Private Joy

Lore & Background

The song describes how Prince will never reveal the identity of his secret lover. In this bouncy disco-pop number, Prince explains that his lover is no one's but his. He sings about what they do together, and the times they share. He claims that he "strangled Valentino", and that she was "his ever since" and that she "belongs to Prince". The song ends with guitar riffs and feedback from Prince, and segues into "Ronnie, Talk to Russia", the next track on Controversy.

Reader's Guide

Track listings: "Do Me, Baby" (edit) – 3:57; "Private Joy" – 4:25. Personnel (sourced from Benoît Clerc and Guitarcloud): Prince – lead and backing vocals, Oberheim OB-X, ARP Omni, electric guitar, bass guitar, Linn LM-1, Pearl SY-1 Syncussion. La Toya Jackson covered this song for her 1984 album Heart Don't Lie. Her single had limited release in Japan as a 7" single. Cheyne recorded a version for the soundtrack of the 1985 film Weird Science.

Did You Know?

• This is the first time Prince used the LM-1 machine, which he would use throughout his career.
• The guitar sounds at the end of "Private Joy" were sampled and used in "Orgasm", a song on Prince's 1994 album Come.
• According to Jackson, Prince's publishing company, Controversy Music, "approached me about recording songs of his that hadn't gone over too big the first time around."
• The Los Angeles Times stated that "note for note, she matches Prince's intensity with her own hard-edged snap, crackle and pop."