"Control" is the second
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n and fourth overall single released from alternative rock band
Garbage
Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...
's fifth studio album, ''
Not Your Kind of People
''Not Your Kind of People'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Garbage. It was released on May 11, 2012, through the band's own record label, Stunvolume. The album marks the return of the band after a seven-year hiatus that started ...
'', and was sent to radio stations across
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in October 2012.
Background and composition
"Control" was written and recorded during the 2010-2011 sessions for ''Not Your Kind of People'' in Los Angeles and is one of the examples of the "guerrilla style" approach the band took with the sound on the album.
"Control" was mostly composed by drummer
Butch Vig
Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...
,
who also plays
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
on the track. Vig explained "
six-year-old daughter has a harmonica and she left it in my home studio. We were working on the song one morning and I picked it up and started blowing on it. I can’t really play harmonica, the part is dead simple, anyone could figure it out. I didn’t think we would actually use it and then we left it in the song, we mixed it.
The band were inspired by the song "
When the Levee Breaks
"When the Levee Breaks" is a country blues song written and first recorded by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. The lyrics reflect experiences during the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.
"When the Levee Breaks ...
" by
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and used it as a reference point to bring
guitars
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
into the mix and seeing how far they could push their sound and channel the groove.
Guitarist
Duke Erikson
Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson (born January 15, 1951) is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film producer and record producer, best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage. Garbage has sold more than 1 ...
came up with the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
idea and added "we wanted to make the last chorus totally chaotic, so I opened up the gate and ran a pulse through it. The whole song sounded like it was out of control." Erikson recalls playing a
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...
on the verses and a
Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...
on the second chorus, although "there might have been a
SG involved".
Lyrically, "Control" is about giving up any control in your life, surrendering yourself to whatever is going on," explained singer
Shirley Manson
Shirley Ann Manson (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish musician and actress. She is best known as the lead singer of the American alternative rock band Garbage. Manson gained media attention for her forthright style, rebellious attitude, and di ...
, "...and committing yourself to it in that moment."
Manson added that "Control" is about "facing the fact that we are all ultimately gonna die and why are we holding on to these weird, fixed ideas of who we are, what we are, what we’re capable of. It’s about urgency. It’s about vigor, about life and letting things move through you instead of holding on tight."
The single cover designed by the band's graphic artist Ryan Corey features a
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
's skull.
Release and promotion
The song was first teased ahead of its release on August 30, 2011, when the band posted a video of Vig recording drums on their
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page. A second teaser of the song was posted on February 1, 2012.
"Control" was released as second North American and fourth overall single from
Garbage
Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...
's fifth studio album, ''
Not Your Kind of People
''Not Your Kind of People'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Garbage. It was released on May 11, 2012, through the band's own record label, Stunvolume. The album marks the return of the band after a seven-year hiatus that started ...
.
'' The band mastered a radio version of the song for
airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
featuring a third chorus in place of the breakdown that marks the album version of the song. Garbage later pressed a limited edition
7" vinyl
In music, a single is a type of Art release#Music, release, typically a song Sound recording, recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for record sales, sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most ca ...
single for "Control" and released it through their
website
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...
. It was
backed with
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
a remix of the lead single "
Blood for Poppies
"Blood for Poppies" is the 2012 lead single from alternative rock band Garbage's fifth studio album '' Not Your Kind of People'', released to radio worldwide and as the band's Record Store Day single in the United States.
Garbage picked "Blood f ...
".
On October 3, 2012, "Control" was performed on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
''
The song was also performed heavily during the
Not Your Kind of People World Tour
The Not Your Kind of People Tour is the fifth world concert tour cycle by American/Scottish alternative rock group Garbage. The tour launched May 2012 in Los Angeles, United States and included headline performances and festival appearances thr ...
and was used to open concerts in the band's 2019 headline tour.
In 2022, the song was remastered by
Heba Kadry
Heba Kadry is an Egyptian mastering engineer who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. She is best known for her work with Bjork, Beach House, Slowdive, The Mars Volta, Neon Indian, Wooden Shjips, Lightning Bolt, White Hills, Alex G, Future ...
and included in Garbage's third
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
''
Anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
'', out October 28.
Reception
Reception to the song was greatly positive, with critics often praising the track as a highlight on ''Not Your Kind of People''.
Carl Williott of ''
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books
*''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
'' described the song as "a ferocious, fuzzed-out rocker with a driving bass line and a harmonica-on-
steroids
A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and a ...
train whistle effect that demands your listening attention."
Tom Hocknell in his review for ''
BBC Music
BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network.
Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...
'' compared the song to "
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...
on steroids" and complimented it for demonstrating "the joyful abandonment in surrendering yourself to sing-along industrial pop angst." In his 4/5 stars review of ''Not Your Kind of People'', Dave Simpson of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' commended the song's "
adium-sized hooks". Emma Smith of ''
The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'' was also positive, praising the song as "immediately arresting and
anthemic
"Anthemic" is a song by live electronic music project Magnetic Man. It is the fourth single to be released from the debut album ''Magnetic Man'' and was released as a digital download on 22 July 2011. For its release, grime rapper P Money was adde ...
". In his review for
''Consequence of Sound'', Adam Kivel picked "Control" as one of the essential tracks of the album, writing that "the twinkling waves of piano that open “Control” is pure production mastery, and the sludgy bass and dark, relationship-based lyrics
..are vintage Garbage." Despite giving the album a lukewarm review and calling it "dated", Jonathan Keefe of ''
Slant
Slant can refer to:
Bias
*Bias or other non- objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields
Technical
* Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level
*Slant d ...
'' picked "Control" as one of the few "standout tracks" on ''Not Your Kind of People''. Similarly, Jason Heller of The AV Club gave the album a C+ review but praised "Control" as one of "the bright spots", describing it as "a propulsive slab of clattering, industrial melancholia in which Manson morphs from chanteuse to tsunami at the drop of a beat." ''
Q Magazine
''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. '' ...
'' also praised the track for its Garbage signature sound.
On a negative note, in his review for ''
Drowned in Sound
''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums.
History
''D ...
'', Sean Thomas criticized the lyrics of the chorus for their "faux-angst content".
Track listings
*7" single
# "Control"
# "Blood for Poppies" (
Blaqk Audio
Blaqk Audio is an American electronic music duo, formed by current AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget under Interscope Records.
Their debut album, ''CexCells'', was released on August 14, 2007, and reached number eighteen on the ''Billboa ...
Remix)
In other media
On June 26, 2012, "Control" was used in the 2012 video game ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...
'' and featured in the launch trailer of the game. "Control" featured in episode 16 of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...
of ''
The Vampire Diaries
''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...
'' and was also used as the promo song for the episode, broadcast on March 14, 2013.
Release history
References
External links
Garbage official website
{{authority control
Garbage (band) songs
2011 songs
Songs written by Shirley Manson
Songs written by Duke Erikson
Songs written by Steve Marker
Songs written by Butch Vig