The Meaning of the Song
In his own words, Teddy Swims describes the lyrics of “Lose Control” as a reflection of being in a toxic relationship where emotional dependency and addiction have replaced genuine connection. “Lose control’ is very personal to me,” Swims said about the song. “It came from a place of being in a toxic relationship. At some point the only substance we had in our relationship was the substances we were abusing.”
“Our relationship became very much about the lifestyle we had together and the dependency we had on them became the dependency we had on each other. The line became very blurred and hard to break that cycle.”
“Being in love can be like an addiction sometimes – always chasing the highs from the lows,” Swims said in another statement. “[The song] is about losing yourself and losing control when it all starts to cave in and thinking that the only way out is through being with that person, chasing that feeling over and over again.”
In the song’s verses, Swims exposes the listener to his emotional turmoil (“I don’t know myself anymore / The walls are all closin’ in”). In the chorus, he reveals why he experiences the turmoil (“I lose control / When you’re not next to me”).
Writing the Song
Teddy Swims wrote the song during a four-day writing camp in Palm Springs, together with musicians Mikky Ekko, Julian Bunetta, Infamous, and Ammo. The goal of “Lose Control” was to create a catchy song that was technically demanding to sing, similar to the song “Tennesse Whiskey”. “With that song, it’s all about the run,” Swims told Variety. “If you can’t hit that run, why would you even sing it?”
During the first playback of the song, Swims immediately recognized he had recorded something special. “For the first time in my career, I thought, ‘God, this is going to change my life,” he reflected.
Release and Success of Lose Control
Teddy Swims released “Lose Control” as a single on June 23, 2023. In August 2023, the song entered the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Swims’ first entry on the chart. After 32 weeks, “Lose Control” rose to number 1 on the chart in March 2024. It’s the longest run to No. 1 by a solo male artist in the chart’s history.
Read more: The Meaning of “Too Sweet” by Hozier
The song was also successful in other countries, reaching the top 10 worldwide. “Lose Control” reached number one in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Belgium. In the UK and Canada, the song peaked at number 2.
When Teddy Swims analyzed the song in a Genius interview, he expressed pride in “Lose Control”. “We did a damn good job with this one. That’s for damn sure, man,” he stated.
