"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" is a Grammy-nominated single from

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

's self-titled 1982 album. The single was her 12th top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Background

Summer's 1980 '' The Wanderer'' album — her inaugural release on

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

— had been certified gold in America although it did not enjoy numerous hit singles as some of her '70s releases had enjoyed. Summer had prepped her next album, which would be released in 1996 as ''

I'm a Rainbow ''I'm a Rainbow'' is the ninth studio album recorded by Donna Summer. The album was recorded in 1981 and scheduled to be released on October 5 but was shelved. It would not be released until fifteen years later on August 20, 1996. There was no of ...

'' — a double set which continued her association with

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

and

Pete Bellotte Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Index ...

, but

David Geffen David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 199 ...

, decided to cancel the project, and assigned Summer to record an album with producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

. Jones was a much sought-after producer at the time, particularly due to his association with

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's album ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and t ...

''. "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" was the lead single off the Jones' produced album ''Donna Summer''. It was written by Jones and

Rod Temperton Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English songwriter, producer and musician. Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s pop music, disco and funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "St ...

(formerly of funk band

Heatwave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

) — who'd also written Jackson's "

Rock with You "Rock with You" was written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was released on November 3, 1979, by Epic Records as ...

". Summer reported that the recording process for this album was challenging, as she was pregnant at the time and unhappy over ''I'm a Rainbow being shelved by Geffen Records. The single was issued in three different versions: the 7" single release (3:42), the LP version (4:19), and a 12" single version (7:04). The 12" version features a "Dance Remix" on Side One and an "Instrumental Version Featuring

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's ...

On Sax Solo" on Side Two. Both are remixes by Craig Kostich and

Bruce Swedien Bruce Swedien (; April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. Swedien fir ...

Music video

A music video features Donna Summer dancing in a room full of pop art. She wore a black satin outfit to disguise her pregnancy as she was expecting her baby, Amanda Grace. The video also featured clips of Donna dancing during a photo shoot wearing a blue dress with a large belt to cover her stomach. The same dress (outfit) is what she is wearing on the cover for the single and album.

Reception

"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" became a major hit, peaking at no. 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the week of September 25, 1982, giving Summer her sixteenth top 40 hit, and reaching no. 4 on the US R&B Chart. It was Summer's best R&B showing since " Bad Girls" in 1979—even using police whistles in the song as in " Bad Girls". Although the parent album was certified gold in the US, it did not produce any more major hits and did not prove the powerhouse album Geffen Records had hoped for.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

B-side

The B-side of the "Love Is in Control" 7" single, "Sometimes Like Butterflies", was a non-album track co-written by Summer herself. It was finally released on CD on the 2014 reissue and was also covered in 1985 by

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

References

{{authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles Donna Summer songs Geffen Records singles Warner Records singles Songs written by Quincy Jones Songs written by Rod Temperton