"Control Myself"
Single by LL Cool J featuring Jennifer Lopez
from the album Todd Smith
ReleasedFebruary 7, 2006 (2006-02-07)
Length3:53
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jermaine Dupri
LL Cool J singles chronology
"It's LL and Santana"
(2005) 		"Control Myself"
(2006) 		"Freeze"
(2006)
Jennifer Lopez singles chronology
"Hold You Down"
(2005) 		"Control Myself"
(2006) 		"Qué Hiciste"
(2007)

"Control Myself" is a song by American rapper LL Cool J from his 12th album, Todd Smith (2006). The song was written by Jermaine Dupri, James Phillips, Ryan Toby, John Miller, Afrika Bambaataa, Arthur Baker and John Robie. The song was produced by Dupri, with co-production by LRoc, and features guest vocals from American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. "Control Myself" contains a sample of Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force's 1983 song "Looking for the Perfect Beat", while the vocals interpolate Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel's 1983 song "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" and Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force's 1982 song "Planet Rock".

Release

"Control Myself" was released as the album's lead single in February 2006 and remained on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for eleven weeks, peaking at number four. After being released as a digital download in April 2006, the song debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart and made a strong Hot 100 re-entry at number four. This broke a record previously held by Jay-Z's 1998 song "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", which had re-entered the chart in March 1999 at number 20. The song also peaked at number two in the United Kingdom, where Smith and Lopez's previous collaboration, "All I Have", had achieved the same feat in March 2003.

Music video

The music video was directed by Hype Williams and was filmed at Sony Studios in New York City on January 2, 2006. It debuted in the U.S. on February 13, 2006 and in Europe on February 19, 2006. Like some of Williams' other videos, video footage is displayed where black bars would appear on a 4:3 TV for a widescreen production. The video peaked at number two on MTV's Total Request Live, number three on BET's 106 & Park, and number eighteen on VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown.

Track listings and formats

European CD single

  1. "Control Myself" – 3:56
  2. "Control Myself" (Jason Nevins Funktek Edit) – 4:02

European CD maxi single

  1. "Control Myself" – 3:56
  2. "Control Myself" (Jason Nevins Funktek Edit) – 4:02
  3. "Control Myself" (Instrumental) – 3:54
  4. "Control Myself" (Video)

US 12-inch single

A1. "Control Myself" (Radio) – 3:54
A2. "Control Myself" (Instrumental) – 3:54
B1. "Control Myself" (Radio) – 3:54
B2. "Control Myself" (Instrumental) – 3:54

UK 12-inch single

A1. "Control Myself" (Album Version) – 3:54
A2. "Control Myself" (Instrumental) – 3:54
B1. "Control Myself" (Jason Nevins Electrotex Club Mix) – 8:53

German 12-inch single

A. "Control Myself" (Explicit Version) – 3:58
B. "Control Myself" (Instrumental) – 3:54

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 188,000[29]
United States (RIAA)[31] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Control Myself"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States February 7, 2006 Rhythmic/crossover radio Island Def Jam [32]
February 14, 2006 12-inch single [33]
Russia February 28, 2006 Contemporary hit radio [7]
United States April 11, 2006 Digital download (extended dance remixes) [34]
Germany April 28, 2006 CD single [35]
United Kingdom May 8, 2006 [36]

References

  1. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  2. ^ "Issue 846" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  4. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  5. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  6. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  7. ^ a b LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez — Control Myself. TopHit. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself". Tracklisten. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  9. ^ "Hits of the World: Eurocharts". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 21. May 27, 2006. p. 65.
  10. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez: Control Myself" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  11. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  12. ^ "IFPI archive". Archived from the original on July 7, 2006. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Control Myself". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 21, 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  15. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  16. ^ "LL Cool J feat. Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  20. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  21. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  22. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  23. ^ "LL Cool J Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Urban Singles 2006". ARIA. Archived from the original on April 15, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  25. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2006" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "Лучшие песни и музыка за 2006 год" (in Russian). TopHit. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "2006 Urban Top 40" (PDF). Music Week. January 13, 2007. p. 26. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "Watch Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's dazzling Super Bowl Halftime show". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  30. ^ "British single certifications – LL Cool J ft Jennifer Lopez – Control Myself". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  31. ^ "American single certifications – L.L. Cool J – Control Myself". Recording Industry Association of America.
  32. ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". fmqb.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  33. ^ "Control Myself". Amazon.
  34. ^ "Control Myself". Amazon.
  35. ^ "Control Myself". Amazon Germany.
  36. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 6, 2006. p. 27.

External links

LL Cool J
Jennifer Lopez songs
Categories