Take Control
Encyclopedia
"Take Control" is a song by American R&B
singer-songwriter Amerie
from her third studio album, Because I Love It
(2007). Written by Cee-Lo Green, Mike Caren
, and Amerie and released as the album's lead single
in late 2006, the Caren-produced track contains excerpts from Brazilian musician Tom Zé
's 1970 song "Jimmy, Renda-se", written by Tom Zé and Valdez, and elements of Hall & Oates
' 1980 song "You Make My Dreams
", written by Daryl Hall
, John Oates
, and Sara Allen.
, she agreed. She felt the song was not uptempo enough to suit her, so she wrote a hook
, a bridge
, and added a horn section
to add to the song her "signature" and "a different flavour", making it a "dance record".
Tori Alamaze
, the reference singer on the song, said that it was originally offered to her, but Amerie denied this, saying she thought it "really wack on [Alamaze's] part" to make such a claim.
, for example, placed "Take Control" on its top 100 songs of the year list at number ninety-eight. Another popular magazine, Entertainment Weekly
, stated "Take Control may be an ode to submission, but it hardly holds back." The Village Voice
named "Take Control" the fifth best single release of the fourth quarter of 2006, commenting on "how great Amerie's joyous chirp sounds over sharp, percussive old-school funk
tracks. Here, Cee-Lo laces her with spy-movie
guitars and horn-stabs and a drum track that keeps building and building, adding on conga
s and handclaps and tambourine
s without ever disturbing the tense little groove at the song's center ... and Amerie finally finds room for a bit of grit in her voice." The Guardian
wrote, "it twitches and jerks along a nagging Tom Zé
sample, but it's a song with such a sparse arrangement that interest has to be sustained entirely by the voice, which Amerie does spectacularly, making it absolutely clear who is really cracking the whip."
According to Amerie, "Some Like It" was originally chosen as the first single from Because I Love It; after the release of similar-sounding singles by Kelis
("Bossy"), Fergie ("London Bridge
"), and Justin Timberlake
("SexyBack
"), and because Amerie thought "Take Control" was "kind of different", the decision was made to release it as the lead single instead. The single debuted at number seventy-two on the U.S. Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart, and peaked at number sixty-six; it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
. After the failure of the single, the U.S. release of Because I Love It was pushed back repeatedly. In the United Kingdom the song debuted on the C-list section of BBC Radio 1
's playlist and was Scott Mills
's "Record of the Week" from March 26 to April 1, before moving up to the A-list. "Take Control" peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart
, remaining in the top forty for six weeks.
was shot in late October 2006 and was premiered on the Internet on December 3. It was released to television in the United States on January 15, 2007 and was selected as MTV Jams
's "Jam of the Week". Directed by Scott Franklin
, it borrows greatly from Michelangelo Antonioni
's 1966 film Blowup
, with some of the key scenes recreated in a contemporary setting. Unlike the film, however, flashing captions onscreen make the assassination involved more obvious. Amerie and some acolytes are shown removing the photographer's blowups from his apartment, which is implied but not shown in the film. The video has a short introduction that involves Amerie singing another song from Because I Love It, "That's What U R". A writer for Entertainment Weekly called the video "nonsense, just the way I like my music videos to be" and "the stuff that music video dreams are made of ... [it] pretends to make sense by taking on something more complex than Amerie shimmying around in hot pants and heels, but don't let it fool you. The hair tossing and strut-strutting is the same here as it is in "1 Thing
", just on location this time—in a car, a park, a house with a sexy man sleeping under rumpled sheet, etc. Love it!"
At the end of March 2007, a remix of "Take Control" by DJ Camille Starr, and featuring British-Asian vocalist S-Endz
, began to circulate on the internet. It is a bhangra-fused club remix of the song. The official radio remix featuring South Korea
n singer Se7en was aired in May 2007, and it is only to be featured on the Asian editions of Because I Love It. Other versions include Tracy Young's Taking Control mix and the Karmatronic mix.
