I Don't Want Control of You

"I Don't Want Control of You" is a song recorded by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub. The song was released on 18 August 1997 through Creation Records, as the second single from the band's sixth studio album Songs from Northern Britain. The song was written and sung by vocalist and guitarist Norman Blake.

"I Don't Want Control of You"
Single by Teenage Fanclub
from the album Songs from Northern Britain
B-side
  • "The Count"
  • "Middle of the Road"
  • "He'd Be a Diamond"
  • "Live My Life"
Released18 August 1997
Recorded1996
Genre
Length3:08
LabelCreation
Songwriter(s)Norman Blake
Producer(s)
  • David Bianco
  • Blake
  • Love
  • Raymond McGinley
  • Paul Quinn
Teenage Fanclub singles chronology
"Ain't That Enough"
(1997)
"I Don't Want Control of You"
(1997)
"Start Again"
(1997)

The song peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

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Norman Blake, in a 2016 interview, considered it among his personal favorite songs by the band:

"I Don't Want Control of You" is one of my favorite songs I've written. I still enjoy playing it. I achieved what I was aiming for there. I like how it has a key change. As a musician and a songwriter, I feel like I got pretty close to achieving what was in my head.[1]

Reception

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Matt Collar, in a review of Songs from Northern Britain on AllMusic, considered the song "one of the most beautiful affirmations of fidelity in a relationship."[2] Pitchfork contributor Sam Sodomsky called it a "brilliantly unguarded" love song,[3] while James Cosby at PopMatters praised the tune's "bold, sometimes rather astonishing lyrical observations."[4]

Charts

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Chart (1997) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 43

References

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  1. ^ Lindsay, Cam (6 September 2016). "Rank Your Records: Norman Blake Merrily Rates the Ten Teenage Fanclub Albums". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. ^ Collar, Matt. "Songs from Northern Britain – Teenage Fanclub". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  3. ^ Sodomsky, Sam (11 August 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs from Northern Britain / Howdy! Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  4. ^ Cosby, James A. (8 May 2018). "The 25 Best Songs of Teenage Fanclub". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  5. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 February 2020.