Controversy (song)

"Controversy"
"Controversy"
	1981 UK 7-inch single
Single by Prince
from the album Controversy
B-side	1981: "When You Were Mine"; 1993: "The Future"; "Glam Slam"; "D.M.S.R."; "Anotherloverholenyohead"; "Paisley Park"; "New Power Generation (Part II)";
Released	September 2, 1981
Genre	Rock ; new wave ; funk ;
Length	7:14 (album version); 3:39 (7-Inch edit); 6:06 (2004 release);
Label	Warner Bros. (original); NPG (2004 release);
Songwriter(s)	Prince
Producer(s)	Prince
Prince singles chronology
Music video
	"Controversy" on YouTube

Last updated June 14, 2025

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Controversy"
Chart (1981–1982)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[11]^[3]	15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[12]	28
US Billboard Hot 100 ^[13]	70
US Hot Soul Singles ( Billboard )^[14]	3
US Hot Dance Club Songs ( Billboard )^[15]	1

1993 weekly chart performance for "Controversy"
Chart (1993)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC)^[16]	5
UK Airplay ( Music Week )^[17]	9

2016 weekly chart performance for "Controversy"
Chart (2016)	Peak position
France (SNEP)^[18]	52

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Controversy"
Chart (1982)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[11]	73

References

↑ Wood, Mikael (April 21, 2021). "All 85 Prince singles, ranked 4 u from worst 2 best". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 3, 2025.
1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine (June 7, 2023). "Essential Prince: His greatest songs of all time, ranked". The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 13, 2025. ...echoing some of the pansexuality he essayed on "Controversy." Where he designed that New Wave funk anthem to be deliberately provocative...
1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 471.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 357.
↑ "controversy | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
↑ Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 6, 2025.
↑ Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.
↑ "Controversy". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
↑ Day, Morris; Ritz, David (2019). On Time: A Princely Life in Funk. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306922206.
1 2 "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. January 3, 1983. Retrieved January 22, 2023– via Imgur.
↑ "Prince – Controversy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 677.
↑ "Prince Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard . Retrieved August 4, 2023.
↑ "Prince Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard . Retrieved August 4, 2023.
↑ "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
↑ "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week . December 25, 1993. p. 28. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
↑ "Prince – Controversy" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved August 4, 2023.

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[LA_Times_2021-1] Wood, Mikael (April 21, 2021). "All 85 Prince singles, ranked 4 u from worst 2 best". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 3, 2025.

[AV_Club_23-2] 1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine (June 7, 2023). "Essential Prince: His greatest songs of all time, ranked". The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 13, 2025. ...echoing some of the pansexuality he essayed on "Controversy." Where he designed that New Wave funk anthem to be deliberately provocative...

[auchart-3] 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[4] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 471.

[5] Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 357.

[6] "controversy | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.

[7] Dolan, Jon; Lopez, Julyssa; Matos, Michaelangelo; Shaffer, Claire (July 22, 2022). "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 6, 2025.

[8] Clerc, Benoît (October 2022). Prince: All the Songs. Octopus. ISBN 9781784728816.

[9] "Controversy". guitarcloud.org. Retrieved April 30, 2023.

[10] Day, Morris; Ritz, David (2019). On Time: A Princely Life in Funk. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306922206.

[aus82-11] 1 2 "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. January 3, 1983. Retrieved January 22, 2023– via Imgur.

[sc_Dutch100_Prince-12] "Prince – Controversy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 4, 2023.

[13] Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 677.

[14] "Prince Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard . Retrieved August 4, 2023.

[15] "Prince Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard . Retrieved August 4, 2023.

[sc_UKsinglesbyname_Prince-16] "Prince: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 7, 2017.

[17] "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week . December 25, 1993. p. 28. Retrieved May 4, 2024.

[sc_France_Prince-18] "Prince – Controversy" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved August 4, 2023.

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v t e Prince singles
1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "Delirious" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"
1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "Letitgo" "Space" "Purple Medley" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "The Truth" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"
2010s	"Rocknroll Loveaffair" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"
Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "Erotic City" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Somebody's Somebody" "It's About That Walk" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart"
Internet downloads	"Guitar (original "demo" version)"
New Power Generation	"Get Wild" "The War" "Come On"
EPs	The Beautiful Experience NYC 1999: The New Master
Other songs	"I Feel for You" "Partyup" "Private Joy" "International Lover" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "17 Days" "Around the World in a Day" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" "Starfish and Coffee" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U" "Crimson and Clover" "Moonbeam Levels"