Thread by @Miss_EThompson

I am honored to be one of nine contributors creating Twitter threads on #Prince’s “Purple Rain” album. Today, we’ll explore “I Would Die 4 U,” the fourth single, which became another top-ten hit. #PurpleRain9on9

Shout out to all of the other participants so far: @NightEthereal, @arrthurr, @antski74, @CaseyRain, @EdgarKruize and @scottwoodssays. Look for threads by @PrincesFriendYT and @deejayumb on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

With “I Would Die 4 U,” Prince created a pop masterpiece that honors the movie, his real-life parents and his spirituality in less than three minutes:

It’s fitting that it’s the seventh track, as the number seven is considered to be sacred. Born on June 7, Prince was drawn to the number his entire career, and it popped up time and time again in his songs, concert dates and even ticket prices.

But before we look at higher meanings, let’s get down to Earth. The song title may have been inspired by Prince’s father, who once told him, "I would die for you," according to @Duane_Tudahl’s important book, “Prince & The Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions” (page 90).

In the film, we see the Kid’s father telling the Kid’s mother the same thing.

It’s not the only line in the script taken from real life. Here’s what director Albert Magnoli had to say about the moment the Kid’s father tells him, “Never get married.”

The film is inspired by Prince’s parents. Their loving, yet turbulent relationship had a major impact on his life and music.

“One of my life’s dilemmas has been looking at this,” Prince told Dan Piepenbring, who worked on the Purple One’s memoir, “The Beautiful Ones.”

But the movie has a happy ending. Perhaps the Kid’s father, if he survives his injury, will no longer abuse his mother. The Kid will no longer be violent toward Apollonia.

Cue the "I Would Die 4 U" performance:

“I’ll never beat you. I’ll never lie…”

It’s easy to stop at that interpretation. We’re singing along, doing those cool hand gestures. We’re watching Prince do his iconic dance moves:

…Which have been imitated a million times in pop culture.

But let’s go deeper. “I Would Die 4 U” is also about Jesus.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

And, by extension, it’s about God and the Holy Spirit. Growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist church, Prince surely absorbed its doctrine on the Trinity.

“There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons.” – Adventist.org

Note: When Prince later became a Jehovah’s Witness, he would have been taught to reject the existence of the Trinity. According to JW doctrine, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are in subjection to God.

“Accurate Knowledge of Christ and the Father”…

Back to “I Would Die 4 U.”

Verse one: “I'm not a woman, I'm not a man/I am something that you'll never understand.”

Who is it?

Check the B-side to “Purple Rain.”

Verse two is written from the perspective of Jesus.

“No need to worry, no need to cry/I’m your Messiah and you’re the reason why.”

“I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ).”
(John 4:25)

The bridge is often interpreted as the words of the Holy Spirit--a comforter and a helper, according to the Bible.

“I’m not a human, I am a dove.” – Prince

“(Jesus) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove.” (Matt 3:16)

But there are some other perspectives mixed in, so let’s stay on the bridge for a second.

“I am love.” – Prince

“God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

Where have we heard that before?

Wait a minute, the Kid’s father also has some things to say. Let’s see how the movie's dialogue compares to the bridge.

Given that the Kid’s father is talking to the Kid’s mother, consider this: Could the bridge be the Kid/Prince talking to his mom?

“I wanted to prove to my first love, my mother, that the name Prince, my father's stage name & now my given name, was worthy of her love.” – Prince

So, did Prince write “I Would Die 4 U” before or after the movie script? According to @Duane_Tudahl, Prince had penned the song in 1982 and rehearsed it during a soundcheck on the “Controversy” tour (page 89).

The song likely influenced the film’s dialogue.

It makes sense that such a spiritual song was written during the “Controversy” era, when he was mixing a ton of Christian and sexual imagery together in his music and visuals.

But you couldn’t tell if he was exploring his beliefs or just being … controversial.

“The tack of mining every possible taboo was continuing.”- Dez Dickerson

It was fun until it wasn’t. By the “Purple Rain” tour, Prince was working out his issues w/ love and God and lust each night onstage. Some dialogue between him and a mysterious voice:

“I’m so confused.”
“Don’t be confused. There’s only one Lord: Jesus.”
“I’m so confused.”

“I just think that there was a struggle inside of him. … I think he had an idea of what he needed to do spiritually, but the flesh is weak.” – Harlan Austin

Let’s not forget, Prince’s father was around a lot during this era. And we know his dad was very religious.

“This man read the Bible daily.” – Prince

During the tour, Prince also altered the lyrics of the second verse of “I Would Die 4 U.” Let’s see what that looked like.

Perhaps he wanted to double-down on his allusion to Jesus, which he was thinking about when he wrote the song.

Or, maybe he only gradually became aware of the song’s different meanings. It depends on what you think about an artist's ability to be a vessel.

After Prince passed away, multiple people covered “I Would Die 4 U,“ highlighting the religious subtext, which is really powerful when done a certain way. This is my favorite, though it makes me cry.

(Thanks to @darlingnisi for sharing.)

And the hilarious @KevOnStage let us know about this one.

“People were saying the song was already about Jesus. I don’t care, I want it to be MORE about Jesus. I want to SAY the name Jesus.” 🤣

Hopefully, you’re inspired to revisit “I Would Die 4 U” and draw your own conclusions. If you want to hear some more theories, check out my appearance on @pressrewind75's Prince podcast.

bit.ly/3c8MzHE

And if you enjoyed this thread, please check out my blog: apurpledayindecember.com

And subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with my writing and progress on my book on Prince’s spirituality: eepurl.com/gdTiuL

Thank you! 💜🕊️