I Wanna Be Your Lover
Prince
1979
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Release year not established
Release year not establishedDate review open
A first-release date was not established in the available metadata.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
About Prince
Song-specific inspiration or recording background is not established for this entry. This sourced artist profile provides career context.
Prince was a singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose work connected funk, rock, soul, pop and jazz. His 1978 debut, For You, introduced a largely self-contained studio approach, while later records also drew on substantial band collaboration. Purple Rain placed the Revolution at the center of his film and recording career; Diamonds and Pearls introduced the New Power Generation on record alongside him. He continued developing different sounds and release methods through albums including Emancipation, Musicology and ART OFFICIAL AGE.
Artist background sources
Prince - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame career overview
Career overview of Prince as composer, performer and multi-instrumentalist working across funk, rock, soul, pop and jazz. The page's erroneous 1999 album-year label is not used. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Prince Estate official discography: For You
Original debut album program and 1978 release; Prince's production and multi-instrumental role. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Prince Estate official discography: Purple Rain
Original 1984 album program with the Revolution; Purple Rain and I Would Die 4 U use concert-derived performances in the released album production. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Prince Estate official discography: Diamonds and Pearls
Original 1991 album and New Power Generation co-credit; Rosie Gaines sings alongside Prince on the title track. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Prince Estate official discography: Musicology
Original 2004 album program and distribution history. The title recording is part of that release, not a concert recording. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Prince Estate official discography: ART OFFICIAL AGE
Original 2014 program explicitly credits Lianne La Havas on Clouds. The page's 2013 Breakfast Can Wait date is not generalized to Clouds. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Prince Estate official discography: Emancipation
Original 1996 three-disc program on NPG/EMI; selected songs are original album recordings, not later live versions. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Retained annual-list context
I Wanna Be Your Lover by Prince is included for 1979 on the basis of the cited chart-associated source. This establishes the annual connection, not the circumstances in which the song was written. No reliable song-specific account of its inspiration was established in this review.
Annual-list context only; songwriting inspiration remains unestablished
Music VF: chart-associated songs of 1979
Secondary source reviewed for title, artist and annual chart association only. Supplemental selection, not an official annual rank.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification
Music VF: chart-associated songs of 1979
Secondary source reviewed for title, artist and annual chart association only. Supplemental selection, not an official annual rank.
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1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.