Album dossier / 1981
Controversy
Prince · Funk/New Wave/R&B
Prince's fourth studio album, recorded almost entirely solo at his Kiowa Trail home studio and at Sunset Sound, confronted questions about his race, religion and sexuality head-on in the title track (which interpolates the Lord's Prayer) while 'Ronnie, Talk to Russia' took direct aim at Reagan-era politics -- it went Platinum and set up the purple branding and playful title spelling he'd carry into 1999 and beyond.
Record facts
- Label
- Warner Bros. Records
- Producer
- N/A
- Chart peak
- N/A
- Notable tracks
- ★ Controversy
- ★ Sexuality
- ★ Do Me, Baby
Artist & discography
Complete 1980s Studio Discography
9 studio albums released from 1980–1989 by Prince. Archived records link directly to full dossiers; remaining releases are queued for harvesting. MusicBrainz source.
Complete track listing · 8 tracks
- Controversy
- Sexuality
- Do Me, Baby
- Private Joy
- Ronnie, Talk To Russia
- Let's Work
- Annie Christian
- Jack U Off
Watch & listen
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More of the archive's 1981 releases.
Campaign & landing routes
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Source register
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversy_(Prince_album), https://princevault.com/index.php/Album:_Controversy · track listing: https://www.discogs.com/release/110225 · cover art: coverartarchive.org
Last enriched: 2026-08-30