She's Lost Control

"She's Lost Control"
Single by Joy Division
A-side	"Atmosphere"
Released	August 1980 (US) September 1980 (UK)
Format	7", 12", CDS
Genre	Post-punk
Length	4:56
Label	Factory Records
Writer(s)	Joy Division
Producer(s)	Martin Hannett
Joy Division singles and EPs chronology
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" (1980) "Atmosphere" / "She's Lost Control" (1980) The Peel Sessions (1986)

"She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. It was first introduced in a concert in June 1978. Two separate single recordings have been released: a guitar-dominated version appearing on the band's 1979 debut album Unknown Pleasures, and a heavier and more electronic version first released in 1980 on a 12" single, coupled with "Atmosphere". This version also sports an additional verse, not present in the earlier one and it was recorded in March 1980 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, making it one of the last Joy Division studio recordings. There are also a number of live versions appearing on the bonus discs of the re-issues of the bands albums.

Composition

The song centres on Peter Hook's cool, droning, minimalist bassline formed over a methodical and mechanistic drum beat, courtesy of Stephen Morris. The beat came together after each drum was recorded completely separately, as producer Martin Hannett obsessively pursued clean drum sounds with no "bleed through" (when one drum's sound is added to the signal of another drum unintentionally) on songs he considered potential singles. In dramatic contrast, Bernard Sumner's guitar work is sharp and clipped, and bears a striking resemblance to Dave Davies' work on early Kinks singles such as "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night". Lead singer Ian Curtis' lyrics concern a girl having an epileptic seizure (i.e. "losing control"), a condition which Curtis himself suffered from. Many indie bands have covered it, as well as Siobhan Fahey and Grace Jones.

Live, the song would be played at a faster pace, and much more aggressively, Curtis often shouting the lyrics before the bridge sections. The electronic drum used would often be more abrasive and louder in the mix than it was in the studio recordings. On later live recordings, Curtis would play a keyboard line during the outro, one of only a few songs on which he would play an instrument.

In other media

The name of the song is referenced in the title of the Ian Curtis biopic Control, which includes the incident inspiring the song, and also the recording of the song, showing Morris using an aerosol can sprayed into a microphone as percussion.

The guitar riff for "She's Lost Control" was sampled by 808 State for their single "Contrique" in 1993.^[2]

The film 24 Hour Party People includes a scene dramatizing the recording of the song, and suggests that Morris recorded the drum beat on the roof of the studio, as well as continuing to play the beat long after the other band members recorded their parts and left the studio.

The song appears in Skins in the series 3 episode "Effy".

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics