Control Freak

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05. Red River Cargo
06. Control Freak
List of Unsound Methods songs
07. Missing Piece
Control Freak
AlbumUnsoundMethods.jpg
Song Control Freak
By Recoil
Songwriter Alan Wilder
Maggie Estep
Produced by Alan Wilder
Recorded at The Thin Line (Sussex)
Mixed by Alan Wilder
Mixing assistance Paul Stevens
Simon Shazell
Mastered by Ian Cooper
Studio assistance Hepzibah Sessa
Published by Mute Song
Not Normal Music
Zoetrope Music Company
Carlin Music Corp.
Chappell, Inc.
Warner/Chappell Music Ltd.
Recorded September 1996 - June 1997
Originally released 27 October 1997
Live performances as Recoil 0 times *
Total live performances 1 times *

"Control Freak" is a song from the 1997 album Unsound Methods by Recoil.

Lyrics


Control Freak

A girl who can't shake off the smell

Of a man she met but didn't know well

She thinks she feels him in her skin

She thinks she sees his sideways grin

She sees him on the street by chance

Follows him as if entranced

Gets on a train that he gets on

A girl like this she is possessed


She sits two seats behind his own

Can hear him sigh, a little moan

She wonders what he's thinking of

As he removes his right hand glove

She notices his hand is strange

As if the bones were rearranged

She thinks of what she'll say to him

She hears it playing deep within


You're all I need to get high

The man jumps to his feet just then

Slips out the train and round a bend

She almost loses sight of him

Shuts her eyes, thinks of his skin

She catches up just as he goes

Into a bar and down below

To where cases of wine are stacked

There is no light, it's nearly black


You're all I need to get high


He turns around to face her then

His right hand seems to claw the air

She doesn't know why she came here

She doesn't know what possessed her

Sweat's running down her spine

But then he breaks into a smile

That lights up his whole face

And then he starts to laugh and laugh and laugh

And then he says "I've thought about you

Since that day we met but barely spoke"


They start to kiss

He rubs his hand inside her tight's inner band

She shivers up against him hard

She reaches inside of him far

But then she stops, she pulls away

She starts to go and he tells her "stay"

But she walks determined up the stairs

She sways a bit, she flaunts her wares

She's got him where she wants him now

She knows he'll follow hard

And how anything she says will go

Any yes she'll turn to no

He follows her outside and says

"Hey wait, don't go, stay here"

She turns around and sneers at him

And walks away for days


Songwriter: Alan Wilder/Maggie Estep
Publishing Information: ℗ 1997 Reprise Records

Quotes

Alan Wilder allegedly confirmed the title of Recoil song 'Control Freak' was chosen in jest as a response to Martin Gore's pointed comments that Wilder is a "control freak" in an interview following Wilder's 1995 departure from Depeche Mode:

Yes, but it doesn't refer to the lyrics, it's just the name of the song. I found it funny somehow. However, it doesn't have a deeper meaning [...] It's true that I am a bit of a control freak. I think that anyone who is deeply passionate about what they do will have that element about them.[1]

— Alan Wilder

Composition

Sample sources

"Control Freak"
Recoil
1997

Sample sources
Sample Source Status Notes Audio
Vocal, guitar, drum elements elements Aretha Franklin - You're All I Need To Get By / Pullin' - "You're All I Need to Get By" - 1971
Confirmed
A manipulated sample derived from Aretha Franklin's 1971 cover of "You're All I Need to Get By" by R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell is utilised throughout "Control Freak".
Orchestral strings Ravi Shankar, Philip Glass - "Offering" - 1990
Confirmed
A manipulated sample of orchestral strings derived from "Offering" by Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass is utilised throughout "Control Freak".
Piano elements Peter Hammill - "Accidents" - 1982
Confirmed
A manipulated piano sample derived from "Accidents" by Peter Hammill is utilised sporadically throughout "Control Freak".

Click to display/hide audio example

Synth fill Brian Eno, David Bryne - "Mountain of Needles" - February 1981
Confirmed
A manipulated sample derived from "Mountain of Needles" by Brian Eno and David Bryne is utilised throughout "Control Freak".
Synth pad Goldie - "Sea of Tears" - 1995
Confirmed
A synth pad derived from "Sea of Tears" by Goldie is utilised throughout "Control Freak".
Flowing water, ambient elements AMG - HITCD08 - Pascal Gabriel's Dance Samples - Track 62 (0:12) - "WaterLoop" - 1991
Confirmed
An edited, manipulated, looped sample of flowing water derived from AMG's 1991 sample CD HITCD08 - Pascal Gabriel's Dance Samples is utilised throughout the intro of "Control Freak".

Click to display/hide audio example

Female vocal/laugh, vocal elements AMG - HITCD08 - Pascal Gabriel's Dance Samples - Track 53 (0:08) - "Ha, Ha, Ha! (F)" - 1991
Confirmed
A manipulated vocal part derived from AMG's 1991 sample CD HITCD08 - Pascal Gabriel's Dance Samples is utilised sporadically throughout "Control Freak".

Click to display/hide audio example

Bass drum, drum elements AMG - HITCD08 - Pascal Gabriel's Dance Samples - Track 49 (0:45) - "DubMaster" - 1991
Confirmed
A manipulated bass drum sound derived from AMG's 1991 sample CD HITCD08 - Pascal Gabriel's Dance Samples is utilised throughout "Control Freak".

Click to display/hide audio example

Drum elements, open hi-hat, closed hi-hat Korg Inc. - Korg 01/W > PROG BANK A > A29: Dance Kit - "Open HH", "Close HH"
Confirmed
A series of open and closed hi-hats utilised throughout "Control Freak" are sequenced using Korg 01/W Bank A Voice #29 "Dance Kit".

Dates where Control Freak was played

Control Freak has never been played live.

Notes

References

  1. depechemodebiographie.de attributes these quotes to Alan Wilder but does not cite a source. Anyone who knows the source of these quotes, please send an e-mail to admin [at] dmlive [dot] wiki.