We Can Funk is the seventh track on Prince's 12th album Graffiti Bridge, and is credited as a duet between George Clinton and Prince. The track is also featured in the movie Graffiti Bridge. In 2011, a 1:00 video (audio only with a static image) of an acoustic demo of the track recorded by Andy Allo (as Oui Can Luv, with a revised chorus to match) was streamed on her Facebook page, with the tagline "CHECK OUT WHAT EYE FOUND IN PRINCE'S VAULT (Demo recorded in Sacramento on 8/31/11 using ProTools 9 & a Sterling Audio ST69 Mic)", followed a few weeks later by a full-length version of the same track. Prince is believed to play acoustic guitar on this version.
Initial tracking for Prince's original solo version took place on 31 December, 1983 at Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA, as We Can Fuck (the day after Erotic City and She's Always In My Hair), with additional work the following day, 1 January, 1984. Prince later toned down the title and lyrics of the song, and re-recorded the track on 17 June, 1986 at the Crosstown Circle Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA (in sequence after Data Bank and Can't Stop This Feeling I Got, the day before recording Girl O' My Dreams). The 1983 recording was returned to and updated in 1989 at Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA, and this updated version, without George Clinton on vocals, was included as the sixth track on a 1989 configuration of Graffiti Bridge. George Clinton added vocal overdubs in late 1989-1990, also at Paisley Park Studios, and the final version was included as the seventh track on a 1990 configuration of Graffiti Bridge, where it remained for release.
The track's lyrics mention the Kama Sutra, considered to be the most important work in a long line of Indian erotic literature, written by the Hindu philosopher Vātsyāyana ( later named the first and only album by The NPG Orchestra Kamasutra).
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Recording Information
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Recording Sessions
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Date
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Studio
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Additional info
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31 December, 1983
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Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA
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Initial tracking (as We Can Fuck)
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1 January, 1984
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Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA, USA
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Additional recording and mixing
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17 June, 1986
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Crosstown Circle Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA
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Initial tracking (as We Can Funk)
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Summer, 1986
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Crosstown Circle Warehouse, Eden Prairie, MN, USA
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Additional recording
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1989-1990
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Paisley Park Studios, Chanhassen, MN, USA
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Additional recording (1983 version)
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31 August, 2011
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Unknown location, Sacramento, CA, USA
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Demo recording (Andy Allo version)
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Recording Personnel
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Released version
Unreleased 1983 version
Unreleased 1986 version
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Versions
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Released Versions
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Title
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Length
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Released
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Version
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Additional info
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We Can Funk
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5:28
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Graffiti Bridge
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Studio
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Broadcasts/streaming (only)
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Sampled, Referred to, Quoted in...
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Unreleased Versions
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Title
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Version
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Additional Info
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We Can Fuck
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Studio
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1983 preliminary verison
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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Initial raw take
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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Overdubs added
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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'Finished' 1986 version
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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1989-1990 update of 1983 version with no George Clinton input
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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Longer 1989-1990 version with slight George Clinton input
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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1989-1990 version with significant George Clinton vocal input
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We Can Funk
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Studio
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Longer version edited for album, with some musical variations
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