On Episode 62 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Todd Sanzone & I experience a sad and depressing Christmas in May through the lyrics to Prince’s B-side, “Another Lonely Christmas.” We drink some banana daiquiris, have a good cry and try to figure out what this poor girl died from (pneumonia? stress? strep?)
“Baby, you promised me you’d never leave. Then you died on the twenty-fifth day of December.”
Have you ever played Pokeno? Have you ever drank banana daiquiris until you were blind? Have you ever drank banana daiquiris? Have you ever swam naked in the pool of your girlfriend or boyfriend’s parents? Have you ever had a significant other die on a holiday, thus turning what is typically a joyful celebration of love, togetherness, and family into a depressing anniversary excuse to go on an alcoholic bender? Prince’s character in “Another Lonely Christmas” has done all of these things and more. What a story!
Todd and I spend quite a bit of time on this episode talking about the fantastic details Prince sprinkles into the lyrics. For example, he reminisces about his love and gives us specific activities they enjoyed together. Additionally, the storytelling technique he uses to make us think he’s lonely due to a break-up, only to add the twist at the end of the song that this woman of his dreams is deceased, is inspired. It’s intended to be a gut punch to the listener, and it works brilliantly. While Prince never played the song live after its debut on the day after Christmas, 1984, I think the song should be played every year so we can all drink a banana daiquiri to our lost loved ones, Prince included.
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 along with any guest I may have
- If submitted, discuss listener’s interpretations of each song’s lyrics
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Prince’s catalog!
