The 1980 Prince album featuring “When You Were Mine” is Dirty Mind.
Dirty Mind was released on October 8, 1980, as Prince’s third studio album. The song “When You Were Mine” appears on the album and is known for its energetic mixture of new wave, power pop, funk, and rock. Its emotionally complicated lyrics and gender-bending perspective helped make it one of Prince’s most admired early compositions.
The album was recorded largely in the basement studio of Prince’s home near Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota. Prince played nearly all the instruments and handled production, using the pseudonym Jamie Starr for engineering credits. The deliberately raw sound marked a sharp turn from the more polished feel of his earlier work.
Readers sometimes confuse the song with Controversy because it later appeared as the B-side of that 1981 single. It originated on Dirty Mind, however, and was recorded and released there first.