cared about music back then and had no problem spending the equivalent of probably $25-30 in today's $s on an album with only 9 or 10 songs.

Music has become devalued to basically zero nowadays.

3232 said:

blah blah blah.... back then, sales were reported by retail managers, who were in the pockets of the labels.

Bullshit !

The build up to Purple Rain was unlike anything that anyone who is under 35 can think of and that's including the latest Star Wars I,II,III, the Harry Potter movies, and this Twilight books/movie.

WDC was killing Pop radio.17 Days was killing R&B radio. The video was killing MTV and Friday Night Videos,New York Hot Tracks and anything else that showed video.

That stat released missed the little mom and pop record stores that dominated the landscape in those days. So it is very possible that that figure is lower than what it could be.

SUPRMAN said:

I didn't know about hit singles or any of that kind of stuff back then, but when I first heard this song I knew it had to be Prince too.
After 1999 and Controversy, you knew nobody else was capable of a song like this.

muleFunk said:

I do recall hearing 17days on the radio back then but When Doves Cry was out right before the whole album came out and that song was seriously blowin up everywhere

WDC was released May 16th 1984, the album arrived June 24th, WDC was #1 on the singles chart on June 28th 1984, so that means on the 24th it was at least at #3 and the 28th chart was based on sales June 22nd - 28th 1984, theres your answer.
People probably realised that it was bloody good as well, and knew this guy was Mr 1984 the latest thing.
Another scenario was Poeple may have been getting tired of the Michael Jackson Thriller thing, and was ready for the next black megastar, a bonus was this one had talent that extended beyond fondling little boys and dancing.

People stole music back in the day too, but it sounded like crap. LP to cassette recordings and even cassette-cassette recordings weren't that great.

Even if the Internet never existed, music sales would be down because of CD technology. You can make (steal) a perfect digital copy, so theft was inevitable.

It really irritates me how some people can't fork over $10 to buy a CD. They have a false sense of "entitlement".

Se7en said:

Exactly, it costs money to create and promote an album, not to mention maybe making a profit from the work you put in.
Its not just skipping out on your tap for dinner but tipping the wait staff too. Maybe its because its so impersonal, they can take something in the privacy of their own home and there really is no deterrence. No shame.

Ugot2shakesumthin said:

There is no shame and no real deterrence (yet).

Most people either think of it as a victimless crime or "I wouldn't have bought it anyway".

If you own the album on 8-track, LP, or cassette and only want a digital copy then I see nothing wrong with downloading it. If you NEVER owned it, you are stealing.