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Do Me, Baby [Demo]

Warner Records

Posthumous

The centerpiece of 1981’s Controversy

The digital release of Do Me, Baby [Demo] by The Prince Estate, on 14 October 2021, was issued in partnership with Warner Records in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the US release of Prince’s fourth album Controversy on the same day in 1981.

Do Me, Baby [Demo] is the original solo version of the track that Prince laid down at Alpha Studio in Burbank, California with engineer Gary Brandt, during the studio sessions for his self-titled second album Prince, on 24 April 1979. Prince later re-recorded the song at Sunset Sound in June 1981 and became the version released as the third track on Controversy on 14 October 1981.

This original demo version was discovered on a 2-inch real sat amongst the horde of material found in Prince’s vault at Paisley Park Studios following his death in 2016. The digital format was followed in January 2022 with two physical issues – purple vinyl pressing on which the reverse side contains an etching, and cassette. Do Me, Baby [Demo] was issued on cassette in a limited run of 1,981 units, replicating the appearance of the original tape on which it was discovered with Prince’s handwriting.

Do Me, Baby [Demo] by Prince
Cassette version replicating the handwritten original

Data

Producer
Prince
Label
NPG Records
Distribution
Warner Records
Cover/Design
Prince
Released
3 years ago on 14 October 2021
Running Time
4:50
US Chart Peak
prince.com exclusive
UK Chart Peak
No release
Orig. Formats

Tracklist

  1. Do Me, Baby [Demo] (4:50) 1

1 Co-written by Prince and Andre Cymone

Do Me, Baby [Demo] – review

Released in the week the Prince world was glued to Twitter in the anticipation of an announcement of a Diamonds And Pearls anniversary special edition that didn’t happen, instead, out popped this demo track from 1979 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Prince’s fourth LP Controversy. This is the version of Do Me, Baby Prince captured on tape during his album sessions for his second album Prince in April 1979. That means to say there remains an even earlier version locked in the vault, he and Andre Cymone’s original co-written by the pair year previous. Regardless of naming it a demo (Prince very rarely released demos), Prince’s solo version is no rough cut but a completely polished track, an oven-ready outtake from Prince. This is a more playful, warmer version, than the more impactful 1981 re-working that appeared on and better suited to the vibe of Controversy. You can only wonder had this made it to the configuration of Prince that it could have been a hit single. The top-notch production gives a whole fresh perspective on this song we’ve known and loved for 40 years.

Do Me, Baby [Demo]

Related release

Controversy

Controversy

Warner Bros. Records (1981)

About this release and review

Prince

Prince trivia

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