Prince (September 2, 1981) Controversy / When You Were Mine – Single 7" US

Prince released “Controversy” as the lead single from his album of the same name on September 2, 1981 in the USA, backed with “When You Were Mine”. The song became a major dance hit, topping the Billboard Disco chart for six weeks.

RELEASE DETAILS

Artist: Prince

Label: Warner Bros. Records

Format: 7" / 12" Vinyl Single Country: United States Released: September 2, 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

US 7" Commercial Single (WBS 49808)

A. Controversy (Edit) – 3:35

B. When You Were Mine – 3:44

US 7" Promo Single (WBS 49808)

A. Controversy (Edit) (Stereo) – 3:35

B. Controversy (Edit) (Mono) – 3:35

US 12" Promotional Single (PRO-A-980) 

A. Controversy (Edit) – 3:35

B. Controversy (Long Version) – 7:14

INTERNATIONAL RELEASES

• Bolivia – WEA – 1981

• Brazil – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Canada – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Ecuador – Warner Bros. – 1981

• France – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Guatemala – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Netherlands – Warner Bros. – 1981

• Philippines – Warner Bros. – 1981

• UK – Warner Bros. – 1981

  (Oct 23 1981)

• Australia – Warner Bros. – 1982

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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