On Episode 87 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Jerry Bonner (@JBonner71) joins me to discuss the somber, wistful ballad, “Sometimes It Snows in April” from Parade. We discuss a few lyrical question marks that the song asks as well as connection to the film and the accidental eulogy that the song became after Prince’s passing in 2016.
“All good things they say, never last.”
Grab your tissues because Prince & the Revolution close out Parade with a serious tearjerker of a ballad. “Sometimes It Snows In April” has undoubtedly taken on new meaning after Prince’s passing on April 21st, 2016. Still, even before that tragic incident, this song was meant to spark deep emotional longing for lost friendship, lost love, lost life. Now, more than ever, this song provides a sort of accident eulogy for Prince, which turns an already sad song into an unbearably difficult listen.
Despite this overwhelming sadness, Jerry and I soldier on and discuss how the song’s lyrics can be interpreted as sung by Christopher Tracy’s friend in Under the Cherry Moon, Tricky, who might have sung about the friend he’s lost. Several lines in this song can be interpreted or even heard in more than one way, and we try to offer our takes on what we and others might hear instead. Even if you can no longer listen to this track for fear of breaking down and crying, we hope you spend time listening to the podcast episode for this gorgeous piece of music.
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!
