The year 1984, while she was working with German producer Jack White, was the height of the European synthpop era, and "Self Control", the title track of Branigan's third album, released in April 1984 became her biggest hit internationally, topping the charts in over six countries, most notably West Germany, where it spent six weeks at No. 1. The original version was recorded a few months earlier, still in 1984, under the name of one of the song's co-writers "Raf" (Raffaele Riefoli), and held the West German number 2 spot during this time period; Branigan's version enjoyed more success outside of Raf's native Italy, hitting No. 4 in the U.S. The song was featured on episode No. 8 of the first season of the TV series "Miami Vice" titled "The Great McCarthy", which aired on November 16, 1984.