Another Lonely Princemas
Ben Folds Five isn’t the only artist with a must listen to song on Boxing Day.
Welcome to December 26th, Boxing Day in some countries, and “Brick” day for many radio stations across the U.S. because of the opening lines to Ben Folds Five’s 1997 hit of the same name — “6:00 am, day after Christmas.”
But 13 years before that tale of dealing with an abortion, Prince released a very depressing song that also needs to be listened to early on this day.
“Another Lonely Christmas” was the B-side of “I Would Die 4 U,” and it’s about a man whose significant other dies on Christmas Day. (The lyric reveal is devastating: “Your father said it was pneumonia / Your mother said it was stress / But the doctor said you were dead / I say it’s senseless.”)
Prince played the song live once, appropriately enough on December 26th, 1984 during a show in St. Paul. It’s one of his best B-sides in my opinion, and this month it inspired me to come up with a playlist that includes songs where Prince mentions winter, the cold, heartbreak and other tales of love and relationships gone wrong. (Plus some great songs about getting it on.) And if you’re just a casual Prince fan, it’s a great intro to the deep parts of his catalog as there’s no hits in the playlist.
So sit back and enjoy 4 hours of Princemas!