“I Would Die 4 U” by Prince holds up beautifully 35 years later

Agreed. I Would Die 4 U and Take Me With U are my favourite Purple Rain songs. They didn't chart as high as When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy or the title track but they're both top tier Prince.

I always hated the song “Purple Rain”

I love this song, OP! I really don't like "Raspberry Beret" or "When Doves Cry" and I still hear them everywhere. Meh.

OP Great song to dance too

The song Purple Rain is trash. Adore is his best work, IMO.

“Let’s Go Crazy” is in regular rotation on my Spotify. It has everything.

Good song, but my favorite is still Little Red Corvette.

So does U Got the look. (Sheena Easton driving with her foot on the dashboard always seemed like the coolest move to me.)

link?

Can't seem to find the video.

R8 Took me 2 seconds

[quote] I always hated the song “Purple Rain”

I don't hate it, but it's not at the top of my list of songs I love.

It was his most "rock" song and of course the one that all the rock and rollers quoted and remembered when he died. Because Bruce Springsteen wasn't going to acknowledge, say, Raspberry Beret.

Prince's sound was a mix of rock, pop and soul, but on several occasions he showed the rock old guard that he could absolutely smoke their asses and leave them in the dust.

Watch from around 3:20, and see how it's done, bitches.

R10 He also made the best faces whilst playing

Love this song too OP. Good taste.

Computer Blue was my favorite off that album. I liked 1999 so much better, Lady Cab Driver and Delirious - Up to and including Purple Rain Prince albums were solid buys - almost every song was amazing. Then he just started releasing shit. Like a ton of it. I think he was trying to get out of his contract with WB and put shit out to fulfill his album deal. He had a knack for making stars out of beautiful women who had no business singing. Vanity, Apollonia, Shelia E (granted she was a talented drummer and percussionist). When he wrote for others there was magic. I think 101 for Sheena Easton is a great example of that. Manic Monday for the Bangles. Probably the most under rated album ever was The Family, what became of The Time after Morris Day and Jessie Johnson left. Nothing Compares 2 U is on that album and much better than the Skinhead O Connor version.

Lead Single from the Family - it was St. Mark from the TIme and Susanna Melvoin (Wendy's twin sister I Think). Jerome, Dr. Funk and the rest of the TIme.

101 - Prince wrote for Sheena on THe Lover in Me Album

I Would Die 4 U is genius—there's no real melody but the weird close harmony and the beat make it irresistible. Prince made new sounds and was underrated as an artist because he was working at the same as Jacko.

"Screams of Passion" was such a cool tune. Should have been a much bigger hit. Maybe it was a little too out there for radio.

The 10 minute live version is also terrific.

Purple Rain is tops for me. I remember in a teen group when it was popular a bunch of us wanted it played at our funerals. :)

Actually, I should say, there is one performance of Purple Rain I truly loved, and that was the Super Bowl halftime.

That was beautiful. For whatever reason, I just "got" the emotions of that song so much more in that setting.

Purple Rain - and it's raining - and his voice and......I still get teary eyed thinking about it.

Erotic City was my favorite. I’m not sure if it was on the album but it was a b side of something else. The long version was great. Take me with you was great also.

Huge Prince fan here!

R19 I don’t want a funeral, but if I had one I’d want this song played. I also play this song when I feel sad about him being gone because it makes me feel like he was ready to leave this Earth. You can hear his unborn baby’s heartbeat in this song 😢💜👑🥞

[quote] I also play this song when I feel sad about him being gone because it makes me feel like he was ready to leave this Earth.

R22 YES! YES!

I love that song. But yes, especially those lyrics and the pain in his voice.

People say they were surprised by his death or that he was struggling.....to which my answer is always, you weren't listening. It was all there for us. It was pretty much the first thing I thought/felt when I heard that song.

Sex Shooter by Prince is amazing!

Everything about this song is sublime! There is a version of IWDFU that he performed at a charity that is magnificent, but I haven't been able to find that version. I miss him so much :(

I'm looking forward to the Originals album (I know it's out, just don't have it yet).

You can tell with Sex Shooter he really did craft EVERY note and word on the damn thing!

Erika Jayne did a version of Sex Shooter that was really good as well.

