"Y Control" is a single by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from their debut album, Fever to Tell. The song's music video was controversial for its disturbing imagery; nonetheless, it received some play on MTV and its sister station, MTV2. The song is part of the soundtrack of the 2009 video game Dirt 2.
| "Y Control" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Yeah Yeah Yeahs | ||||
| from the album Fever to Tell | ||||
| Released | June 1, 2004 | |||
| Studio | Headgear (Brooklyn) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Yeah Yeah Yeahs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Y Control" on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception
editThe song was met with universal acclaim upon its release, with many critics noting it as one of the album's highlights. Pitchfork Media listed "Y Control" as the 213th best song of the decade.[3]
Music video
editThe music video for "Y Control", directed by Spike Jonze, was controversial for its images of children carrying the body of a dead dog, giving the middle finger, and a subtitled portrayal of child mutilation including the chopping of a boy's hand and another boy disemboweling himself with a knife.[4][5] MTV and MTV2 agreed to air the video; however, they included a disclaimer from Jonze at the beginning, and blurred out some of the video's more offensive material.[5] The unedited version is available on their "Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow" DVD.[5]
Entertainment Weekly gave a negative review of the video, describing it as "a sort of fairy tale gone wrong," and calling it "amateurish." It was put into rotation on MTV and MTV2.[5]
Commercial performance
editThe song reached number 54 on the UK Singles chart. It was the least successful single from Fever to Tell.[6]
Track listing
edit- "Y Control"
- "Y Control" (The Faint remix)
- "Y Control" (Live at the Fillmore)
Credits and personnel
editCredits are adapted from the liner notes of Fever to Tell.[7]
- Brian Chase – producer, songwriter, drums
- Karen O – producer, songwriter, vocals
- Nick Zinner – producer, songwriter, guitars, drum machine
- Dave Andrew Sitek – producer
- Paul Mahajan – engineer
- Alan Moulder – mixing
- Nick Zinner – mixing
- Ric Levy – mixing assistant
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Roger Lian – digital editing
Charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (OCC)[8] | 59 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 54 |
References
edit- ^ Neill, Chris (29 October 2018). "In The Ring: Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Fever To Tell' v 'It's Blitz!'". Junkee. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 24, 2003). "Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ "The Top 500 Tracks of the Decade". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ Perez, Rodrigo. "YEAH YEAH YEAHS SUMMON THE SPIRIT OF JACKO IN SPIKE JONZE-HELMED CLIP". MTV. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Endelman, Michael. "Yeah Yeah Yeahs Explain Their Disturbing New Video". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Interscope Records (2003). Fever to Tell (Media notes). Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2023.