Prince on a custom purple motorcycle, bathed in purple light and smoke, wearing a sequined jacket — the image that cemented purple as his personal brand. After his death in 2016, Pantone created a custom shade called 'Love Symbol #2' in his honor.
Prince sits on a motorcycle — a custom-modified purple Honda, though some sources identify it as a modified Hondamatic — bathed in purple light and smoke. He wears a purple-sequined jacket and ruffled shirt, his hair and posture projecting supernatural confidence. The image is at once glamorous and theatrical, evoking both rock god and religious icon.
Ed Thrasher, a veteran album cover photographer who had previously shot covers for the Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, and others, created the image to complement the film of the same name, in which Prince played "The Kid," a Minneapolis musician struggling with personal demons and a dysfunctional family while trying to make it in the music scene. The film was semi-autobiographical.
The color purple became so completely associated with Prince after this album that it essentially became his personal brand for the remainder of his career and beyond. Purple was already significant to Prince before the album — he had worn purple on stage and incorporated it into his visual identity — but Purple Rain cemented it as his defining color. After his death in April 2016, the Pantone Color Institute created a custom shade called "Love Symbol #2" in his honor.
The motorcycle from the cover became a piece of music memorabilia in its own right. After the film's production, it was stored in various locations and has been exhibited at museums and exhibitions dedicated to Prince's legacy.
The album was released simultaneously as a studio album and a film soundtrack, with the film premiering in July 1984. Both were massive commercial successes — the album spent 24 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. The film grossed over $80 million against a $7 million budget.
The Purple Rain cover image is one of the most iconic in pop music history, representing a peak moment for both Prince and popular music in the 1980s. The image captures Prince at the height of his charismatic power — combining rock, funk, soul, and pop into a singular, genre-defying vision. The motorcycle pose has been parodied and referenced countless times. Following Prince's death, the cover image became a central symbol of mourning and celebration of his legacy.