French CD single
U.S. 12" single
European CD 1
European CD 2
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer-songwriter Amerie
Amerie
Amerie Mi Marie Rogers , known professionally as Amerie or Ameriie, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She debuted in 2002 with the album All I Have, primarily co-written and produced by Rich Harrison, and was well-received in the urban market...
from her third studio album, Because I Love It
Because I Love It
Because I Love It is the third studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Amerie. Originally set for an autumn 2006 release, and originally to be called None of the Above, the album was released in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2007. The album was released in the U.S. on different dates to...
(2007). Written by Cee-Lo Green, Mike Caren
Mike Caren
Mike Caren is an American Record Producer, Executive Vice President of A&R for Atlantic Records and Co-President of Elektra Records. After completing jobs with SRC/Loud Records and Ruthless Records, he started his career at Atlantic in 1995 at the age of seventeen as Manager of Rap Marketing for...
, and Amerie and released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
in late 2006, the Caren-produced track contains excerpts from Brazilian musician Tom Zé
Tom Zé
Tom Zé is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of the Tropicália period, Zé went into relative obscurity: it was only in the 1990s, when the musician and label head David Byrne discovered an album recorded...
's 1970 song "Jimmy, Renda-se", written by Tom Zé and Valdez, and elements of Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
' 1980 song "You Make My Dreams
You Make My Dreams
"You Make My Dreams" is a 1980 single by Hall & Oates from their album Voices. The song reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981...
", written by Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall is an American rock, R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Hall & Oates . Hall scored several Billboard chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is regarded as one of the best blue eyed soul singers...
, John Oates
John Oates
John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates ....
, and Sara Allen.
Recording
After Cee-Lo wrote the song, he approached Amerie to record it. Amerie said she did not normally do commissions and record other people's songs because they did not work for her, but because she had "always loved" Cee-Lo since his time with Goodie MobGoodie Mob
Goodie Mob is a Hip Hop act based in Atlanta, Georgia that formed in 1991 and currently consists of members Cee-Lo Green, Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp.-History:The group's name acts as a double backronym...
, she agreed. She felt the song was not uptempo enough to suit her, so she wrote a hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
, a bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
, and added a horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
to add to the song her "signature" and "a different flavour", making it a "dance record".
Tori Alamaze
Tori Alamaze
Tori Alamaze is an American singer best known as a backing vocalist for the hip hop duo OutKast.Hailing from Detroit, Alamaze worked as a make-up artist for about 10 years, including work for musicians Faith Evans, Erykah Badu, TLC, Xscape, Monica, Outkast, and Busta Rhymes...
, the reference singer on the song, said that it was originally offered to her, but Amerie denied this, saying she thought it "really wack on [Alamaze's] part" to make such a claim.
Release and reception
Many critics gave "Take Control" positive reviews; Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, for example, placed "Take Control" on its top 100 songs of the year list at number ninety-eight. Another popular magazine, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, stated "Take Control may be an ode to submission, but it hardly holds back." The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
named "Take Control" the fifth best single release of the fourth quarter of 2006, commenting on "how great Amerie's joyous chirp sounds over sharp, percussive old-school funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
tracks. Here, Cee-Lo laces her with spy-movie
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
guitars and horn-stabs and a drum track that keeps building and building, adding on conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s and handclaps and tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s without ever disturbing the tense little groove at the song's center ... and Amerie finally finds room for a bit of grit in her voice." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote, "it twitches and jerks along a nagging Tom Zé
Tom Zé
Tom Zé is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of the Tropicália period, Zé went into relative obscurity: it was only in the 1990s, when the musician and label head David Byrne discovered an album recorded...
sample, but it's a song with such a sparse arrangement that interest has to be sustained entirely by the voice, which Amerie does spectacularly, making it absolutely clear who is really cracking the whip."
According to Amerie, "Some Like It" was originally chosen as the first single from Because I Love It; after the release of similar-sounding singles by Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
("Bossy"), Fergie ("London Bridge
London Bridge (Fergie song)
"London Bridge" is a hip hop/R&B song co-written and performed by Fergie for her debut album, The Dutchess. It contains a sample taken from "Down to the Night Club" by Tower of Power. It was released as the lead single from the album on July 18, 2006, and was Fergie's first single as a solo artist...
