Prince and the Revolution – When Doves Cry (Official Music Video)
Inspiration Behind When Doves Cry:
When Doves Cry was inspired by Prince’s relationship with singer Susan Moonsie. The lyrics explores the emotional fallout when love ends. Prince uses doves as a metaphor for love and peace, so that doves crying represents the emotional turmoil and sorrow that arises when a relationship falls apart. The lyrics also addresses Prince’s fear of repeating parental patterns, eager to be a supportive father.
Biblical Application:
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth, Psalm 34:15-16.
Exegesis of When Doves Cry:
[Intro]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Initial preparations to sing.
[Verse 1]
Dig, if you will, the picture
Of you and I engaged in a kiss
The sweat of your body covers me
Can you, my darling, can you picture this?
Having a flashback of an intimate moment with Susan. Asking her if she remembers what they once had.
[Verse 2]
Dream, if you can, a courtyard
An ocean of violets in bloom
Animals strike curious poses
They feel the heat, the heat between me and you
Setting the scene of a romantic moment where their passion for each other erupts.
[Chorus]
How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world that’s so cold? (So cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied (She’s never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
Prince can’t believe this special relationship has ended. Prince begins to wonder what went wrong. Blaming how he was raised and how he is now becoming like his father. Prince continues to look for a reason as Susan might share his mom’s perspective. When Susan and Prince yell at each other, it’s like doves crying.
[Verse 3]
Touch, if you will, my stomach (Hmm)
Feel how it trembles inside (Mhm)
You’ve got the butterflies all tied up
Don’t make me chase you, even doves have pride
Prince doesn’t want this relationship to end. While begging seems desperate, Prince’s pride has taken a hit.
[Chorus]
How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world so cold? (World so cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied (She’s never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
The chorus is repeated as Prince can’t understand why Susan left him. Prince uses rhetorical questions to figure out why this relationship fell apart. This disappointment conceived the image of doves crying.
[Bridge]
Yeah, yeah
Doo-doo, woah-oh
(Yeah, yeah)
Transition.
[Chorus]
How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world that’s so cold? (World that’s so cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding (Maybe, maybe)
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold (My father, you know he’s too bold)
Maybe you’re just like my mother (Maybe you’re just like my mother)
She’s never satisfied (Never, never satisfied, why scream?)
Why do we scream at each other? (Why?)
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry
Prince is still trying to grasp what went wrong.
A way for Prince to express his pain and sadness.
Prince doesn’t want Susan to cry, hoping to end this relationship on a positive note.
Final Thoughts:
I became a big Prince fan in college. While I noticed that his music videos were becoming more sexually graphic like Madonna, this is the nature and trend of the music industry. Whenever relationships end abruptly or unexpectedly, this is never easy. However, writing songs like When Doves Cry tend to serve as a form of healing. While Prince died way sooner than expected, his legacy continues today thanks to his archive of music.
by Jay Mankus
