I Would Die 4 U
| "I Would Die 4 U" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 7" single | ||||
| Single by Prince and The Revolution | ||||
| from the album Purple Rain | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | November 28, 1984 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:51 (album version) 2:57 (single version) 10:15 (12-inch version) | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
| Producer(s) | Prince | |||
| Prince singles chronology | ||||
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| Purple Rain singles chronology | ||||
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"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, Purple Rain. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song's lyrics evoke Jesus Christ's message to his followers: "U—I would die 4 U, darling if U want me 2"; as well as, "if you're evil I'll forgive you", "all I really need is 2 know that U believe," and, "I'm your messiah and you're the reason why."[1]
Cash Box called the song "a practice in restrained ecstasy" in which "Prince delivers one of his finest and most passionate...vocal performances."[2] Billboard called it "electrifying", saying that "the nervous excitement zaps like a high-tension wire."[3]
"I Would Die 4 U" is often played in sequence with "Baby I'm a Star", the track following it, on Purple Rain. As of April 30, 2016, it has sold 561,772 copies in the United States.[4]
"Another Lonely Christmas"
The B-side, "Another Lonely Christmas", is a melancholy account of a man mourning his lover, who had died from pneumonia on a previous Christmas Day. Prince recorded "Another Lonely Christmas" in February 1984.[5] Although during that period of his life Prince was socially very solitary, he insisted that "Another Lonely Christmas" was a fictional story.[5][6] The song has been compared to the song "Sometimes It Snows in April", from the 1986 album Parade.[5] He performed "Another Lonely Christmas" live only one time, on the day after Christmas, December 26, 1984, at the St. Paul Civic Center in Minnesota.[6][5]
Alternate versions
The extended version of "I Would Die 4 U" is actually a rehearsal jam on the song with The Revolution and musicians from Sheila E.'s band, Eddie M (on sax) and Miko Weaver (guitar), along with Sheila E. herself recorded some time before the Purple Rain Tour. The jam features some overdubbing and fades at the end; a longer version, nearly 31 minutes long, was never released officially, but has been bootlegged. The extended mix was also used as the B-side of the 1989 "Erotic City" single (the artwork of which features the same image of Prince that was used for this single's cover).
The B-side of the UK 12" single release includes "Another Lonely Christmas" as well as the 1999 track "Free".
Track listing
7": Paisley Park / 7-29121 (US)
- "I Would Die 4 U" (Single version) – 3:03
- "Another Lonely Christmas" – 4:51
12": Paisley Park / 9 20291-0 (US)
- "I Would Die 4 U" (Extended version) – 10:15
- "Another Lonely Christmas" (extended version) – 6:47
12": Warner Bros. / W9121T (UK)
- "I Would Die 4 U" (Single version) – 2:57
- "Another Lonely Christmas" – 4:51
- "Free" – 5:00
Personnel
Credits sourced from Duane Tudahl, Benoît Clerc, and Guitarcloud[7][8][9]
- Prince – lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, piano, synthesizers
- Wendy Melvoin – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Lisa Coleman – synthesizers, backing vocals
- Matt Fink – synthesizers, Memorymoog,[10] Linn LM-1
- Brown Mark – bass guitar
- Bobby Z. – Linn LM-1, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, cymbals
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Space Cowboy version
| "I Would Die 4 U" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Space Cowboy | ||||
| from the album Across the Sky | ||||
| Released | 1 January 2002 | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | Southern Fried | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Prince | |||
| Space Cowboy singles chronology | ||||
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The single peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.
References
- ^ Saunders, Martin. "I Would Die 4 U: The Christian themes in Prince's lyrics," Christian Today (22 Apr 2016).
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 15, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ "Reviews". Billboard. December 15, 1984. p. 72. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Ross, Alex Robert. "Prince's Only Christmas Song Is Still Completely Devastating", Vice (Dec. 11, 2018).
- ^ a b Needham, Jack. "The story behind Prince's lost Christmas song", Red Bull (December 20, 2019).
- ^ Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538116432.
- ^ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
- ^ "Purple Rain". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ "Moog Memorymoog". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
- ^ "Prince and the Revolution – I Would Die 4 U" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000).
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Prince and the Revolution – I Would Die 4 U" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Prince Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Prince and the Revolution – I Would Die 4 U" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
External links
- Dedicated Prince site featuring... "I Would Die 4 U" lyrics and B-side track... "Another Lonely Christmas" lyrics
