A Possible Lawsuit Made Prince Call Journey Before Releasing His Biggest Ballad — His 15-Word Admission Exposed the Approval He Still Needed became an extraordinary story of artistic caution behind one of rock’s most unforgettable songs.
Before releasing “Purple Rain,” Prince reportedly worried that its emotional chord movement sounded dangerously close to Journey’s 1983 power ballad “Faithfully.”
Rather than quietly release the track and hope nobody noticed, the famously independent superstar made a private call that placed his future anthem in another songwriter’s hands.
Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain later recalled being summoned to Columbia Records’ Los Angeles office, where he was told Prince wanted to speak with him.
Prince then played the unreleased song and delivered a striking admission: “The chord changes are close to ‘Faithfully,’ and I don’t want you to sue me.”
The confession revealed a surprisingly vulnerable side of Prince, an artist celebrated for controlling his music, protecting his vision and challenging nearly anyone standing in his way.
Yet with “Purple Rain,” he apparently understood that similarity could become more than a musical debate—it could threaten the song before audiences even heard it.
Cain listened carefully, but instead of responding with lawyers, demands or accusations, he reportedly felt honored that Prince had contacted him directly.
He gave Prince his blessing, asked for no songwriting credit and decided the emotional resemblance was not enough to justify blocking the record’s release.
That decision quietly cleared the path for “Purple Rain” to become the towering centerpiece of Prince’s 1984 album, film and rapidly expanding cultural legacy.
The song would eventually become inseparable from Prince himself, closing concerts, defining his image and turning a private legal concern into a largely forgotten footnote.
Cain’s reaction also suggested that he heard inspiration rather than theft, recognizing that familiar chord patterns can produce entirely different songs when melody, lyrics and performance transform them.
Prince had not copied “Faithfully,” in Cain’s view, but his decision to call showed how seriously he treated the possibility that another musician might disagree.
Prince apparently never forgot the generosity.
Cain later said he received front-row seats during the “Purple Rain” Tour, where Prince acknowledged him from the stage and tossed him a tambourine during the performance.
The gift was small compared with the song’s eventual impact, but it carried a personal message of gratitude between two musicians whose ballads had briefly intersected.
Prince had asked permission when he could have remained silent, and Cain had answered without turning the moment into a public fight or financial negotiation.
Behind the enormous guitar solo, dramatic lighting and emotional legend of “Purple Rain” was therefore a tense phone call built around respect, fear and artistic responsibility.
Prince may have been preparing to release his biggest ballad, but first, he needed one songwriter to confirm that its familiar emotional pull had not crossed the line.