Ever since the Prince song “When Doves Cry” rose to the top of the pop charts in 1984, I’ve heard the chorus as follows:
How can you just leave me standing/Alone in a world so cold?/Maybe you’re just too demanding/Maybe you’re just like my father: too bold/Maybe you’re just like my mother/She’s never sad inside/Why do we scream at each other?/This is what it sounds like when doves cry
I’ll admit that, in that context, the bit about his mother never quite made sense to me. If the song is mostly about romantic struggles, why bring up Mom’s inner buoyancy? But I was never especially bothered by this incongruity; in fact, I took some odd comfort in it. Sure, I thought, this guy is having some problems, but amidst all of that turmoil in his life, at least he’s got a maternal oasis of positivity….
Imagine my shock, then, when today, with “When Doves Cry” turned up loud on FM 95.7 (The Jet) as I drove my 8-year-old to a birthday party, I realized that Prince was actually singing, Maybe you’re just like my mother/She’s never satisfied!
Suddenly the oasis of positivity was gone, leaving only the screams of a failing relationship.
The sun was shining brightly as we reached the birthday party, but I felt a little cold.
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