I Would Die 4 U
Encyclopedia
"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince
and The Revolution
, and the fourth single in the U.S.
from their 1984 album, Purple Rain
. The up-tempo dance
song was a top 10 hit (the last from the album) in the U.S., reaching number 8 on the Hot 100.
The extended version of "I Would Die 4 U" is actually a studio 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; most of this version was often performed live, preceding "Baby I'm a Star
". 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
, "Another Lonely Christmas", is a sad account of a man mourning his lover's death on Christmas Day. The UK
12" single
release also included the 1999
track "Free".
"I Would Die 4 U" is thought by some Prince fans to be sung from the viewpoint of Jesus. On the 12", and in Purple Rain Tour
concerts, Prince changes the lyrics from "I'm your messiah" to "He's your messiah", pointing to the sky as he sings the line.
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and The Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
, and the fourth single in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from their 1984 album, Purple Rain
Purple Rain (album)
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by Prince, the first to officially be credited to Prince and The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film Purple Rain.Purple Rain is regularly ranked among the best albums in pop music history...
. The up-tempo dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
song was a top 10 hit (the last from the album) in the U.S., reaching number 8 on the Hot 100.
The extended version of "I Would Die 4 U" is actually a studio jam on the song with The Revolution and musicians from Sheila E.
Sheila E.
Sheila Escovedo , known by her stage name Sheila E., is an American drummer and percussionist, perhaps best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr.-Early life and Prince period:...
's band, Eddie M
Eddie M
Eddie M is a saxophonist, born and raised in Berkeley, California. He began playing at seven years old.He has recorded and performed with Prince & the Revolution, Sheila E, Jill Jones, Beyoncé, Paula Abdul, Stevie Nicks and many others. In addition to his studio work, Eddie M has toured with...
(on sax) and Miko Weaver
Miko Weaver
Miko Weaver is an American guitarist best known for his work with Prince.Weaver came to Prince's attention when he was a member of Sheila E.'s band. He and some other members of the band joined The Revolution in the studio to record a jam of "I Would Die 4 U" that would later become the song's...
(guitar), along with Sheila E. herself; most of this version was often performed live, preceding "Baby I'm a Star
Baby I'm a Star
"Baby I'm a Star" is a song written and recorded by Prince from his album Purple Rain. It is also the B-side on the "Take Me with U" single.-Background and recording:...
". The jam features some overdubbing
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
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
Erotic City
"Erotic City " is a song by the musician Prince. It was released as the B-side to the 1984 single "Let's Go Crazy" and the 12" version of the 1986 single "Girls & Boys". The dance mix of "Erotic City" was released as a 3" and 5" CD single in Germany in 1989 and 1990 respectively...
" single (the artwork of which features the same image of Prince that was used for this single's cover.)
The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, "Another Lonely Christmas", is a sad account of a man mourning his lover's death on Christmas Day. The UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
12" single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
release also included the 1999
1999 (album)
1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most...
track "Free".
"I Would Die 4 U" is thought by some Prince fans to be sung from the viewpoint of Jesus. On the 12", and in Purple Rain Tour
Purple Rain Tour
The Purple Rain Tour was a concert tour by Prince following up on the success of his 1984 film Purple Rain. According to Spin the tour sold over 1.7 million tickets.-History:...
concerts, Prince changes the lyrics from "I'm your messiah" to "He's your messiah", pointing to the sky as he sings the line.
7": Paisley Park / 7-29121 (US)
- "I Would Die 4 U" (single version) – 2:57
- "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
Cover versions
- Indie band Cush included a cover of the song on their 2002 EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Spiritual 1. - The song was covered by FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
music artist Space CowboySpace Cowboy (musician)Nick Dresti , better known by his stage name Space Cowboy, is a DJ and twice Grammy Award nominated producer, who was born in Paris and raised in England.-Biography:...
on his 2003 album Across The Sky. - A cover by Mariachi El BronxMariachi El BronxMariachi El Bronx is the fourth studio album by the Los Angeles rock band The Bronx, released on September 1, 2009 through Swami Records in the United States and Wichita Recordings in the United Kingdom. It marks a divergence from the band's usual hardcore punk and hard rock sound in favor of a...
was included on the 2009 tribute compilation Purplish RainPurplish RainPurplish Rain is a compilation of Prince covers put out by Spin magazine for readers of its July 2009 issue. The album contains cover versions of songs from Prince's 1984 Purple Rain album, in the same track order as the original....
. A free download of the song was offered by SpinSpin (magazine)Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine. - Neo-soul singer Raheem DeVaughnRaheem DeVaughnRaheem DeVaughn is an American singer and songwriter. His debut album, The Love Experience , reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It featured the singles "Guess Who Loves You More" and "You". His second album Love Behind the Melody was released in January 2008...
released a cover on his 2010 mixtape "Mr. February aka March Madness."
Live cover performances
- Of MontrealOf MontrealOf Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
covered this song throughout their fall tour in 2007, along with other Prince songs. - Bloc PartyBloc PartyBloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
covered part of the song as an intro to "Flux" throughout their 2008 summer tour.