✦ Let’s Work – Single US: Jan. 1982

Escape
Jan 6, 1982
2 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

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

✦ Summary

Let’s Work was released in the United States on January 6, 1982 as a 7-inch vinyl single on Warner Bros. Records (WBS 50002), backed with Ronnie, Talk To Russia. Originally conceived as Let’s Rock — inspired by a Minneapolis dance craze known as “the Rock” — Prince intended to rush‑release the track, but Warner Bros. declined. By the time the label reconsidered, Prince felt the moment had passed and reworked the song with new lyrics and a deeper funk foundation, transforming it into Let’s Work.

The single became a club favourite, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Soul Chart and contributing to Controversy’s six‑week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Disco Top 80. Though it peaked at No. 104 on the Billboard Pop Chart, the track’s insistent bassline, synth stabs, and playful sexual metaphor cemented it as one of Prince’s early dance‑floor signatures.

✦ Highlights

• Released January 6, 1982 in the US on Warner Bros. Records

• Originally written as Let’s Rock, inspired by a Minneapolis dance craze

• Reworked after Warner Bros. declined the initial version

• Peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Soul Chart

• Reached No. 104 on the Billboard Pop Chart

• Helped Controversy top the Billboard Disco Top 80 for six weeks

• First US Prince single to feature a non‑album B‑side (Ronnie, Talk To Russia)

• Extended remix features Morris Day on drums and samples from Controversy and Annie Christian

✦ Track Details

7-inch Vinyl – US (WBS 50002)

A: Let’s Work — 2:56

B: Ronnie, Talk To Russia — 1:30

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Produced, arranged, composed, and performed by Prince

Published by Warner Bros. Music / Controversy Music

✦ Production and Context

Written and recorded during the Controversy sessions (1981).

Let’s Work evolved from the unreleased Let’s Rock, originally tied to a local dance trend.

Extended versions were performed live on the Controversy and 1999 tours.

✦ Chart Performance

United States: No. 104 — Billboard Pop Chart

United States: No. 9 — Billboard Soul Chart

United States: Contributed to Controversy topping the Disco Top 80 for six weeks

✦ Discography Sidebar

Controversy Era Singles:

Controversy — Single: 1981

Let’s Work — US Single: Jan. 1982

Do Me, Baby — Single: 1982

✦ Prince Era Mini‑Timeline

Oct. 1981 — Controversy released

Late 1981 — Controversy dominates the Disco Top 80

Jan. 6, 1982 — Let’s Work released as a single

1982 — Prince begins work on 1999

✦ Glam Flashback

Let’s Work is Prince at his early‑’80s best — lean, funky, and irresistibly kinetic. What began as a response to a fleeting Minneapolis dance craze became a defining club track, powered by a slinky bassline and Prince’s playful, seductive swagger. Its extended remix, live performances, and deep‑cut B‑side make it a cornerstone of the Controversy era and a favourite among collectors.

✦ Sources

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