Control

This song is Talking about when the Chili Peppers were on the BSSM tour and that whole era.(that John was involved in) John felt exactly as he explains in this song during that whole time. "I'm sick of people knowing me" "Life's confusing me" He hated the fame All he wanted to do is write music And nothing else "Noone here hears me" He hated the little communication During the tour. All of this ulltimetly would end up with John leaving during the tour and him Nearly killing himself with his drug addiction.

I dont know why no one posted this song, its really great. Anyway, I am pretty sure this song is about being frustrated. It seems like John is frustrated by a number of things: "Noone here hears me, I'm sick of people knowing me". John tired of being famous maybe, or wanting to be normal. "These letters shelter me now", the writing helps him through it. Anyway thats the best idea ive got..

I love how the music changes around 'I wanted to feel this way/All these things are real' And yeah I think you're pretty much dead on

I think this song might be about drug addiction and coping with recovery/sobriety.

I'm not gonna gonna walk you through the words cause they're right up there.

To me the verse could represent a drug addicts thought process while on the verge of relapse. He seems to be both justifying and running from a reason to get high again. Even the manic depressive sounding strumming fits The mood perfectly.

The chorus seems to kick down the door and slip right in like an uninvited guest as the slide guitar screams the cries of regret. I think this might be the relapse. The dream like feel in the chorus also seems to harness all the emotions I could imagine an addict would experience during a relapse.

All of the lyrics and even the title of the song make perfect sense for this scenario.

My favorite lines are:

"I wanted to build a stage I wanted to feel this way"

This has been one of my favorite Frusciante songs ever since I first heard it on the day it came out. And up until now, I have never even tried to think about what he was singing about.

I could be off by a mile. You never know with John Frusciante. Let me know what you think.

Jeff

"I wanted to build a stage I wanted to feel this way"

Compleatly agree with vekiskev. This song is so wonderfull, so... passionate, so frustrated... It's great. The only thing that anoyes is that it's kinda hard to play on guitar :P

Compleatly agree with vekiskev. This song is so wonderfull, so... passionate, so frustrated... It's great. The only thing that anoyes is that it's kinda hard to play on guitar :P

Compleatly agree with vekiskev. This song is so wonderfull, so... passionate, so frustrated... It's great. The only thing that anoyes is that it's kinda hard to play on guitar :P

yeah, I think vekiskev is right with the Meaining. This is the first John Frusciante Song I heard and I loved it from the first Second. He`s so amazing!

ye i agree with vekiskev, i think i could be about when he left RHCP an how he didnt like the fame (sick of people knowin me) an how he wanted to make it on his own (i wanted to build a stage) and how his life after RHCP was basically wasted by drugs (its no way to live...i wander through the dawn) .

Man this song makes me think of the movie Control, a movie based around Ian Curtis' life in the band Joy Division. The movie came out after this song though.

John loves Joy Division and these lyrics really do read like Ian Curtis' point of view. Would be something if he was writing from Ian's point of view on a song called Control many years before the movie Control. Probably no connection but watch the movie then read these lyrics and they match up nicely.