Sex Shooter was Apollonia Six you filthy dumbass.

Appolonaia sang it word for word - You can tell from the Prince version. She basically sang along to the track No talent, 2nd rate Vanity.

R29 Yup.

Will be interesting to hear all the Originals tracks, to see how much some artists changed it from his demos and how some did not.

All of the Original songs are on youtube. No need for Tidal. Make Up & Noon Rendezvous plus Love Thy Will Be Done are my favorites.

I haven’t tidal for free

This is another song where his pain was very clear, at least to me.

"Give me back the time, you can keep the memories...." MARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the Prince most people needed to know, and didn't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXiLzAw9dSQ

Sorry! Try this one.

No mention of one of his biggest pop culture hits that still gets radio play in 2019, Kiss?

Speaking of "High Fashion":

Always adored this

The Beautiful Ones is really the best track off of Purple Rain. But there are so many great songs on it.

All killer, no filler.

I love how I Would Die 4 U segues into Baby I'm a Star.

I hated his guitar solo of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Obnoxious shedding.

R40 .....shedding fur?

So THAT's what it sounds like when doves cry!

r38 odd that it was called unreleased since it was on The Family.

R43 Huh?

Sometimes It Snows In April was on Parade.

If you meant Nothing Compares 2 U - I think with the Originals project they are all **his** versions, most of which have never been released.

Dwight's version - Perhaps the Keith Whitley/Lorrie Morgan people will like it

I used to love Prince's music until he came out with that nonsense about his religion not allowing him to accept gay marriage.

The irony is he used gay imagery to catapult to fame.

Apparently his religion was just fine with opioid addiction.

Prince's lyrics always seem (at least to me) to be forgotten when extolling his genius, and "I Would Die 4 U" is one of his greatest triumphs lyrically, a song of devotion taken to messianic levels:

r44I I meant High Fashion. Sorry yes I know April was on Parade. sorry.

The 10 min extended version of I Would Die 4 U is amazing as well, if you haven't heard it yet.

Amazing song

This is my favorite song of his besides Raspberry Beret and Starfish & Coffee

Agree I love the lyrics

[quote]Prince was a genius.

Then, wouldn't he still be alive?

Why are you specifying what [italic]millennials[/italic] think of Prince, OP?

He was a Boomer.

[quote] I always hated the song “Purple Rain”

I kinda do too.

It pissed me off that when he died, so many rock musicians paid tribute to him with PR - a song that is his most rock song and quite frankly is kind of an outlier among all his songs. If they *really* wanted to honor him they could have picked something with a little more Prince flavor. I mean, I don't expect Bruce Springsteen to sing "If I Was Your Girlfriend" but seriously, there were other songs to pick.

When he scaled down his sound a bit, he could kick out such brilliant pop. Yes, Kiss exemplifies this the most. But I still listen to Pop Life at least once a week.

Alphabet Street and Starfish and Coffee are so good too.

Alphabet Street and Starfish and Coffee are so good too.

I love the lyrics to this song. Little Red Corvette and Xtraloveable are favourites too.

Chrissy Metz did a version - "I Would Diet 4 U (Not)"

"I'd die 4 U" is about Jesus. i'm not your lover / i'm not your friend / I'm your messiah ....

I don’t think Prince was that religious, was he?

He was co-opting religious terminology for a love song.

I've got news for you OP.

Lots of songs hold up 35 years later.

Plenty of songs hold up now over the 50 year mark.

R61 So he just called Jesus "darling" several times like it's no big deal?

I like all era's of Prince but I love the early pre-Purple Rain stuff the most: Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999. This was his most New Wave-ish period.

One of Prince's best, weirdest pre Purple Rain songs

I would die4u is also one of my favourite Prince songs.It has that funky thing going on but also that hint of pensiveness.How can one track be so damn funky but also a little sad?

Other Prince songs I love..April showers,Take me with u(I agree with the person who first posted about it that it is a great song),Strange relationship,I could never take the place of your man

Yes this song is forever a bop!

Sorry..I meant sometimes it snows in April.I got the title mixed up as it isn't one of Prince's more famous songs.Sometimes it snows in April is a lovely song.

I hate to say it, but I love his song Lady Cab Driver. I don’t think it involves consensual sex, however...