I Would Die 4 U

For other topics, see I Would Die for You.

"Another Lonely Christmas" redirects here. For the Tom Chaplin song, see Twelve Tales of Christmas.

"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.

"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")
Released	November 28, 1984
Recorded	First Avenue, Minneapolis, August 3, 1983 (live recording) Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, late August-early September, 1983 (overdubs)
Genre	Synth-funk synth-pop
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
"Purple Rain" (1984) "I Would Die 4 U" (1984) "Take Me with U" (1985)
Purple Rain singles chronology
"Jungle Love" (1984) "I Would Die 4 U" (1984) "The Bird" (1984)

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)

1. "I Would Die 4 U" (Single version) – 3:03
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

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 Weekly chart performance for "I Would Die 4 U" Chart (1984–1985) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[11] 11 Canadian Singles Chart^[12] 12 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[13] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[14] 7 UK Singles (OCC)^[15] 58 US Billboard Hot 100^[16] 8 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[17] 11 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[18] 50 2016 weekly chart performance for "I Would Die 4 U" Chart (2016) Peak position France (SNEP)^[19] 123

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "I Would Die 4 U" Chart (1985) Position Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[20] 55 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[21] 85

Space Cowboy version

"I Would Die 4 U"
Single by Space Cowboy
from the album Across the Sky
Released	1 January 2002 (2002-01-01)
Label	Southern Fried
Songwriter(s)	Prince
Space Cowboy singles chronology
"I Would Die 4 U" (2002) "Just Put Your Hand In Mine (song)" (2003)

The single peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.

References

1. Saunders, Martin. "I Would Die 4 U: The Christian themes in Prince's lyrics," Christian Today (22 Apr 2016).
2. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 15, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
3. "Reviews". Billboard. December 15, 1984. p. 72. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
4. "Hip Hop Single Sales: Prince, Desiigner & Drake". HipHopDX. April 30, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
5. Ross, Alex Robert. "Prince's Only Christmas Song Is Still Completely Devastating", Vice (Dec. 11, 2018).
6. Needham, Jack. "The story behind Prince's lost Christmas song", Red Bull (December 20, 2019).
7. Tudahl, Duane (2018). Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781538116432.
8. Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
9. "Purple Rain". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
10. "Moog Memorymoog". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
11. "Prince and the Revolution – I Would Die 4 U" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
12. Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000).
13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
14. "Prince and the Revolution – I Would Die 4 U" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
16. "Prince Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
17. "Prince Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
18. "Prince Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
19. "Prince and the Revolution – I Would Die 4 U" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
20. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
21. "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