On Episode 117 of the Press Rewind – Prince Lyrics Podcast, Chris Lacy and I discuss the Lovesexy album (and tour) centerpiece, “Anna Stesia.” The song serves a vital role in Prince’s spiritual evolution as an expression of faith. It allows the listener to share in Prince’s joy when he wrote and recorded it, but most importantly, it’s a really good song!
“Love is God, God is love.”
After several minutes of buildup, several minutes of pleading, and bargaining with the titular metaphor for pain-numbing, we get the cathartic release we so desperately need. A plaintive piano, a low, quiet voice, then the chorus rocks us awake, “Anna Stesia, come to me, talk to me, ravish me, liberate my mind.” If you spend too much time looking for pain relief in places that only provide more pain, salvation is more complicated and harder to find. But when you find it, you understand.
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!
