This is one of the greatest songs of my childhood.  I remember very clearly how different it was from everything else on the radio in 1984.  I was 11 when the Purple Rain movie came out so I wasn’t allowed to see it, but I had the soundtrack (read my blog about it here) and all the music from the movie, including “Jungle Love,” was all over the place in 1984.  It was always very exciting to hear “Jungle Love” and “The Bird” on the radio, and whenever I saw the band on TV I was captivated.  I was a huge Prince fan, so anything associated with him was cool in my eyes.

Listening to this song now, I hear some different things than I did when I was a kid.  Calling it “Jungle Love” brings up a lot of racial shit, and lyrics like “Come on, baby, where’s your guts/You wanna make love or what?” and “I wanna take you to my cage/Lock you up and hide the key” are a little aggressive and creepy.  I don’t remember anyone complaining about that stuff back in the day, so we all just listened and tried to learn the dance.

And who didn’t want a bearskin rug like Mr. Day?  Chicks in the 80s really dug that shit.  Yaaasss!