Prince’s provocative fourth album, Controversy is turning 40 this month and to celebrate, the Prince Estate and Warner Records have unveiled a previously unheard 1979 solo-demo of Do Me, Baby from the classic album. Stream/download, here.

Do Me, Baby is best known as the centrepiece of 1981s Controversy and always a show-stopper at Prince’s early concerts, with the singer writhing around the stage to deliver the sultry soul ballad. 

The 1979 demo, unearthed from Prince’s legendary Paisley Park vault, comes in two minutes shorter than the seven-minute slow-jam version that ended up on the final tracklisting of Controversy. It is, however, in true Prince form, a fully realised is a recording with multiple vocal layers, keyboards and bass, all played by Prince. Listen below! 

Prince | ‘Do Me, Baby (Demo)’ [Official Audio]

In addition to its surprise release onto streaming services, Do Me, Baby is available to pre-order in two limited edition physical formats: a special replica cassette single of “Do Me, Baby (Demo)” (limited to 1,981 units), and an etched 7” single pressed on purple vinyl.

The replica cassette matches the original source format stored in Prince’s Paisley Park vault for decades, and the 7” vinyl incorporates Prince’s original hand-written lyrics for the song. 

Do Me, Baby (Demo) is available on vinyl and cassette exclusively via the official Prince store, here. 

Apple Music is currently spotlighting Controversy today as one of its essential albums, and Apple Music Radio is broadcasting a 40th Anniversary Special to further celebrate the anniversary. Fans can listen in here.

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