Common to much of Prince's writing, the song is thought to be exhortation to follow Christian ethics, with the "De-elevator" of the lyrics being a metaphor for the Devil.

[6] The extended "Special Dance Mix" of the song was performed in a slightly edited version in the film Purple Rain.

It contains a longer instrumental section in the middle that includes a chugging guitar riff, an atonal piano solo and some muddled samples of the spoken word intro.

The song was also notable for opening with a funeral-like organ solo with Prince giving the "eulogy" for "this thing called life.

YouTube complied after six weeks—not two weeks, as required by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act—to see whether Universal planned to sue Lenz for infringement.