Complete Control’: The song The Clash wrote in retaliation
While punk originated in the United States, it exploded in the United Kingdom with a wave of young bands such as the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and The Clash. The latter formed in 1976, citing the Sex Pistols as a significant influence over their attitudes towards music.
Joe Strummer, who would soon become The Clash’s lead vocalist, was initially the singer of a pub rock band named The 101ers, yet it took the Sex Pistols’ no-nonsense performances to make him realise punk was where he should be heading. “Five seconds into their first song I knew we were yesterday’s papers,” he explained.
Subsequently, Strummer joined The Clash, and the band involved themselves in the punk scene, debuting on July 4th, 1976, supporting the Sex Pistols. The next day, both bands went to watch the Ramones playing one of their first London shows, inspiring them both with their innovative approach to performance, prioritising feeling over technical prowess.
However, The Clash soon proved themselves to be incredibly gifted musicians, working beyond the parameters of punk to involve other genres, such as reggae and ska, into their sound. Upon the release of their self-titled debut album, the band received critical acclaim, praised for their ability to capture the state of the country, with songs such as ‘White Riot’ exploring race and class and ‘I’m So Bored with the USA’ criticising America’s hypocrisy.
The band embodied the true ethos of punk through their socially conscious lyrics and rejection of authority. Thus, when their label, CBS, released ‘Remote Control’ as a single without The Clash’s permission, they retaliated the only way they knew how – by writing a song.
‘Complete Control’, which was featured on the US version of their debut album, is a direct attack on their record label. Strummer doesn’t hold back, opening with the lines, “They said, ”Release ‘Remote Control”/ But we didn’t want it on the label/ They said, ‘Fly to Amsterdam’/ The people laughed, but the press went mad.”
The song’s title is also a dig at the band’s manager, Bernie Rhodes, who once told the band he wanted “complete control” of them, which led Strummer to leave “the pub with Paul [Simonon] collapsing on the pavement in hysterics over those words”.
Upon the release of the song, The Clash put out a statement which read: “‘Complete Control’ tells the story of conflict between two opposing camps. One side sees change as an opportunity to channel the enthusiasm of a raw and dangerous culture in a direction where energy is made safe and predictable. The other is dealing with change as a freedom to be experienced so as to understand one’s true capabilities, allowing a creative social situation to emerge”.
Listen to the song below.
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