Self Control (Raf song)


"Self Control" is a song by Italian singer Raf, released in 1984. It was written by Giancarlo Bigazzi, Steve Piccolo and Raf, and arranged by Celso Valli. The track topped the charts in Italy and Switzerland, and started the explosion and dominance of Italo disco-style recordings in continental European charts during the 1980s.
That same year, "Self Control" was covered by American singer Laura Branigan, whose version reached 1 in countries such as Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland, as well as No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Both versions of the song were commercially successful across Europe during much of the summer of 1984, with Branigan's rendition becoming the most successful single of the year in Germany and Switzerland.
"Self Control" has become one of the defining songs of the 1980s, with a number of remakes recorded each year. Notable covers include Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin in 1993, a dance remake by Branigan in 2004, Royal Gigolos in 2005, Danish dance group Infernal in 2006, and German duo Fast Boy in 2024.

Raf version

Raf co-wrote the song "Self Control" with Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo. His version of "Self Control" reached No. 1 in Italy for seven non-consecutive weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Switzerland, between runs at the top spot by Branigan's version of "Self Control", and peaked at No. 2 in Germany, No. 7 in Austria and No. 40 in France. Raf released an extended dance mix of the song, like Branigan, but Raf's version featured a rap, relatively rare for a white artist at the time.
He would release several more tracks in English and re-release his 1984 self-titled debut album in 1987 under the title Self Control, featuring two of these tracks. Although his English-language album and especially the singles proved to be successful in Italy and elsewhere, he began releasing his later albums in his native language, almost all of which were received better in Italy than the English-language albums; many of them charted within the top 10 in Italy.

Laura Branigan version

American singer Laura Branigan covered "Self Control" in 1984. It was released as the lead single from her third same-titled studio album Self Control, released the same year.

History

Branigan's first major hit had also been co-written by Bigazzi: "Gloria" was an English-language cover of the 1979 original Italian song recorded by Umberto Tozzi. The following year, Branigan recorded another English song written over a Tozzi and Bigazzi song, "Mama", which was included on her 1983 album Branigan 2. Branigan chose two more Italian songs for her third album: the first one, "Ti Amo" with lyrics by Diane Warren once again based on the original by Tozzi and Bigazzi that had been a 1977 single for Tozzi. The second one, "Self Control", became the title track to the album and her most successful single internationally. "Self Control" was the only one of the four Italian songs recorded by Branigan that was originally composed in English, and Branigan chose to record the song as written. Also, unlike the other songs, Branigan's version was contemporaneous with that of its co-writer.
Branigan's recording was arranged by Giorgio Moroder's protégé Harold Faltermeyer with Robbie Buchanan and produced by Buchanan with Jack White in West Germany and Los Angeles. A keyboard hook in Raf's version was changed to a guitar riff for Branigan's version and a vocal break was paired with a sharper and repeated percussive element.

Composition

The song narrates the singer's slip into the world of nightlife, the allure of which has her "livin' only for the night" and deeming herself to "live among the creatures of the night". Rather than actually invoking more self-control, the singer addresses someone: "you take my self, you take my self-control". According to Bryan Buss of AllMusic, the song is about "finding sex in the seamy side of town".

Chart performance

In the United States, Branigan's cover became her third and last top 10 entry, peaking at No. 4. In Canada, the track reached No. 1 on both the pop and AC charts. Both the Raf original and Branigan's version of "Self Control" entered the German top 20 in May 1984: on 25 June, Branigan's single attained the No. 1 position, where it remained for six weeks, while Raf's version occupied the No. 2 spot.
"Self Control" also topped the charts in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden, while reaching No. 2 in Norway, No. 3 in Ireland, No. 3 in Australia and No. 5 in the UK.
Raf's version surpassed the success of Branigan's only in his native Italy, where her single reached No. 16. The only other territory where Raf topped the charts was in Switzerland. His single debuted in the Swiss top 30 at No. 7 on 17 June, the same week Branigan's version debuted at No. 24. The following week, Raf's single climbed to No. 2. Branigan's single, however, rose to No. 1. In their third week, Raf's version supplanted Branigan's at number 1, but she regained the top spot in the fourth week and the two versions would remain there, Branigan at No. 1 and Raf at No. 2, for three more weeks.
In their seventh week on the charts, Raf fell to No. 3, below "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!, while Branigan held at No. 1. Their eighth week on the charts saw Raf regain the No. 2 spot behind Branigan. The following week the Wham! single moved back to No. 2 and Raf fell three spaces, but Branigan held firm. In their tenth week on the charts, Wham! fell to No. 5, Raf fell two more spots, and Branigan maintained pole position.
Finally, on the week of 26 August, "Such a Shame" by Talk Talk moved Branigan out of the number-one spot, though she would remain in the top five for another three weeks. Branigan's record spent a total of 16 weeks in the Swiss top 30, including 12 weeks in the top five and eight weeks at No. 1. Branigan's version eventually became the most successful single of 1984 in both Germany and Switzerland.

Music video

Branigan was one of the first artists of the video era to work with an Academy Award-winning film director on a music video when William Friedkin directed the clip. Filmed in New Jersey and New York City, the video was produced by Fred Caruso and first aired in April 1984.
The video drew controversy, and MTV requested some edits before it could air. Entertainment Tonight aired a segment on the network's reaction to the clip, which was being played in late-night slots on other networks. Though Branigan resisted at first, her record company convinced her to allow a minor alteration and the video was aired on MTV, though by this time the single had peaked on the charts. Branigan would go on to be nominated for a 1985 American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist, losing to Cyndi Lauper.

