djzyonsevenSome movies entertain you.
Some movies change how you see yourself.
And then there’s Purple Rain.
That one didn’t just hit the screen. It hit my life.
I still remember sneaking out to see it like it was yesterday. First movie I ever lied to my parents about. I had an older friend, a little more freedom, and just enough nerve to do something I knew I probably shouldn’t be doing. That alone made it feel bigger than a movie. It felt like a moment.
At that point in my life, I was locked in on Prince. And look, let’s be real. Michael Jackson was dominating the planet off Thriller. Nobody was bigger. But for me, Prince was the one. The mystique. The attitude. The sound. The way he moved like rules didn’t apply to him.
I had that big poster from Purple Rain on my wall like it was a shrine. That wasn’t decoration. That was identity.
And yeah… let’s not act brand new. Apollonia had teenage me paying very close attention. That was education of a different kind. You remember those moments. They stick.
But here’s the thing. As much as Prince owned that movie, the scene stealers?
That was Morris Day, Jerome Benton, and The Time.
Every time they showed up, it shifted. Swagger. Humor. Timing. They weren’t just in the movie. They were performing inside it. Morris had that cocky smooth energy, Jerome playing off him like a perfect shadow. It felt effortless, but you knew it wasn’t.
And musically? Man…
Jungle Love is still one of those records. That groove hits and it’s over. You’re in it. You don’t question it. You ride it.
Which brings me to something that bothered me then and still makes me side-eye it now.
Why wasn’t The Time’s music on the Purple Rain soundtrack?
No Jungle Love.
No The Bird.
Not even Sex Shooter from Apollonia 6.
And when you dig into it, the answer is layered but clear. Control.
Prince wrote and produced pretty much everything tied to that era, including records for The Time and Apollonia 6. But the Purple Rain soundtrack was a Prince album, released under his name, on his terms. Different acts had different label situations, branding considerations, and Prince had a very tight grip on how his world was presented. That wasn’t accidental. That was strategy mixed with ego.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Both things can be true.
He was a genius.
And he could be difficult.
Over time, I learned more about how he handled The Time, even down to control over their name and identity. It didn’t sit right with me. It chipped away at that untouchable image I had of him as a kid.
But here’s the paradox.
Even with all that… the music still hits.
Because when Jungle Love comes on, I’m right back there. Sneaking out. Sitting in that theater. Watching something I wasn’t supposed to see. Feeling grown before I actually was.
That’s the power of it.
The movie.
The music.
The moment.
It all became part of the soundtrack of who I was becoming.
And whether Prince put it on the album or not…
The Time made sure their music was unforgettable anyway.
#PurpleRain #Prince #TheTime #MorrisDay #JeromeBenton #JungleLove #Apollonia6 #80sMusic #RNBClassics #TheSoundtrackOfWhoIBecame