"), and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
("SexyBack
SexyBack
"SexyBack" is a song by American recording artist Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds . It was released on July 7, 2006, by Jive Records as the lead single from the album...
"), and because Amerie thought "Take Control" was "kind of different", the decision was made to release it as the lead single instead. The single debuted at number seventy-two on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart, and peaked at number sixty-six; it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. After the failure of the single, the U.S. release of Because I Love It was pushed back repeatedly. In the United Kingdom the song debuted on the C-list section of BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's playlist and was Scott Mills
Scott Mills
Scott Robert Mills is a British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor, best known for presenting The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1...
's "Record of the Week" from March 26 to April 1, before moving up to the A-list. "Take Control" peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, remaining in the top forty for six weeks.
Music video and remixes
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot in late October 2006 and was premiered on the Internet on December 3. It was released to television in the United States on January 15, 2007 and was selected as MTV Jams
MTV Jams
MTV Jams is a Viacom-owned American hip-hop/urban music video channel that debuted on 1998 as MTVX, then was relaunched in 2002 under its current name...
's "Jam of the Week". Directed by Scott Franklin
Scott Franklin
Scott Franklin , is a Canadian rugby union player who plays rugby for the Prairie Wolf Pack in Canada, and for the Canadian national team. Franklin is a prop.- Career :...
, it borrows greatly from Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni
Michelangelo Antonioni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.- Personal life :...
's 1966 film Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
, with some of the key scenes recreated in a contemporary setting. Unlike the film, however, flashing captions onscreen make the assassination involved more obvious. Amerie and some acolytes are shown removing the photographer's blowups from his apartment, which is implied but not shown in the film. The video has a short introduction that involves Amerie singing another song from Because I Love It, "That's What U R". A writer for Entertainment Weekly called the video "nonsense, just the way I like my music videos to be" and "the stuff that music video dreams are made of ... [it] pretends to make sense by taking on something more complex than Amerie shimmying around in hot pants and heels, but don't let it fool you. The hair tossing and strut-strutting is the same here as it is in "1 Thing
1 Thing
"1 Thing" is a song written by American R&B singer-songwriter Amerie and Rich Harrison for Amerie's second studio album, Touch . The song is influenced by go-go rhythms and features a prominent sample of The Meters' 1970 funk recording of "Oh, Calcutta!", written by Stanley Walden...
", just on location this time—in a car, a park, a house with a sexy man sleeping under rumpled sheet, etc. Love it!"
At the end of March 2007, a remix of "Take Control" by DJ Camille Starr, and featuring British-Asian vocalist S-Endz
S-Endz
S-Endz, also known as Turi and Casey Rain is a British Asian vocalist, music producer, songwriter and presenter. He is best known as a member of the critically acclaimed UK rap/alternative/bhangra band Swami....
, began to circulate on the internet. It is a bhangra-fused club remix of the song. The official radio remix featuring South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n singer Se7en was aired in May 2007, and it is only to be featured on the Asian editions of Because I Love It. Other versions include Tracy Young's Taking Control mix and the Karmatronic mix.
Track listings and formats
U.S. promotional single- "Take Control" (Main Version)
- "Take Control" (Instrumental Version)
- "Take Control" (Accapella Version)
- "Take Control" (Call Out Hook 1)
- "Take Control" (Call Out Hook 2)
French CD single
- "Take Control" (Main Version)
- "Take Control" (Karmatronic Remix)
- "Crunk Didi (Losing U)"
U.S. 12" single
- "Take Control" (Main Version)
- "Take Control" (Instrumental Version)
- "Take Control" (Accapella Version)
- "That's What U R"
European CD 1
- "Take Control" (Main Version)
- "Take Control" (Tracy Young Remix)
- "That's What U R"
- "Take Control" (Video)
European CD 2
- "Take Control" (Main Version)
- "Take Control" (Karmatronic Remix)
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
66 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
| European Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
25 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 9 |
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
52 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
64 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
23 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
40 |
| German Black Chart | 6 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
19 |
| Slovak Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... Airplay Chart |
50 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
67 |
| Turkey Top 20 Chart | 19 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
10 |