Live performances

Branigan performed the song live in her debut on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on 27 April 1984. She also promoted the song during appearances on The Merv Griffin Show, Solid Gold, Dick Clark's American Bandstand and the syndicated Dick Clark television special Rock Rolls On, which she also co-hosted.

Media usage

In August 2025, "Self Control" was used as the soundtrack to a Virgin Media O2 television commercial. With an increase in attention, the song peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart on 12 September 2025.

Track listings

  • 7-inch single
  1. "Self Control" – 4:06
  2. "Silent Partners" – 3:55
  1. "Self Control" – 5:04
  2. "Silent Partners" – 4:10

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Poland 57

Chart Peak
position
Lithuania Airplay 4
Poland 61

Chart Peak
position
UK Singles Downloads Chart 29

Re-releases

Branigan's "Self Control" was paired with follow-up single "The Lucky One" for an "oldies series" release in the US. In the UK, a similar release paired the song with her earlier single, "Gloria". In 1992, the original single mix of "Self Control" was re-released on CD single and 12-inch vinyl by Atlantic/WEA in Germany featuring two new remixes. One of those, the Classic Summer Mix, appeared on the European greatest hits album The Very Best of Laura Branigan. In 1999, four new remixes of "Self Control" were commissioned for a South African collection called Back in Control, on Atlantic/Gallo. "Self Control '99" was released as a CD single there. In the mid-2000s, several trance music remixes featuring samples of various lengths from the 1984 Branigan original surfaced from various entities including Crooklyn Clan, Imperial Machine, and SK featuring Branigan. None of these mixes were done with Branigan's participation.
As of 2010, the Self Control album remains in print and the original version can also be heard on The Best of Branigan, and in remastered versions on The Essentials: Laura Branigan and The Platinum Collection.

2004 version

Branigan sought to reclaim her career after years away from the music industry first to take care of her ailing husband and then to mourn his loss. She re-recorded her two biggest club hits for the 20th anniversary of "Self Control" and they were released in a slew of remixes as "Gloria 2004" and "Self Control 2004". The latter track reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart following Branigan's sudden death from an aneurysm in August of that year.
Track listings
  1. "Self Control 2004" – 3:21
  2. "Self Control 2004" – 6:45
  3. "Self Control 2004" – 7:07
  4. "Self Control 2004" – 7:45
  5. "Self Control 2004" – 6:07
  6. "Self Control 2004" – 7:05

Ricky Martin version

In 1993, Ricky Martin recorded a Spanish-language cover of "Self Control", titled "Que Dia Es Hoy". With lyrics by producer Juan Carlos Calderón and Mikel Herzog, the song was released as single from Martin's second studio solo album, Me Amaras, in 1993. The single featured a remixed version of the track. A music video was also released. In 2008, the remixed version was included on CD and DVD, called 17.

Track listings

  1. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 8:01
  2. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 4:52
  3. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 6:03
  4. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 4:22
  • Brazilian promotional CD single
  1. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 8:01
  2. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 4:52
  3. "Que Dia Es Hoy " – 6:03
  4. "Te Quero Amor " – 4:22

Royal Gigolos version

In 2004, German dance group Royal Gigolos recorded a cover of "Self Control" for their debut studio album, Musique Deluxe. It was released as a CD maxi single the following year, along with their cover of the 1984 Rockwell song "Somebody's Watching Me". Their version reached the top 20 in Denmark and Finland.

Track listings

  • CD maxi single
  1. "Self Control" – 3:42
  2. "Self Control" – 3:46
  3. "Self Control" – 5:05
  4. "Self Control" – 6:18
  5. "Self Control" – 6:32
  6. "Somebody's Watching Me" – 3:17
  7. "Somebody's Watching Me" – 4:27
  8. "Somebody's Watching Me" – 6:36
  9. "Self Control"

Infernal version

In 2006, Danish dance group Infernal released a cover of the song on 6 November in the UK. The song debuted in the chart at No. 61 based on downloads only. The track was also released in Australia, as a double A-side with "I Won't Be Crying", though it did not chart there. Their recording reached the top 10 in Finland and their native Denmark.

Track listings

  • CD single
  1. "Self Control" – 3:40
  2. "From Paris to Berlin" – 6:37
  • Enhanced promotional CD single
  1. "Self Control" – 3:40
  2. "Self Control" – 6:00
  3. "Self Control" – 7:40
  4. "Self Control" – 6:14
  5. "Self Control" – 7:09
  6. "Self Control" – 6:13
  7. "Self Control" – 3:48
  • 12-inch single
  1. "Self Control" – 7:41
  2. "Self Control" – 6:00
  3. "Self Control" – 6:14

Kendra Erika version

In 2018, American singer Kendra Erika released a cover of "Self Control", reaching number one on Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

Track listings

  • The Remixes
  1. "Self Control" – 3:14
  2. "Self Control" – 3:06
  3. "Self Control" – 3:56

Other versions

In 2023 Dutch DJs Eelke Kleijn and Lee Cabrera released a cover of "Self Control", based less on Raf's version and more on Laura Branigan's cover.
In 2024 German duo Fast Boy remade the track for its 40th anniversary, and renamed it "Wave".