Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)

"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)"
Single by Donna Summer
from the album Donna Summer
B-side	"Sometimes Like Butterflies"
Released	1982
Format	7" single 12" single
Recorded	1982
Genre	Funk dance-pop
Length	4:17 3:43 (7" version)
Label	Geffen (US) Warner Bros. Records (Europe)
Writer(s)	Quincy Jones Rod Temperton Merria Ross
Producer(s)	Quincy Jones
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Who Do You Think You're Foolin'" (1981) "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" (1982) "State of Independence" (1982)

"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" is a Grammy-nominated single from Donna Summer's self-titled 1982 album.

Background

Summer's 1980 The Wanderer album — the inaugural release on Geffen Records — had been certified gold in America although it did not enjoy numerous hit singles as some of her '70s releases had enjoyed. Summer had prepped her next album, I'm a Rainbow — a double set which continued her association with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, but David Geffen, compelled by the need for what he considered a guaranteed smash, had shelved I'm a Rainbow and assigned Summer to record an album with producer Quincy Jones. Jones was a much sought-after producer at the time, particularly due to his association with Michael Jackson's album Off the Wall.

"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" was the lead single off the Jones' produced album Donna Summer. It was written by Jones and Rod Temperton — who'd also written Jackson's "Rock with You". Summer reports that the recording process for this album was challenging, as she was pregnant at the time and unhappy over I'm a Rainbow' being shelved by Geffen Records.

The single was issued in three different versions: the 7" single release (3:42), the LP version (4:19), and a 12" single version (7:04). The 12" version features a "Dance Remix" on Side One and an "Instrumental Version Featuring Ernie Watts On Sax Solo" on Side Two. Both are remixes by Craig Kostich and Bruce Swedien.

Music video

A music video features Donna Summer dancing in a room full of pop art. She wore a black satin outfit to disguise her pregnancy as she was expecting her baby, Amanda Grace. The video also featured clips of Donna dancing during a photo shoot wearing a blue dress.

Reception

"Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" became a major hit, peaking at no. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of September 25, 1982, giving Summer her sixteenth top 40 hit,^[1] and reaching no. 4 on the US R&B Chart. It was Summer's best R&B showing since "Bad Girls" in 1979—even using police whistles in the song as in "Bad Girls". Although the parent album was certified gold in the US, it did not produce any more major hits and did not prove the powerhouse album Geffen Records had hoped for.

Ironically, Summer would have her biggest success in the 1980s while on Geffen's roster with her next album She Works Hard for the Money and its title song — which were released by Mercury Records in a one-off arrangement to settle Summer's split with the soon-to-be-defunct Casablanca Records, whose catalogue now resided with Mercury and Casablanca's parent company PolyGram.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1982) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 13 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[4] 14 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] 4 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[6] 3 France (IFOP)[7] 48 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 14 Italy (FIMI)[9] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 12 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 40 Norway (VG-lista)[13] 3 Poland (LP3)[14] 28 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[15] 7 Spain (AFYVE)[16] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 13 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 5 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 18 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 10 US Billboard Hot Black Singles[20] 4 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[20] 3 US Cash Box[21] 11

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 51 Italy (FIMI)[9] 71 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 59 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 73 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 59 US Cash Box[26] 69

Miscellaneous

• The B-side of the "Love Is in Control" 7" single, "Sometimes Like Butterflies", was a non-album track co-written by Summer herself. It was finally released on CD on the 2014 reissue and was also covered in 1985 by Dusty Springfield.
• In 2001, Sheena Easton covered "Love Is in Control" on her Euro retro-disco album Fabulous. The track was intended as the second single from the album and a UK promo single was issued but the single's release was cancelled.
• In 2012, Australian artist Deni Hines and The A-Funk Allstars released a version as a single.
• In 2013, Chromeo and Oliver remixed "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) for the remix tribute album, "Love to Love You Donna".

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Publications.
2. "Billboard Hits Of The World". Billboard. 94 (38): 55. September 25, 1982. ISSN 0006-2510.
3. "Ultratop.be – Donna Summer – Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
4. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 25 september 1982" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
5. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6518." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
6. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
7. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Donna Summer" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
8. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Love Is in Control". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
9. "I singoli più venduti del 1982" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Donna Summer - Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Donna Summer – Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
12. "Charts.org.nz – Donna Summer – Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
13. "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)". VG-lista. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
14. "LOVE IS IN CONTROL – Donna Summer" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
15. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (S)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
16. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)". Singles Top 100.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Donna Summer – Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)". Swiss Singles Chart.
19. "Archive Chart: 1982-08-14" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
20. "Donna Summer – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
21. CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending AUGUST 28, 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 21, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
22. "Jaaroverzichten 1982" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
23. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
24. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
25. "Top 100 Hits for 1982". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
26. The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1982 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 21, 2012). Cash Box magazine.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics