Laura Branigan - Self Control (Official Music Video)

The song explores a person's surrender to nocturnal impulses and attraction, losing self-control to …
The song explores a person's surrender to nocturnal impulses and attraction, losing self-control to someone who represents the seductive, liberating power of nightlife. The narrator lives for the night, escaping daytime reality and responsibilities, finding freedom in darkness but acknowledging the illusion of this escape.
loss of control nightlife attraction escape from reality seduction duality illusion

📝 Segments Explanation line-by-line breakdown

Lines:
♪ Oh, the night is my world ♪
♪ City light painted girl ♪
♪ In the day nothing matters ♪
♪ It's the night time that flatters ♪
The narrator declares their true identity emerges at night, contrasting with the insignificance of daytime. 'City light painted girl' suggests someone transformed or illuminated by urban nightlife.
Syntax: 'Oh' is an interjection expressing emotion. 'The night is my world' uses simple present for a general truth. 'City light painted girl' is a noun phrase with 'painted' as a past participle adjective. 'It's the night time that flatters' uses cleft sentence structure ('it is...that') for emphasis.
Morphology: 'Flatters' is third person singular present tense verb. 'Painted' is past participle form of 'paint' used adjectivally. 'Matters' is third person singular present tense of 'matter'.
Lines:
♪ You take my self, you take my self control ♪
♪ You got me livin' only for the night ♪
♪ Before the morning comes, the story's told ♪
♪ You take my self, you take my self control ♪
The chorus reveals the central conflict: someone is taking away the narrator's self-control, making them live only for nocturnal experiences before reality returns with morning.
Syntax: 'You take my self, you take my self control' uses parallel structure for emphasis. 'You got me livin'' is informal/colloquial for 'you have me living.' 'Before the morning comes, the story's told' uses time clause introduced by 'before' with passive voice 'is told.'
Morphology: 'Take' is present tense. 'Got' is past participle in informal 'have got' construction. 'Living' is present participle. 'Comes' is third person singular present. 'Told' is past participle of 'tell.'
Lines:
♪ I, I live among the creatures of the night ♪
♪ I haven't got the will to try and fight ♪
♪ Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it ♪
♪ That tomorrow never comes, a safe night, I'm living in the forest of a dream ♪
The narrator identifies with 'creatures of the night,' lacking willpower to resist or face tomorrow, choosing instead to believe in an endless night within a dreamlike state.
Syntax: 'I live among the creatures of the night' uses present simple for habitual action. 'I haven't got the will' is British-influenced negation. 'So I guess I'll just believe it' uses 'so' as conjunction showing result, with 'I'll' contraction for future intention. 'That tomorrow never comes' is a noun clause acting as object of 'believe.'
Morphology: 'Live' is present tense. 'Haven't' is contraction of 'have not.' 'Guess' is present tense. 'Believe' is base form after 'will.' 'Comes' is third person singular present. 'Living' is present participle.
Lines:
♪ Oh, the night is my world ♪
♪ City light painted girl ♪
♪ In the day nothing matters ♪
♪ It's the night time that flatters ♪
Repetition of opening lines reinforces the central theme of nocturnal identity and the attractive power of night over mundane daytime existence.
Syntax: Parallel structure with original lines creates thematic reinforcement. The repetition serves as a refrain, common in song structure. 'It's the night time that flatters' again uses cleft construction for emphasis on 'night time.'
Morphology: Identical to lines 1-4: 'is' (present), 'painted' (past participle adjective), 'matters' (third person singular present), 'flatters' (third person singular present).

💬 Common Situations when to use these expressions

Feeling overwhelmed by attraction
When someone finds themselves unable to resist another person's influence, making choices they normally wouldn't
"You take my self control" "I haven't got the will to try and fight" "You help me to forget to play my role"
Escaping daily responsibilities
When someone seeks relief from daytime pressures through nightlife or other distractions
"In the day nothing matters" "I live among the creatures of the night" "Another night, another day goes by"
Living in denial or illusion
When someone chooses to believe something comforting despite knowing it's not true
"I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it" "That tomorrow never comes" "I know the night is not as it would seem"
Surrendering to impulses
When someone stops resisting temptations or natural urges
"In the night, no control" "You got me livin' only for the night" "I never stop myself to wonder why"

