Purple Rain

Candi Staton and others celebrate this 1970s disco classic which delivers an optimistic message.

Written by David Crawford and released in 1976 this is the kind of song that feels like a carefree celebration, something to lose yourself in on the dancefloor.

But its story isn't quite so simple.

As Candi reveals, Young Hearts Run Free was influenced by her own troubled and abusive relationship which she struggled to leave. In fact the creation of the song helped her gain the confidence to finally walk away.

Other contributors are:

Singer-songwriter, Glen Hansard. He performs the song 'as' his mother because it reminds him so much of what the song meant to her.

Ziggi Battles, a singer who chose to cover the song as a way of rejoicing in the role it played in recovering from a very difficult time.

Jason Gilkison, the Creative Director of Strictly Come Dancing. It will forever remind him of the first time he choreographed a group dance for Strictly at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. His grandfather had danced there himself as a young man, before establishing the first dance school in Perth, Australia, which is where Jason developed his own love of ballroom dancing.

Neil Brand, composer and broadcaster, analyses why the piece works musically. He also describes the pure joy of a version by Kym Mazelle and - unlikely as it seems - the actor and opera singer, Paul Sorvino.

It was used as the soundtrack to the ballroom scene in Baz Luhrmann's film of Romeo and Juliet.

Versions used:

Candi Staton Glen Hansard Maz O'Connor Ziggi Battles Gloria Estefan Kym Mazelle Kym Mazelle (Ballroom Version) with Paul Sorvino

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Karen Gregor.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2022.