"I Would Die 4 U" | |||||||||||||||||||
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US 7" single
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Single by Prince and The Revolution | |||||||||||||||||||
from the album Purple Rain | |||||||||||||||||||
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Released | November 28, 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Recorded | Live, First Avenue, Minneapolis, August 3, 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Label | Warner Bros. | ||||||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Prince | ||||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Prince | ||||||||||||||||||
Prince singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||
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"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 last from the album) in the US, reaching number 8 on the Hot 100.
"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.
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.
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, "Another Lonely Christmas", is a sad account of a man mourning his lover who died on Christmas Day from pneumonia. The UK 12" single release also included the 1999 track "Free".