no control by One Direction (2025)

no control

One Direction»FOUR

Love at first listenPopAmazingFourThis makes me so happy

“No Control“ is the eighth track from One Direction's fourth studio album, … Read Full Bio ↴“No Control“ is the eighth track from One Direction's fourth studio album, Four.

On September 8, 2014, One Direction announced the release of their fourth album titled, Four, on the Today Show. The band members, along with the band's official account, then tweeted about “Fireproof“. On November 17, 2014 they announced new song “No Control“.

“No Control“ is a significant track for several reasons. It features Louis Tomlinson on primary lead vocal for the chorus, a first for him. Tomlinson co-wrote the song with Liam Payne. No Control features overtly sexual lyrics. Like many tracks on the FOUR album, its frank lyrical discussion of sex marks a clear transition into a more mature sound for the band. It is also notable for the global social media campaign it inspired.

On August 16, 2015, “No Control“ became the first non-single to ever win a Teen Choice Award.

In May 2015, fans worldwide began to promote “No Control“ online, as if it were an official single. The idea came about due to frustration with harsh words exchanged in an online fight between Louis Tomlinson, producer Naughty Boy and former One Direction member Zayn Malik. During the fight, Naughty Boy implied Louis was a subpar performer. Fans also felt the FOUR album was not receiving the public recognition or exposure it deserved, with only two singles released, and their current tour at the time barely featuring any songs from the album.

The online campaign was called #ProjectNoControl or #NoControlDay. Using social media, millions of people tweeted, texted and called radio stations all over the world. Radio responded positively and began playing the track within 24 hours of the campaign starting. In less than a week, “No Control“ had been played on over 60 stations worldwide, including BBC Radio 1 and Z100 New York. The song was also the top trending topic on Billboard's twitter chart, and, at one point, the entire Four album made the chart as well. Many media companies, such as MTV, showed their support in various ways. Several media publications wrote articles on the project and a Polish TV station reported it on their evening news show. Billboard added No Control to their annual "Song of the Summer" poll after it received thousands of votes, despite non-singles usually not being eligible for the list. The song reached #1 on iTunes in Sweden, Finland and Greece.

Louis Tomlinson spoke about the band's appreciation of the project on The Late Late Show with James Corden and commended the fanbase for unifying in such a short amount of time. Tomlinson also spoke again about the project at the 2015 Billboard Awards. Throughout the campaign, Tomlinson tweeted his support and thanks, and followed various radio DJs who played the song on Twitter.

“No Control“ was officially added to the On The Road Again Tour setlist on June 13, 2015, in Brussels, Belgium. Louis regularly thanked fans before each performance of the song, for their participation in Project No Control.

During one concert, Liam told the crowd the song was one of the last they finished writing for FOUR, and was the most difficult song to complete.

The song was performed during One Direction's Summer Concert Series for Good Morning America on August 4, 2015, in New York. It aired a few months later, with the words "loaded gun" censored.

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh-oh-oh
(Ooh, ooh)

Stained coffee cup
Just a fingerprint of lipstick's not enough
Sweet (ooh), where you lay (ooh)
Still a trace of innocence on the pillowcase

Waking up
Beside you, I'm a loaded gun
I can't contain this anymore
I'm all yours, I've got no control, no control
Powerless
And I don't care, it's obvious
I just can't get enough of you
The pedal's down, my eyes are closed, no control

(Ooh)
Oh-oh-oh
(Ooh)

The taste on my tongue
I don't want to wash away the night before
In the heat (ooh), where you lay (ooh)
I could stay right here and burn in it all day

Lost my senses
I'm defenseless
Her perfume's holding me ransom
Sweet and sour
Heart devoured
Lying here, I count the hours

Powerless
And I don't care, it's obvious
I just can't get enough of you

The pedal's down, my eyes are closed
No control

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song No Control by One Direction depict a passionate, intense and slightly dangerous love affair between two individuals. The first verse implies that the singer and his lover have just woken up together with traces of their previous encounter scattered around them. The singer describes himself as a loaded gun, suggesting that his desire for his lover is so strong that he feels he cannot contain it any longer. He has no control over his feelings and is willing to give himself completely to his lover no matter what the consequences may be. The chorus "No control, powerless, and I don't care it's obvious, I just can't get enough of you" speaks volumes about the intensity of the singer's attraction to his lover, as he admits to feeling powerless against his desires for her. The second verse continues with the theme of the singer's lover having a hold over him. The taste of her on his tongue makes him long for her more, and he admits to wanting to stay in that moment forever. The bridge and final chorus reinforce the idea that the singer's desire for his lover is all-consuming and he cannot resist her, even if that means losing control.

Line by Line Meaning

Stained coffee cup
Remnants of past love still linger

Just a fingerprint of lipstick's not enough
Even an intimate encounter cannot quell the desire

Sweet (ooh), where you lay (ooh)
Thinking about the alluring memory of being with the loved one

Still a trace of innocence on the pillow case
Trying to hold on to the purity of the relationship, even in lustful thoughts

Waking up
Becoming aware of the situation

Beside you, I'm my loaded gun
Being on edge and ready to act impulsively

I can't contain this anymore
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions

I'm all yours, I've got no control
Giving in completely to the loved one

No control
Helplessness in the grip of desire

Powerless
Being at the mercy of the loved one

And I don't care, it's obvious
Being willing to suffer the consequences for the sake of love

I just can't get enough of you
Craving for the loved one constantly

The pedal's down, my eyes are closed
Acting recklessly without thought of consequences

The taste on my tongue
Relishing in the memory of past encounters

I don't want to wash away the night before
Trying to keep the memory alive

In the heat (ooh), where you laid (ooh)
Thinking about the passion and intensity of past encounters

I could stay right here and burn in it all day
Willingness to bask in the warmth of emotions

Lost my senses
Becoming oblivious to everything else but the loved one

I'm defenseless
Unable to resist the loved one's advances

Her perfume's holding me ransom
Being captivated by the loved one's scent

Sweet and sour
Feeling a mix of emotions towards the loved one

Heart devoured
Being completely consumed by love

Lying here, I count the hours
Anticipating the next encounter with the loved one

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Julian C. Bunetta, Jamie Scott Baylin, Liam James Payne, John Henry Ryan, Louis William Tomlinson, Ruth Anne Cunningham

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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no control by One Direction (2025)

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