'Purple Rain': 1984 Prince Hit Regarded as Having 'The Greatest Guitar Solo of All Time'

Prince is an icon in every sense of the word. He was a musical trailblazer, leaving an indelible impact on multiple genres. He's also widely regarded as one of the best guitarists ever to live.

One tune, in particular, truly puts his guitar prowess on display: "Purple Rain." The first track from the artist's titular 1984 record, "Purple Rain" has secured places on various best-of lists and rankings. Pitchfork ranked it No. 1 on its list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s." Other publications have declared it to be Prince's best song. Rolling Stone slotted the tune in at No. 18 on its "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list in 2021.

The Prince song has taken the top spot on another reputable list. Today, Rolling Stone published a list of "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time," with "Purple Rain" crowned at No. 1. It certainly deserves all the praise.

Fun fact: Stevie Nicks revealed that Prince asked her to write the lyrics for "Purple Rain" after he sent her a 10-minute instrumental track on a cassette tape. However, Nicks was overwhelmed by it and claimed she couldn't do it. Rolling Stone reveals that "Prince thought it could've become a country song," noting it as one of the "legends" behind the song's origins.

Describing the "Purple Rain" solo, the outlet adds, "Prince wrung a solo from his guitar that felt more like a moving cry of the soul than a musical spotlight." The version of said solo on Purple Rain is the one that was played live (for the first time, mind you) on Aug. 3, 1983, at First Avenue in Minneapolis. And who can forget Prince's legendary Super Bowl performance of the song in 2007?

It's a testament to the late singer-songwriter and musician's boundless talent. Prince was singular—there can only be one.