Prince & the New Power Generation, “Sexy M.F.” | Controversial Tunes

On the 5^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2022), we explore the controversy behind the song, “Sexy M.F.” by Prince & the New Power Generation. 

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ring on the controversy! Controversial Tunes is a column that provides background information and insight into songs that raised eyebrows and totally stirred the pot.  The records that grace Controversial Tunes are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  On the 5^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2022), we explore the controversy behind the song, “Sexy M.F.” by Prince & the New Power Generation.

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Theme & Lyrics  

Previously, we held Prince responsible for the RIAA’s parental advisory explicit lyrics sticker? “Darling Nikki” from Purple Rain was a proponent for that warning sticker placed on albums that Tipper Gore fought for.  Even though “Darling Nikki” ushered in controversy for The Purple One, when writing about it, I stated there are far more explicit records in his collection.  One prime example of a more explicit offering from Prince & the New Power Generation that perfectly fits Controversial Tunes is “Sexy M.F.” from Love Symbol (1992).

“In a word or two, it’s you I wanna do
No not your body, your mind you fool
Come here baby, yeah
You sexy motherfucker.”

Woo! Just the intro alone seems to be a contradiction, something that occurs throughout this controversial tune.  On the one hand, Prince seems to want an emotional connection – fair enough.  On the other hand, however, even if Prince makes it ‘explicitly’ clear “This ain’t about sex” (verse two), it’s hard to deny sex is an ingredient, particularly given his heaping dose of potty-mouth.  Wow!  I mean The Purple One uses ample terminology associated with sex, even if, as he asserts, it’s not about sex.

“You seem perplexed I haven’t taken you yet
Can’t you see I’m harder than a man can get
I got wet dreams comin’ out of my ears
I get hard if the wind blows your cologne near me
But I can take it, ‘cause I want the whole nine
This ain’t about the body, it’s about the mind.”

Alrighty then…  Honestly, the controversy associated with “Sexy M.F.” speaks for itself.

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Final Thoughts  

Despite its explicitness, the hella funky yet controversial AF “Sexy M.F” was a single from Love Symbol.  Obviously, it had to be amended for airplay because, well, you can’t go around throwing the mf-bomb around! While stateside it didn’t ignite the Billboard Hot 100 on fire, it did debut and peak at no. 66.  Examining Prince’s catalog in its entirety, “Sexy M.F.” is one of his better records.  Certainly, it ranks among his funkiest and most fun (“Sexy motherfucker shakin’ that a$$, shakin’ that a$$, shakin’ that a$$”)!

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Prince and the New Power Generation • Love Symbol • NPG / Legacy • 1992
Prince and the New Power Generation, “Sexy M.F.”: Controversial Tunes No. 5 (2022) [: Brent Faulkner, cottonbro, Darkmoon_Art,  TheDigitalArtist, inna mikitas, Isabela Catão, Jonathan Nenemann, Legacy, The Musical Hype, NPG, Pexels, Pixabay, Tazz Vaughn, Victoria Borodinova, zzzvector]

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