1984

Publication: Newsweek [US]
Date: July 23, 1984
Title: "The New Prince of Hollywood"
Summary: As a rock star, he's outrageous but plausible. As a movie star, he's unprecedented. We're talking about Prince, the 24-year-old funk dandy with the Little Richard pompadour and the rude and lewd stage manner, the man whose haunting hit "When Doves Cry" defies all conventional wisdom about what a No. 1 single should be.

Publication: New York Daily News [US]
Date: July 27, 1984
Title: "Prince's 'Purple' Reign"
Summary: At the core of "Purple Rain" lies a morality tale about a selfish kid who is opended up by love - a tale so heart - warming it could have been lifted straight from "Andy Hardy Gets A Girlfriend."

Publication: Time [US]
Date: August 6, 1984
Title: "His Highness of Haze"
Summary: Stumped. For a long minute, anyhow. When Apollonia asked Prince-and yes, those are their real names, approximately-"Is there anything you can't do?" there was a lingering silence. A tough question to put such a tyro.

Publication: People [US]
Date: August 20, 1984
Title: "Prince"
Summary: The sexy enigma of rock makes a royal statement in his debut film Purple Rain.

Publication: People [US]
Date: November 19, 1984
Title: "Prince's Purple Reign"
Summary: He glittered in a white sequined cape, ornately futuristic atop a bank of speakers in the darkened hall. Eerie synthesizer chords echoed through the arena, laser lights dappled the crowd and a garbled heavenly voice rumbled, "I'm confused."