Hello, there!

I've been listening to these two recently and was wondering: who's these songs are about?

I know 'Sometimes it snows in April' could be Prince wrinting a love letter to Christopher, but more details would be appreciated.

And 'Old friends 4 sale'. Was this about someone who cheated Prince back in the day? Some time ago I read it's about a guy named Steve but now this guy is dead.

Can anybody explain this better?

Thank U all.

According to DTT:

This slow bluesy classic is one of Prince's most autobiographical songs in which he sings about Steve Fargnoli, Wendy Melvoin, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and the late bodyguard Chick Huntsberry.

***

Something about the song scares me,,,I can't describe it though.

The sun set in the west this mornin'
4 I know, I know L.A. is callin'
Bad news, Steve said, and people are talkin'
They say your kingdom is fallin', yeah
They say U lost your fire
When another musician U hired
Little do they know, U wouldn't have passed go
Unless they could take U higher, yeah

The sun set in my heart this afternoon
4 2 friends of mine got stuck in the snow
In Uptown when winter's alarmin', oh
Cocaine becomes charmin'
But U talk about things U don't know 'bout
I know, no matter how pleasant your past was
Green and white return 2 blue
U're happy as long as your last buzz
And then U think U want something new, yeah

The sun, the sun set in my mind this evening
4 someone who said they would die 4 me
Sold some, they sold some more pictures and all my little memories
Chump change is 2 unravel the mystery, ah ha
But life is no fun, life ain't no fun without fantasy
Some things are better left unsaid
And some people are better left untrusted
Maybe, maybe, maybe it'll all make sense when I'm dead
When I'm dead

Old friends 4 sale
Get'em while the gettin' is hot
Watch out, they'll kiss U until they get what U got
And they'll show U the friends that they're not
Old friends 4 sale

WHEW!

Thanks, Harlepolis!
So it's THAT Steve he's talking about. His former manager, wasn't he? When did he die?

You're right about the song, it upsets me somehow, even listening to it. Don't misunderstand me, I like it very much, but it's a little.... creepy, if you know what I mean.

Thanks, though.

I always assumed (and still do) that "Sometimes it Snows in April" was Prince's response to the AIDS epidemic. Plus, the song was released the year following the first "made for TV" movie about AIDS: "An Early Frost"


1985 was an extremely scary time for many Prince fans, as many of us were watching our friends drop like flies, and by this time we were very familiar with the cause. It was also around this time that Prince began to shift from his rather whorish persona, and started presenting a more spiritual image.

I always read "Tracy died soon after a long fought civil war" as a Prince euphemism for "My friend died soon after contracting AIDS". But being that every head is a world, and given the elusive nature of songs, I suppose the lyrics are open to anyone's interpretation.
[Edited 7/8/08 8:17am]

PDogz said:

Well, that could also be an explanation. A realistic one, too.
Thanks, pal.