On Episode 115 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Jerry Bonner and I head on down to Tennessee to discuss Prince’s dirty, fun Lovesexy hit, “Alphabet St.” Despite an amateurish-looking music video and racy yet cleverly coded lyrics, this track still became the biggest hit from the album. Not to mention, an appearance from Cat! We need her to rap! Don’t just sit there and…watch.
“I’m gonna put her in the back seat and drive her to Tennessee.”
Quick, tell me the name of a song off the Lovesexy album! Yeah, I’d probably say “Alphabet St.” as well. It was the only Lovesexy song with a video that I remember seeing on MTV, and it was definitely the only song from the album that I heard on the pop station I was listening to back in 1988. That scratch guitar lick is infectious and sticks with you like a childhood nickname. Despite a simple “yeah, yeah, yeah” chorus, “Alphabet St.” provides ample opportunities to sing along. Either through memorable lines such as the “drive her to Tennessee” line, later sampled by Arrested Development, or “I would like to watch” line, there are plenty of chances to become engaged and involved. As far as the lyrics are concerned, we believe Prince may have checked out a Sam Kinison comedy routine as inspiration. Just practice your alphabet, don’t forget the “g,” and come on down.
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!
