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

Escape
Jan 23, 1980
2 min read

Prince’s "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" backed with "Baby", was released as a 7-inch vinyl single in the US by Warner Bros. Records (catalog number WBS 49178) on January 23, 1980 as the second single from the self titled album Prince and the US follow-up single to Prince's first big hit, "I Wanna Be Your Lover".

It is also Prince's first rock and roll-inspired single release. It did not make the Billboard Hot 100 charts at all (or the Bubbling Under charts), although it did reach 13 on the R&B Singles charts. The lyrics explore a relationship with a cruel lover. The song prominently features guitar and bass, with the keyboard featured in a less prominent role. A highlight of the song is a soaring guitar solo at the end, played by Prince.

The song was played live on Prince's first three tours, always being the second number. The extended lyrics on the live version continue the main theme, although, later on the Dirty Mind tour, these were replaced by screaming "bitch!" and following this with a blazing guitar solo. The B-side of the song was "Baby" (from For You) in the US and "Bambi" in New Zealand.

In 1987, the song was covered by American actress turned singer Tuesday Knight's self-titled debut album.