Under Control

Album: Halcyon Days (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Sometimes we think the love of another is all we need to make ourselves whole, and we invest everything in that relationship. In this song, Goulding has a catharsis as she realizes that she was whole all along; the guy who left her "was never the missing key."

    Goulding wrote the song with Oliver Goldstein, Bonnie McKee and Cory Nitta; Goldstein and Nitta produced it. In a Songfacts interview with McKee, she explained: "It's about co-dependency and having an epiphany about that. Realizing that all you really need is yourself and belief."
  • The song was written a few days before Christmas in 2012. "There are so many songs about control, so we just took a different spin on it," Bonnie McKee told Songfacts. "Writing with Ellie Goulding was an incredible experience. I was always such a big fan - she is an incredible writer and just picks up a guitar and goes. Also, her voice is like something from Middle-earth - she's really like a magical pixie singer."
  • Goulding released a video for this song that was directed by Conor McDonnell and features footage from her Halcyon Days tour.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne

Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of WayneSongwriter Interviews

The guy who brought us "Stacy's Mom" also wrote the Jane Lynch Emmy song and Stephen Colbert's Christmas songs.

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."