Prince (December 26, 1981) “Prince Controversy” – The Marion Star

A strongly positive album review in The Marion Star celebrating Prince’s Controversy as a bold, frank exploration of sex, religion, and politics set to a funk beat, praising the young Minneapolis artist’s provocative “libidinous exercise” and soulful delivery while noting its ability to shock and offend.

Publication: The Marion Star Date: Saturday, December 26, 1981 Country: United States

Section / Pages: Albums Reviews Title: Prince Controversy (Warner Brothers)

THE STORY

The review calls Controversy an apt title for an album that tackles taboo subjects head-on. It highlights Prince’s funk-driven sound, seductive vocal style, and soul strains reminiscent of the Four Tops and Smokey Robinson. The piece mentions the included poster of Prince in a black leather jock strap and the use of the Lord’s Prayer in the lyrics, concluding that the album is guaranteed to shock some and offend others — and that the reviewer loved it.

CONTEXT AND NOTES

Published at the end of 1981, this year-end review reflects the polarized yet increasingly enthusiastic reception to Controversy, Prince’s follow-up to Dirty Mind. The explicit imagery (jock strap poster) and lyrical boldness continued his boundary-pushing approach, earning both controversy and admiration in local markets.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Event: Album review of Controversy (Warner Bros.) Era: Controversy era (1981) Tone: Enthusiastic, appreciative of the provocation and musicality Photography: Black & white photo of Prince playing guitar (captioned “Prince”)

Visual Motifs: Standard newspaper album review column with prominent artist photo

Controversy is Prince’s fourth studio album, released in October 1981. A bold, socially conscious, and sexually charged record, it further refined his unique blend of funk, rock, and new wave while tackling themes of religion, sex, politics, and identity

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Date: October 14, 1981 (USA) / November 13, 1981 (UK)

Catalogue: BSK 3601

Format: LP

Country: United States (international releases followed)

THE STORY

Controversy continues Prince’s rapid artistic evolution, blending explicit sexuality with social commentary. The album features Prince’s signature one-man-band approach with select contributions from early band members. Standout tracks include the title song, the sensual ballad “Do Me, Baby,” and the funk-rocker “Let’s Work.”

CONTEXT & NOTES

Released just one year after Dirty Mind, Controversy solidified Prince’s reputation as a provocative and boundary-pushing artist. The album’s newspaper-themed cover and lyrics addressing God, sex, and politics created significant buzz and controversy. It marked another step toward the massive success that would arrive with 1999 and Purple Rain.

TRACK LIST

Side One

Controversy (7:14)

Sexuality (4:20)

Do Me, Baby (7:43)

Private Joy (4:37)

Side Two

Ronnie, Talk to Russia (1:51)

Let’s Work (3:52)

Annie Christian (4:21)

Jack U Off (3:08)

PERSONNEL

Musicians

• Prince — all vocals and instruments (except where noted)

• Dr. Fink — keyboards on “Jack U Off”

• Lisa Coleman — background vocals on “Controversy,” “Ronnie, Talk to Russia,” and “Jack U Off”; keyboards on “Jack U Off”

• Bobby Z. — drums on “Jack U Off”

• 
  

Production

• Prince — producer, arranger

• Mic Guzauski, Bob Mockler, Ross Pallone — engineers

• Peggy McCreary — engineer (uncredited)

• Bernie Grundman — mastering (A&M Studios)

• Allen Beaulieu — photography

Special Thanks "Special thanks to God and U."

PACKAGING HIGHLIGHTS

• Iconic cover featuring Prince in a purple suit against a newspaper background

• Bold magenta “PRINCE” logo

• Newspaper headline collage design

• 
  

WHAT THE SLEEVE SHOWS

The front cover shows a confident Prince in a lavender suit with a black bow tie, staring intensely at the viewer. The background is designed as overlapping newspaper headlines addressing controversy, religion, sex, and politics — perfectly reflecting the album’s themes.

CHARTS America

 Country: Chart | Entry Date | Peak Position | Weeks in Chart

USA: Billboard Top LP’s & Tapes | 7 Nov. 1981 | 21 | 32

USA: Billboard Soul LPs | 7 Nov. 1981 | 3 | 35

USA: The Billboard 200 | 14 May 2016 | 55 (R) | 2

SINGLES RELEASED

• “Controversy” (b/w “When You Were Mine”)

• “Sexuality” (Germany, Australia, Japan only)

• “Let’s Work” (b/w “Ronnie, Talk to Russia”)

• “Do Me, Baby” (b/w “Private Joy”)

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, music critic Stephen Holden wrote that "Prince's first three records were so erotically self-absorbed that they suggested the reveries of a licentious young libertine. On Controversy, that libertine proclaims unfettered sexuality as the fundamental condition of a new, more loving society than the bellicose, overtechnologized America of Ronald Reagan." He went on to say, "Despite all the contradictions and hyperbole in Prince's playboy philosophy, I still find his message refreshingly relevant."

Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in a generally favorable review for The Village Voice, in which he wrote that its "socially conscious songs are catchy enough, but they spring from the mind of a rather confused young fellow, and while his politics get better when he sticks to his favorite subject, which is s-e-x, nothing here is as far-out and on-the-money as 'Head' or 'Sister' or the magnificent 'When You Were Mine.'"[

According to Blender's Keith Harris, Controversy is "Prince's first attempt to get you to love him for his mind, not just his body", as it "refines the propulsive funk of previous albums and adds treatises on religion, work, nuclear war and Abscam." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic remarked that it "continues in the same vein of new wave-tinged funk on Dirty Mind, emphasizing Prince's fascination with synthesizers and synthesizing disparate pop music genres".

Controversy was voted the eighth best album of the year in the 1981 Pazz & Jop, an annual critics' poll run by The Village Voice.

SOURCES Wikipedia, Prince Vault, Discogs, Warner Bros. archives.

All album 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.