On Episode 9 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, I cover the audacious rock n’ roll of “I’m Yours” from Prince’s debut album, For You.
“Never have I ever made love before.”
“I’m Yours” is a very early Prince recording dating back to 1976 that found its way onto his debut album. While other songs recorded around this time fall more into disco, R&B, and funk genres, this is a straight-up rock track designed to highlight Prince’s guitar skills. While he displays an impressive set of skills for a 19-year-old, this knowledge shouldn’t surprise anyone that has read about his borderline monomaniacal dedication to his craft.
Musically speaking, it’s an aggressive song, not unlike what “Bambi” is to the Prince album. He might have looked at this song as an opportunity to showcase influences outside of the funk and R&B arenas. I cite Santana as a possible influence during the episode, but I’m sure there were others. Also, Prince sings in his high falsetto, which juxtaposed with the heavy cock-rock guitar riffs, makes for a jarring listen. The lyrics’ intelligibility suffers a bit as a result, but the chorus is heard loud and clear, which is crucial.
In the song, he expresses attraction and desire for another person (woman assumed although a pronoun is never used) in a way he’s never experienced before. He claims he’s never wanted to make love to anyone until he’s met her, which is a great line (in a song and real-life) but highly unbelievable words coming out of a teenager’s mouth.
The lyrics imply that the woman Prince is enamored with is more experienced. He uses the word “teacher” to describe their sexual dynamic. We don’t know if she’s older or simply has done things Prince has never done before, but these lyrics only work for a song recorded by a teenager. Can you imagine Prince singing about never having wanted to make love to anyone after the audacity of Dirty Mind? Ridiculous.
“I’m Yours” is a fan favorite for a good reason. The guitar work is absurdly good, and while the lyrics are relatively slight and do not explore the depth that he will go in a couple of years, it’s an unruly gift of a closing track—a sign of brilliance to come.
The goal of each episode of Press Rewind is to:
- Take a track by track look at the lyrical content of Prince’s discography
- Discuss my own interpretation of each song’s lyrics
- If submitted, discuss listener’s interpretations of each song’s lyrics
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Prince’s catalog!
