About the song
When we think back to the music of the 1980s—a decade brimming with synthesizers, high emotion, and an ever-deepening fascination with the night—it’s impossible to overlook the enduring impact of **Laura Branigan – Self Control**. Released in 1984, this brooding, cinematic anthem not only helped to cement Branigan’s status as a pop powerhouse, but also captured the restless, shadowy energy that came to define so much of that era’s sonic landscape.
What’s remarkable about **Laura Branigan – Self Control** is how it deftly walks the line between vulnerability and power. The track’s European origins—it was originally an Italian hit by Raf—are preserved in its melodic structure and electronic production, yet Branigan’s interpretation elevates it into something far more visceral. Her voice, at once commanding and plaintive, becomes the emotional center of the song. With her trademark dramatic delivery, she gives life to the story of a woman caught between the safety of day and the seduction of night, between personal agency and the pull of desire. “I live among the creatures of the night,” she sings, not with fear, but with a kind of defiant resignation.
The production, too, plays a crucial role. The pulsing synth lines and haunting guitar work, paired with crisp percussion, give **Self Control** a sense of forward motion, even as the lyrics describe being overwhelmed. It’s a dance song, yes, but one with a dark soul—music that moves your feet while stirring something deeper. The accompanying music video, controversial at the time for its erotic imagery and psychological themes, only deepened the song’s mysterious aura and helped it stand out amid the neon gloss of mainstream MTV.
In many ways, **Laura Branigan – Self Control** was ahead of its time. Its themes of duality, temptation, and inner conflict remain strikingly relevant, and its sound continues to influence artists exploring the shadowy corners of synth-pop and dark wave. More than 40 years on, the track still resonates—not just as a slice of ’80s nostalgia, but as a timeless meditation on the parts of ourselves we try, and sometimes fail, to control.
Video
Lyrics
Oh, the night is my world
City light painted girl
In the day, nothing matters
It’s the nighttime that flatters
In the night, no control
Through the wall something’s breaking
Wearing white as you’re walkin’
Down the street of my soulYou take my self, you take my self control
You got me livin’ only for the night
Before the morning comes, the story’s told
You take my self, you take my self control
Another night, another day goes by
I never stop myself to wonder why
You help me to forget to play my role
You take my self, you take my self controlI, I live among the creatures of the night
I haven’t got the will to try and fight
Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I’ll just believe it
That tomorrow never comes
A safe night (You take my self, you take my self control)
I’m living in the forest of a dream (You take my self, you take my self control)
I know the night is not as it would seem (You take my self, you take my self control)
I must believe in something, so I’ll make myself believe it (You take my self, you take my self control)
This night will never go