📚 Vocabulary Analysis uncommon words, metaphors, similes & more

🔍 Uncommon Vocabulary

flatters Makes someone appear more attractive or favorable; compliments or enhances appearance Describing how something makes someone look better
creatures of the night People or beings who are active, alive, or most themselves during nighttime Referring to night owls or those who thrive after dark

🎭 Metaphors

City light painted girl A woman illuminated or transformed by urban night lights, suggesting artificial beauty or nightlife glamour Describing someone enhanced by their environment
Down the street of my soul Moving through the deepest, most personal aspects of one's being Expressing deep emotional or spiritual journey
Forest of a dream A confusing, mysterious, or unreal mental state or situation Describing confusing or surreal experiences

✨ Symbolisms

Night Freedom, passion, escape from reality, hidden desires, loss of control Representing liberation from daytime constraints
Day Reality, responsibility, social roles, mundane existence Representing ordinary life and obligations
White Purity, innocence, or possibly ghostly appearance in contrast to night Representing contrast or paradox in night setting

🔗 Phrasal Verbs

goes by Passes, elapses (time) Describing passage of time
stop myself Prevent myself from doing something Talking about self-restraint

📖 Idioms

play my role Fulfill expected social or personal responsibilities Referring to meeting societal expectations
story's told The outcome is determined or revealed When something is finished or decided

🗣️ Common Phrases

self control Ability to control one's emotions, desires, or behaviors Discussing discipline or restraint
nothing matters Nothing is important or significant Expressing indifference or escape from concerns
I guess I suppose, I think (expressing uncertainty or assumption) Qualifying statements or expressing uncertainty
make myself believe Force oneself to accept something as true Describing self-deception or determined faith

🔗 Collocations

city light Urban illumination, especially at night Describing nighttime urban environments
will to fight Determination or desire to resist or struggle Discussing motivation to resist something
safe night Protected or secure nighttime experience Referring to feeling protected after dark

✍️ Illustrative Texts contextual examples with highlighted phrases

After sunset, Maria felt transformed. The city lights of downtown made everything magical, and she became one of the creatures of the night, leaving her daytime worries behind. She knew this escape was temporary, but for now, she had no control over her desire to stay out until morning.
John realized he was losing his self control around Lisa. She had a way of making him forget to play his role as the responsible manager. When she smiled, his determination seemed to go by without any resistance, just like in those songs about surrender.
In the forest of her dreams, everything seemed possible. Reality with its deadlines and expectations felt distant. She knew this mental state flattered her perception of life, making problems appear smaller than they actually were during daylight hours.
Mark watched as another week went by without progress on his project. He'd been living with the illusion that tomorrow never comes, avoiding difficult conversations. Finally, he admitted he needed to stop making himself believe it and face reality.
The neon signs created a city light painted effect on the rainy streets, transforming ordinary faces into mysterious silhouettes. In this atmosphere, social rules seemed suspended, and people felt free from their daytime identities, if only for a few hours.

🗣️ Illustrative Dialogues real-life conversations using the expressions

💬 Two friends discussing one's recent behavior of going out every night
participant1You've been out every night this week! Don't you have work in the mornings?
participant2I know, but in the day nothing matters compared to how alive I feel at night. I've become one of those creatures of the night.
participant1But you're losing your self control. You can't keep avoiding responsibilities.
💬 Someone confessing about a tempting relationship
participant1I know I shouldn't see him anymore, but when I'm with him...
participant2What happens?
participant1He takes my self control. I haven't got the will to try and fight this attraction anymore.
💬 Discussing procrastination and denial
participant1Your project deadline is tomorrow! Have you even started?
participant2I've been telling myself that tomorrow never comes. I make myself believe it so I don't have to face how behind I am.
participant1That's not a safe way to live. The story will be told when your boss asks for it.
💬 Talking about urban nightlife experience
participant1Why do you love the city so much at night?
participant2The city lights transform everything. Ordinary streets become magical. It flatters the whole city, making it seem more exciting than it really is.
💬 Someone describing their confusion about life direction
participant1I feel so lost about my career choice.
participant2What's confusing you?
participant1I'm living in a forest of dreams where every path seems possible but none seem real. I never stop myself to wonder why I chose this direction in the first place.