Power & Control

In June 2012, it was announced that "Power & Control" would be released as the second single from Diamandis' second studio album Electra Heart (2012).[1] It followed the lead single "Primadonna", which was premiered on 13 March 2012.[2] "Power & Control" was written by Diamandis and former Swedish House Mafia member Steve Angello; it was produced by Greg Kurstin at Echo Studio in Los Angeles, California and was later mixed by Serban Ghenea at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Jessie Shatkin, John Hanes, and Kurstin handled the engineering of the track, while the latter was additionally responsible for the programming and played the keyboards, guitar, and bass. Tim Roberts and Phil Seaford are credited with assisting throughout the process.[3]

According to Diamandis, "Power & Control" details "the power struggle in relationships [where] there's always one person who wants the upper hand." It draws stylistic inspiration from "spacey synths and barely-there beats with a haunting chorus", which struck Robert Copsey from Digital Spy as a stark contrast from the musical elements showcased in "Primadonna".[4] Noted for its prominent experimentation with electropop, power pop, and dance-pop styles,[5][6][7] the track has received comparisons to the catalogs of Swedish group ABBA and American recording artist Lady Gaga.[8][5] Diamandis' vocal delivery is treated with a "layered" effect throughout "Power & Control", and is complemented by its subtle "hammering beats", "dance floor pulsations", and piano instrumentation.[6]

Greg Kurstin (pictured) co-produced four tracks for Electra Heart, one of which was "Power & Control".

"Power & Control" received generally favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. Surprised by the relatively lackluster reviews Electra Heart received upon its release, Rich Juzwiak from Gawker recognized "Power & Control" as a highlight from its parent record; he felt that the exaggerated pronunciation of the word "make" in the refrain provided the track with "at least half of its hookiness", and praised the line "you may be good looking but you're not a piece of art" as "the best take-down I've heard in a pop song all year."[8] Josh Webb from WhatCulture simply opined that the song was "amazing", and focused less on the "deep psychological messages being conveyed" and more on his appreciation for "good pop music."[9]

Writing for MuuMuse, Bradley Stern classified the song as "a personal favorite from the album", and spoke favorably of its "surging chorus" that felt "ready to split at the seams at any second."[6] Robert Copsey from Digital Spy gave the track three out of five stars; he jokingly noted that Diamandis comes across as the dominant person in a relationship, citing the "anguish" in her vocals as an indication that "this man doesn't stand a chance."[10] However, Ben Hewitt from NME was disappointed by "Power & Control"; he felt that its production was "anaemic" and "piss-weak", and criticized the lyrics "Women and men we are the same / But love will always be a game" for sounding like an excerpt from a self-help book.[5] In 2012, the track was nominated for the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, although it lost to "Jealousy" by Will Young.[11]

"Power & Control" debuted at number 193 on the UK Singles Chart; it underperformed by comparison with "Primadonna", which peaked at number 11 in the United Kingdom.[12]

An accompanying music video for "Power & Control" was directed by Casper Balslev;[13] it was released on 30 May 2012 as the sixth installment of her eleven-part "The Archetypes" video series.[14] A blue tint is applied throughout the clip;[9] it takes place in an empty mansion, presumably the same location where the music video for "Primadonna" was filmed.[15] A blonde Diamandis is seen engaging in a series of mind games with her romantic interest.[15] Rich Juzwiak from Gawker appreciated a reference to the music video for "Freedom! '90" by George Michael, which he complimented as "a nice touch".[8] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse stated that the clip was "absolutely gorgeous" despite its simplistic concept; he enjoyed the appearance of a Newton's cradle in the beginning of the video, and felt that it represented the lyrics "you can't have peace without a war" by exemplifying that the concept that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".[16] Writing for WhatCulture, Josh Webb thought that it was interesting to see an "understated" Diamandis in the clip, and stated that the overall product was an "aesthetically very pleasing" visual.[9] Referencing the emptiness of the mansion, Eliot Glazer from Vulture jokingly offered to "suggest an interior decorator".[17]