PRINCE - I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER

Publicada: 24 d’agost de 1979

Llistes d’èxits: Regne Unit: #41 · Estats Units: #11

A l’estiu de 1979, un jove ambiciós de 21 anys va fer el salt a l’escena nacional amb un senzill que encendria la seva carrera. Aquell senzill era “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, publicat el 24 d’agost de 1979 com a tema principal del seu segon àlbum, Prince. Va ser un moment definitori: el primer tast de l’èxit comercial per a un artista que aviat reescriuria les regles del pop, el funk i la sexualitat en la música.

A principis de 1980, la cançó ja havia arribat al número 11 del Billboard Hot 100 i va liderar les llistes de R&B, ocupant el número 1 del Billboard Hot Soul Singles durant dues setmanes. Prince havia arribat. El seu nom ja no era una curiositat; era el senyal que alguna cosa nova i imprevisible havia entrat en el corrent cultural.

Tanmateix, a l’altra banda de l’Atlàntic, la recepció va ser més tèbia. Al Regne Unit, el senzill només va arribar al número 41, i una gira promocional per Londres va fracassar per falta de venda d’entrades. El públic europeu no abraçaria de veritat Prince fins a Purple Rain, el 1984. Però als clubs dels Estats Units, I Wanna Be Your Lover era imparable. En plena època daurada de la música disco, encaixava perfectament al costat de Bad Girls de Donna Summer, Good Times de Chic i Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough de Michael Jackson. Amb el seu groove de ritme marcat i ballable, la cançó va escalar fins al número 2 del rànquing Disco Action de Billboard, convertint-se en una favorita de DJs i pistes de ball.

Musicalment, era una explosió neta i brillant de funk, amb Prince cantant totalment en falsetto—una marca personal que començava a prendre forma. La lletra oscil·lava entre el desig sincer i la provocació juganera. Demanava ser vist com més que “un nen”, assegurant que podia estimar millor que ningú, tot amanit amb un toc sexual descarat. La línia “I wanna be the only one who makes you come…runnin’!” deixava poc a la imaginació—l’audàcia de Prince ja era intacta.

La dona al centre d’aquesta passió? Res més i res menys que Patrice Rushen, l’artista de R&B que després triomfaria amb Forget Me Nots. En aquell moment, ella treballava programant sintetitzadors per al primer disc de Prince. Enamorat, Prince va escriure tant I Wanna Be Your Lover com I Feel for You pensant en ella, i fins i tot li va oferir les cançons—però ella les va rebutjar.

Tot i ser un artista novell, Prince ja havia obtingut control creatiu total per part de Warner Bros.—un fet insòlit. Va escriure, produir, cantar i tocar tots els instruments del tema, un detall que va desconcertar molts veterans de la indústria. Per afegir misteri, Prince es va treure dos anys a les entrevistes, afirmant que en tenia només 19.

La cançó també va marcar una altra primícia: el seu primer videoclip musical. Tot i ser simple, mostrava Prince canviant d’instrument, suggerint el seu domini musical i donant un tast de la flamboyància visual que definiria la seva carrera.

Amb I Wanna Be Your Lover, Prince no es va presentar només com un talent prometedor, sinó com una força indomable i trencadora de gèneres. Era una cançó d’amor, un tema de ball, una seducció—embolcallada en lluentons, talons i una ambició descarada. El món havia estat avisat: Prince havia arribat… i no pensava marxar.

PRINCE - I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER

Released : August 24, 1979

Charts:  UK: #41  US: #11 

In the summer of 1979, an ambitious 21-year-old stepped into the national spotlight with a single that would ignite his career. That single was “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” released on August 24, 1979, as the lead track from Prince’s self-titled second album. It marked a defining moment—the first taste of mainstream success for an artist who would soon rewrite the rules of pop, funk, and sexuality in music.

By early 1980, the song had climbed to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ruled the R&B charts, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart for two weeks. Prince had arrived. His name was now more than just a curiosity; it was a signal that something new and unpredictable had entered the cultural bloodstream.

Yet, across the Atlantic, the reception was tepid. In the UK, the single peaked at No. 41, and a promotional tour in London fizzled due to poor ticket sales. European audiences wouldn’t truly embrace Prince until “Purple Rain” in 1984. But in the clubs of America, “I Wanna Be Your Lover” was undeniable. Riding the pulse of disco’s peak, it slotted effortlessly beside Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls,” Chic’s “Good Times,” and Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” With its infectious four-on-the-floor groove, the track climbed to No. 2 on Billboard’s Disco Action chart, becoming a staple for dancers and DJs alike.

Musically, the song was a lean, shimmering burst of funk, with Prince singing entirely in falsetto—his signature sound beginning to take shape. Lyrically, it walked the fine line between earnest yearning and playful provocation. He begs to be seen as more than “a child,” assuring a woman he can love her better than anyone else, and delivering it all with a coy sexual edge. The line “I wanna be the only one who makes you come…runnin’!” leaves little to the imagination—Prince’s audacity fully intact.

The woman at the center of this passion? None other than Patrice Rushen, the R&B artist who would later score with “Forget Me Nots.” At the time, she was doing synthesizer programming on Prince’s debut album. Infatuated, Prince wrote both “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “I Feel for You” with her in mind, even offering the songs to her—but she declined.

Despite being a newcomer, Prince had already secured full creative control from Warner Bros.—a rare feat. He wrote, produced, sang, and played every instrument on the track, a fact that amazed and confused many industry veterans. Adding to his mystique, he shaved two years off his age in interviews, claiming to be just 19.

The song also marked another first: Prince’s first music video. Though simple in concept, it showed him switching between instruments, hinting at his musical mastery and teasing the visual flamboyance that would define his career.

With “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Prince declared himself not just a talented newcomer, but a genre-defying force of nature. It was a love song, a dance track, a seduction—all wrapped in sequins, heels, and unapologetic ambition. The world had been put on notice, Prince had arrived and has done so to stay.