Controversy (1981)
1. Controversy
2. Sexuality
3. Do Me, Baby
4. Private Joy
5. Ronnie Talk To Russia
6. Let's Work
7. Annie Christian
8. Jack U Off
By the time Controversy arrived, Prince was already ruffling feathers. He hadn’t yet broken through to true superstardom, but he’d made enough of an impression—on album covers and through lyrics—that the mainstream had taken notice. And for many, it was a little much. This was still the early ’80s, after all, when the music world hadn’t fully embraced the explicit. So what does Prince do? He leans into it, of course. But what’s most remarkable here isn’t the subject matter—it’s how effortlessly he continues to make brilliant music, no matter what he’s singing about.
The funk is dialed back just a touch from the rawness of Dirty Mind, but it’s still in the room. What we get in its place is a more refined blend of R&B, synth-heavy soul, and subtle grooves—all wrapped around the usual topics: sex, religion, politics, and whatever else Prince felt like slipping into the mix. His most “offensive” material still lies squarely in the sexual department, and if there’s a weak spot here, it’s the drawn-out slow jam Do Me, Baby. The track’s first few minutes are smooth and seductive; the final few might leave some wondering if they accidentally queued up the soundtrack to an adult film. If you’re not into albums that moan back at you, you might want to fade out early. Still, musically, it’s not without merit.
Then there’s the album closer, Jack U Off. It is what it is. Except—again—it grooves. That’s the recurring theme with Prince during this stretch of his career: no matter what the lyrics say, the music always delivers.
Elsewhere, the highlights are everywhere. Sexuality, Private Joy, and Let’s Work are pure Prince—joyful, infectious, and sneakily complex. His guitar work, often overlooked because he plays nearly everything else too, adds bite and texture throughout. If you listen closely, it’s all over the place. And as always, he knows exactly when to let it rip and when to hang back.
Things get a little strange on Ronnie, Talk to Russia and Annie Christian—short, sharp tracks that walk the line between satire and sincerity. Beneath the quirks lies genuine commentary, wrapped in weird little packages that somehow manage to be both catchy and disorienting. They’re also two of the most memorable cuts on the record.
Yes, Controversy flirts with the political, and yes, it occasionally veers into the absurd. But Prince never sounds preachy. Instead, he dances circles around the issues, leaving space for the listener to figure it out—or not. Like the records before it and the ones soon to come, this album lands squarely in that near-flawless stretch of his career where just about everything he touched turned into something worth hearing. In hindsight, it’s not so much controversial as it is classic.
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