✦ I Wanna Be Your Lover – Single: Aug. 1979

Prince’s first major hit — a falsetto‑funk breakthrough that launched him into the mainstream

✦ Summary

I Wanna Be Your Lover was released in the United States on August 24, 1979 as a 7-inch vinyl single on Warner Bros. Records (WBS 49050), backed with My Love Is Forever. It became Prince’s first major US hit, reaching No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. Written after Warner Bros. requested a stronger commercial follow‑up to For You, the track delivered a sleek, falsetto‑driven funk groove that established Prince’s signature sound.

The single edit runs 2:57, while the album version extends into a synth‑keyboard jam featuring Polymoog, Oberheim, and Minimoog textures — all performed by Prince. The song was inspired by Prince’s crush on Patrice Rushen. Promoted through appearances on *The Midnight Special* and *American Bandstand*, the latter produced one of Prince’s most famously awkward interviews. The single also marked Prince’s UK debut, where it reached No. 41.

✦ Highlights

• Released August 24, 1979 in the US on Warner Bros. Records

• Prince’s first major US hit single

• No. 11 on Billboard Hot 100; No. 1 on Billboard Hot Soul Singles

• UK debut single, reaching No. 41

• Inspired by Prince’s crush on Patrice Rushen

• Two music videos: one solo performance; one withdrawn band version

• Album version features extended synth jam

✦ Track Details

7-inch Single — US (WBS 49050)

A: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Edit) — 2:57

B: My Love Is Forever — 4:08

7-inch Single — UK

A: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Edit) — 2:57

B: Just As Long As We’re Together (Edit) — 3:25

7-inch Single — Germany

A: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Edit) — 2:57

B: Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? — 3:49

12-inch Single — UK

A: I Wanna Be Your Lover — 5:47

B: Just As Long As We’re Together — 6:24

12-inch Promo

A: I Wanna Be Your Lover (Edit) — 2:57

B: I Wanna Be Your Lover — 5:57

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Written, produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince

Published by Ecnirp Music Inc. (BMI)

✦ Chart Performance

United States: No. 11 — Billboard Hot 100

United States: No. 1 — Billboard Hot Soul Singles

United States: No. 2 — Dance Club Songs

United Kingdom: No. 41

New Zealand: No. 3

✦ Discography

Early Warner Bros. Era Singles:

Soft And Wet — Single: 1978

Just As Long As We’re Together — Single: 1978

I Wanna Be Your Lover — Single: Aug. 1979

Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? — Single: 1980

✦ Prince Era Mini‑Timeline

Apr. 1978 — *For You* released

Aug. 24, 1979 — I Wanna Be Your Lover released

Jan. 1980 — Peaks at No. 11 on Billboard Hot 100

1980 — *Dirty Mind* sessions begin

✦ Glam Flashback

I Wanna Be Your Lover is the moment Prince truly arrived — a shimmering falsetto confession wrapped in Minneapolis funk and youthful swagger. Its chart success opened the door for everything that followed, from *Dirty Mind* to global superstardom. The withdrawn second video, the infamous Dick Clark interview, and the extended synth workout on the album version all add to the single’s mythology. A foundational gem in the Prince story.

✦ Sources

Prince Vault, Discogs, 45cat, AllMusic, Rate Your Music, Wikipedia, Billboard Chart History, Official Charts Company, YouTube