Prince (January 6, 1982) Let’s Work - Single US

Prince’s dance‑floor command born from a local Minneapolis craze and reshaped into pure Controversy‑era funk

RELEASE DETAILS

Date: January 6, 1982

Catalogue: WBS 50002 (US) / WB 17922 Country: United States

(also issued in Netherlands/Germany)

A-Side: “Let’s Work”

Written by: Prince Produced by: Prince

B-Side: “Ronnie, Talk To Russia”

Written by: Prince Produced by: Prince

THE STORY

Released on January 6, 1982, “Let’s Work” was the second single from Prince’s album Controversy. Originally written as Let’s Rock in response to a popular Minneapolis dance craze, Prince reworked the track with new lyrics and a deeper funk arrangement after Warner Bros. initially declined to rush-release it. The insistent bassline, synth stabs, and playful sexual metaphor made it a club favourite, helping Controversy top the Billboard Disco Top 80 for six weeks.

CONTEXT & NOTES

By early 1982 Prince was deepening his fusion of funk, rock, and new wave. “Let’s Work” captured the urgent, dance-oriented energy of the Controversy era. Though it only reached No. 104 on the Billboard Pop Chart, it performed strongly on the Soul and Disco charts. The single is notable for featuring a non-album B-side and for its connection to local Minneapolis dance culture.

TRACK LIST

7" Single (US) (WBS 50002) A. Let’s Work (Edit) – 2:56 B. Ronnie, Talk To Russia – 1:48

INTERNATIONAL VARIANT

7" Single (Netherlands / Germany) (WB 17922) A. Let’s Work – 2:56 B. Ronnie, Talk To Russia – 1:48

CHART PERFORMANCE

US Billboard Pop Chart: Peak No. 104

US Billboard Hot Soul Singles: Peak No. 9 US Billboard Disco Top 80: Contributed to Controversy spending six weeks at No. 1

PERSONNEL

• Prince – lead and backing vocals, all instruments

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PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Standard Warner Bros. company sleeve

  
  

WHAT THE LABEL / SLEEVE SHOWS

Plain Warner Bros. labels with purple centre (as shown). Text credits “Produced, Arranged, Composed and Performed by Prince.”

The sleeve is a standard Warner/Reprise company bag with “Printed in U.S.A.” at the bottom.

RELATED MATERIAL

• Prince (August 2, 1982) Sexuality / I Wanna Be Your Lover – Single 7" AU

• Prince (February 1982) Sexuality / Controversy – Single 7" JP

• Prince (October 1981) Sexuality / Controversy – Single 7" DE

For other relevant posts, see the tags at the foot of the page.

SOURCES

Prince Vault

Sleevographia2

Discogs

45cat

BBC Official Charts

Wikipedia

COPYRIGHT NOTICE All single artwork, photographs, logos, and original text excerpts remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This entry is a transformative, non-commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.