Prince (October 9, 1981) Controversy / When You Were Mine – Single 7" / 12" UK

Prince released “Controversy” as the lead single from his album of the same name on October 9, 1981 in the UK, backed with “When You Were Mine”. The song became a major dance hit, topping the Billboard Disco chart for six weeks in the US.

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Format: 7" / 12" Vinyl Single Country: United Kingdom Released: October 9, 1981

Genre: Funk, Rock, Minneapolis Sound

A-Side: “Controversy”

Written by: Prince Produced by: Prince

B-Side: “When You Were Mine”

Written by: Prince Produced by: Prince

TRACK LIST

UK 7" Commercial Single (K 17866)

A. Controversy (Edit) – 3:35

B. When You Were Mine – 3:44

UK 12" Single (K 17866T)

A. Controversy – 7:14

B. When You Were Mine – 3:44

CHART PERFORMANCE

United Kingdom: Did not chart significantly United States Billboard Hot 100: Peak #70 United States

Billboard Hot Soul Singles: Peak #3 United States

Billboard Disco Top 80: Peak #1 (6 weeks, with “Let’s Work”)

INTERNATIONAL RELEASES

• Bolivia – WEA – 1981

• Brazil – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Canada – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Ecuador – Warner Bros. – 1981

• France – Warner Bros. – 1981

  (November 4, 1981)

• Guatemala – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Netherlands – Warner Bros. – 1981 (November 4, 1981)

• Philippines – Warner Bros. – 1981

• UK – Warner Bros. – 1981

  (Oct 23 1981)

• Australia – Warner Bros. – 1982

International Variants all released with same two tracks ( although some dates may differ)

PERSONNEL

Prince – lead and backing vocals, Oberheim OB-X, Oberheim OB-SX, electric guitars, bass guitar, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion, handclaps Lisa Coleman – backing vocals Morris Day – possible drums

Production

Produced by Prince

THE STORY

“Controversy” features Prince reciting the Lord’s Prayer and provocative lyrics addressing race, rules, and nudity. It was the title track and lead single from the Controversy album.

CONTEXT & NOTES

The song generated some controversy for its religious and sexual content but achieved strong success on the dance charts. It was later included on The Hits/The B-Sides. A live version from Hawaii was released digitally in 2004.

SOURCES

• Prince Vault

• Discogs

• 45cat

• Wikipedia

• Sleevographia2

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.

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