I Would Die 4 U

"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and The Revolution, and 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.

"Another Lonely Christmas" redirects here. For the Tom Chaplin song, see Twelve Tales of Christmas.
"I Would Die 4 U"
US 7" single
Single by Prince and The Revolution
from the album Purple Rain
B-side
  • "Another Lonely Christmas"
  • "Free" (UK 12")
ReleasedNovember 28, 1984
Format
  • 7" single
  • 12" single
RecordedFirst Avenue, Minneapolis, August 3, 1983 (live recording) Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, Late August-Early September, 1983 (overdubs)
Genre
Length
  • Album: 2:49
  • Single: 2:58
  • 12-inch: 10:15
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Prince
Producer(s)Prince
Prince singles chronology
"Purple Rain"
(1984)		 "I Would Die 4 U"
(1984)		 "Take Me with U"
(1985)
Prince (UK) singles chronology
"Purple Rain"
(1984)		 "I Would Die 4 U"
(1984)		 "Let's Go Crazy"/"Take Me with U"
(1985)

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 to know is that U believe," and, "I'm your messiah and you're the reason why."[1]

"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.[2]

Following Prince's death, the song re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 39 on the chart dated the week of May 14, 2016.

"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.[3] Although during that period of his life Prince was socially very solitary, he insisted that "Another Lonely Christmas" was a fictional story.[3][4] The song has been compared to the song "Sometimes It Snows in April," from the 1986 album Parade.[3] He only performed "Another Lonely Christmas" live one time, on the day after Christmas, December 26, 1984, at the St. Paul Civic Center in Minnesota.[4][3]

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".

Personnel
  • Prince – lead and background vocals and various instruments
  • Wendy Melvoin – guitar and vocals
  • Lisa Coleman – keyboards and vocals
  • Matt Fink – keyboards
  • Brown Mark – bass
  • Bobby Z. – drums and percussion

Track listing

7": Paisley Park / 7-29121 (US)
  1. "I Would Die 4 U" (single version) – 2:57
  2. "Another Lonely Christmas" – 4:51

12": Paisley Park / 9 20291-0 (US)
  1. "I Would Die 4 U" (extended version) – 10:15
  2. "Another Lonely Christmas" (extended version) – 6:47

12": Warner Bros. / W9121T (UK)
  1. "I Would Die 4 U" (single version) – 2:57
  2. "Another Lonely Christmas" – 4:51
  3. "Free" – 5:00

Charts
Chart (1984–85) Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart 12
Netherlands Singles Chart 7
UK Singles Chart 58
US Billboard Hot 100 8
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles 11
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs 50

Cover versions
  • Indie band Cush included a cover of the song on their 2002 EP Spiritual 1, featuring vocals by Richard Swift.[5]
  • The song was covered by French music artist Space Cowboy on his 2003 album Across The Sky.[6]
  • Mariachi El Bronx released two recordings of the song. One was included on the 2009 tribute compilation Purplish Rain. A free download of the song was offered by Spin magazine.[7] Later, the other recording appeared on Colette No. 10.[8]
  • The synthpop band Chvrches covered the song during their live performances since 2012, titled as 'I Would Die 4 V', as a reference to the V in their band name.[9]
  • Neo-soul singer Raheem DeVaughn released a cover on his 2010 mixtape "Mr. February aka March Madness."[10]
  • British indie rock band White Lies released a cover of the song on their 2013 extended play Small TV.
  • Nick Jonas recorded a cover version, available on his Facebook page.
  • American singer Lydia Loveless covered the song on a single released together with Cory Branan in 2015. She also released a cover version on the 2017 album Boy Crazy and Single(s).
  • California Pop band Hotel Apache released a cover of the song following Prince's death in April 2016.[11]

Live cover performances
  • Of Montreal covered this song throughout their fall tour in 2007, along with other Prince songs.
  • Bloc Party covered part of the song as an intro to "Flux" throughout their 2008 summer tour.
  • Chvrches have covered this song live in 2012, and was one of the first three songs readily available on the internet by them.
  • Haim covered this song live at Osheaga and Lollapolozza in 2016.
  • Justin Timberlake did a cover/duet at the Super Bowl LII halftime show.

References
  1. Saunders, Martin. "I Would Die 4 U: The Christian themes in Prince's lyrics," Christian Today (22 Apr 2016).
  2. "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  3. Ross, Alex Robert. "Prince's Only Christmas Song Is Still Completely Devastating," Vice (Dec. 11, 2018).
  4. Needham, Jack. "The story behind Prince's lost Christmas song," Red Bull (December 20, 2019).
  5. "cMusicWeb.com: Spiritual 1 EP".
  6. "Space Cowboy — I Would Die 4 U — Listen and discover music at Last.fm".
  7. "Get Your FREE Copy of SPIN's Prince Tribute!". Spin.
  8. "Colette No. 10". AllMusic.
  9. "CHVRCHES – I Would Die 4 V (Prince Cover) - All Things Go".
  10. "Mr. February aka March Madness - 368 Music Group". 368 Music Group. 15 January 2010.
  11. "hotelapache". Retrieved 30 December 2016.
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