✦ Let’s Work – Single Germany: Feb. 1982

A Controversy‑era funk workout pressed for the European market with its own promo push

✦ Summary

Let’s Work was released in Germany on February 18, 1982 as a 7-inch single on Warner Bros. Records (WB 17 922), backed with Ronnie, Talk To Russia. Manufactured by WEA Musik GmbH and pressed by Record Service Alsdorf, this edition arrived one month after the US release and featured a dedicated German picture sleeve and promotional insert.

The single carried the same A‑side edit as the US version but a slightly longer B‑side timing (1:48). The promo sheet positioned Prince as a rising American star — a 21‑year‑old multi‑instrumentalist with four albums already behind him — and framed the single as part of his socially aware, genre‑blending artistic identity.

✦ Highlights

• Released February 18, 1982 in Germany on Warner Bros. Records

• Manufactured by WEA Musik GmbH; pressed by Record Service Alsdorf

• Dedicated German picture sleeve and promotional insert

• A‑side: Let’s Work — 2:56

• B‑side: Ronnie, Talk To Russia — 1:48

• Promo sheet emphasised Prince’s rapid rise and political edge

✦ Track Details

7-inch Vinyl – Germany (WB 17 922 / LC 0392)

A: Let’s Work — 2:56

B: Ronnie, Talk To Russia — 1:48

Label: Warner Bros. Records / WEA Musik GmbH

Pressed by Record Service Alsdorf

Mastered at Strawberry Mastering

Written, produced, arranged, and performed by Prince

Published by Controversy Music

✦ Promo Insert Notes (Germany)

• Introduced Prince as a 21‑year‑old multi‑instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and chart‑regular

• Highlighted his rapid ascent: debut in 1978, gold certification by 1979, and the release of Controversy in October 1981

• Positioned Prince as both a rock musician and a socially conscious lyricist

• Emphasised his use of provocative stage effects to raise awareness

✦ Production and Context

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

Reworked for Controversy with new lyrics and a deeper funk arrangement.

German release followed the US issue by six weeks.

✦ Chart Performance (Global Context)

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

(Germany: No official chart entry recorded for this pressing)

✦ Discography

Controversy Era Singles:

Controversy — Single: 1981

Let’s Work — US Single: Jan. 1982

Let’s Work — Germany Single: Feb. 1982

Do Me, Baby — Single: 1982

✦ Prince Era Mini‑Timeline

Oct. 1981 — Controversy released

Jan. 1982 — Let’s Work issued in the US

Feb. 18, 1982 — German 7-inch released

1982 — Prince begins work on 1999

✦ Glam Flashback

The German edition of Let’s Work captures Prince’s early European momentum — a moment when his Minneapolis funk was beginning to ripple across international markets. With its striking picture sleeve, extended B‑side timing, and a promotional insert framing Prince as a rising cultural force, this pressing stands as one of the most distinctive European artefacts of the Controversy era.

✦ Sources

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