The title speaks for itself! This entry is a celebration of Janet Jackson’s 54th birthday today. As I type this, I’m actually watching her Design of a Decade 1986/1996 VHS compilation of her music videos that I bought back upon its release – yes, I still have a means of watching VHS. Haha! It’s been a while since I have watched this collection, so I figured it would make the perfect backdrop of inspiration for this entry. I adore Janet; I have since I was a kid. Her music videos are iconic and I spent a great deal of time emulating her back in the day. She is also a master of harmonizing and an electrifying live performer. I have had the pleasure of seeing her live twice so far (hands down the best concerts I have been to along with Stevie Wonder’s). And on a completely superficial note, she is gorgeous! She always has been; seriously, that smile is everything. The older I have gotten, though, I appreciate even more the fact that I identify with her in several ways. Because she has always been very transparent about her thoughts, feelings, and experiences in her music, I feel pretty secure in saying that I relate to her quite a bit. I also love that we are exactly 20 years apart in age and are both the baby of our families, but I digress. Let’s get to the number one reason why I am such a fan: the music!
“Alright”, the song and the video, will always hold a special place in my heart! I don’t even know where to begin really. Alright is one of Janet’s most joyous songs for me, and it always puts a smile on my face and makes me feel better instantly when I am not in the best mood. I instantly envision the video whenever I hear it too, which as you may have guessed, is my favorite music video of Janet’s. Like many other songs by Janet, the single/video version is slightly different from the album version; I adore both versions of Alright, as well as the remix featuring the late Heavy D. The horns at the end of the album version are everything though. It is just such a feel-good song! I love its sample of Lyn Collins’ “Think(About It)” too. I recall reading a quote from Terry Lewis(one half of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet’s longtime production team) in the past about the song being a go to for positivity.
Speaking of single versions of songs being slightly different, the video version of “When I Think Of You” is different from the album version. The album version is a classic and I loved it a lot when I was little listening to the Control album on my older sisters’ Fisher Price record player; however, I definitely prefer the video version of this song. It is so melodic and dreamy, while the beat is slightly more danceable…very evocative of the mid ’80s.
In retrospect, “You Want This” is one of Janet’s more underrated songs and videos, in my opinion. Gotta love that sample of the Supremes classic “Love Child”(I love that song so much too). Usually, when the janet. album and era are referenced, it is in regards to “If”, specifically the choreography, video, and live performances. Now, I love me some “If”, so I’m not taking anything from it. This video, however, just happens to be one I remember very fondly from that era. It is also the reason I seriously walked around my family’s house with boxer type shorts on under whatever pants I was wearing with the waistband of the shorts folded down over the buckle of the pants the way Janet is wearing hers in this video. Haha. No one could tell me that I wasn’t her. It’s okay, you can laugh! On a superficial note again, this video is also a wonderful illustration of why she has always been body goals. Those abs!
So I mentioned Janet’s innate ability to harmonize at the beginning of this entry. Janet almost never uses background singers on her albums; seriously, check the liner notes. She is her own background singer. This is something that she does not get enough credit for. In fact, her singing is often minimized and overlooked, which irks me. One does not need to have a “big” voice to be a good singer. To me, tone is just as important if not more so. You can have a big voice all day, but if your tone is unpleasant, I likely won’t favor your voice. Janet has that trademark Jackson tone, which is why she and other members of her family sound a lot alike even when just speaking. But I digress! Another of my favorite songs by Janet is “Runaway”. I remember buying that cassette tape single upon its release. I loved it then, and I love it now, as well as the video. It’s such a breezy, feel good song; the beat, the melody, the lyrics, and of course, the harmonies. On this song, Janet uses warm, layered background vocals initially during the pre-chorus. You can hear “ooh ooh ooh sha sha” just before the chorus begins, on which you also hear harmonies in the main hook:
Runaway with me my love Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I love that so much! You can hear what I’m describing on the “yeahs”. In addition to this, though, is the latter part of the song towards the end, when Janet repeatedly sings and I just know we’ll have a good time, those “ooohs” in the background are so lovely. They are like a warm blanket that fully cover the listener. I always sing those harmonies during that part of the song. Janet is literally singing “oooh” in various keys – harmonizing with herself – and then “stacking” the various keys together to create what we hear. The only other female singer that really gets me with this ability is Brandy. Janet is the “Harmony Queen”, Brandy is the “Vocal Bible”. Because I said so. Haha
“Can’t B Good” is a song I loved from Janet’s Discipline album. I remember thinking then that it reminds me of Michael’s “I Can’t Help It” in that it is so mellow and dreamy. I love the lyrics and melody, and it features Janet’s trademark harmonies on the chorus. The first time I heard it and those backgrounds on the words “can’t be good” came in on the chorus, I got goosebumps.
“Love U 4 Life” was a bonus track on Janet’s 2015 album Unbreakable. I instantly loved everything about it from first listen. It has an early ’80s sophisticated funk vibe to it. The groove is infectious, as well as the melody and of course, those harmonies. It is a short song (I wish it was much longer), so do yourself a favor and take two and a half minutes to groove and get lost in the harmonies, especially on the chorus.
The Many Sides of Damita Jo
One reason I love Janet so much is for her versatility as an artist. She is understandably a very private person, which I also identify with; but she has said that all of her albums offer listeners a peek into what was going on in her life at the time. She essentially writes from her own thoughts and experiences. That is why The Velvet Rope is so special to me. That album deserves its own entry though, which I will definitely do at some point, perhaps on the album’s anniversary later this year. Janet definitely has something for every mood. She can make you want to party and dance on songs like “The Pleasure Principle”, “Miss You Much”, and “Go Deep”. She provides the soundtrack for advocating for social justice and equality on songs like “Rhythm Nation”, “State of the World”, and “The Knowledge”. She can evoke sensuality on songs like “Anytime, Anyplace”, “The Body That Loves You”, “Anything”, and one of my personal favorites, “Twenty Foreplay”. She can empower you with pride on songs like “New Agenda”(one of my favorite songs as a black woman) and “Can’t Be Stopped”. I can go on and on, but I think you get it. But seriously though…how many other artists are making albums with 20-plus tracks on them with no filler? Granted, there are a lot of interludes but they add to the flow of the albums. That Rhythm Nation 1814, janet., and The Velvet Rope trilogy is hard to beat. From freaky to fun, and fierce to feminine, Janet can take you wherever you need to go. I will always love her for all of this. On the “fierce” and “feminine” note, I will end this entry with two great examples of empowering lyrics from her:
“Can’t nobody tell you what you can’t do. Shut that down automatic.” (From “Dammn Baby”) “You must remember that you were born with blood of kings and queens and can’t be stopped.” (From “Can’t Be Stopped”, another amazing “Black pride” song)
Thank you for those reminders, Janet. I have taken them to heart in more ways than you will ever know. Happy Birthday!
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Happy Birthday Janet!
🎂🎉🎈🎁💖
Great commentary. Janet Jackson has hits for decades. Love the songs you highlighted/referenced, even the quoted lyrics from Dammn Baby and Can’t Be Stopped. A few more honorable mentions: Escapade, Love Will Never Do, and Night. ❤🎶❤
Yesss to those songs! 😁
I just want to go and listen to Janet’s songs. Your writing makes her music come to life for me. Happy Birthday Janet!!! Keep on blogging…keep on writing! Ash, you are truly gifted!
Happy Birthday Janet!
🎂🎉🎈🎁💖
Great commentary. Janet Jackson has hits for decades. Love the songs you highlighted/referenced, even the quoted lyrics from Dammn Baby and Can’t Be Stopped. A few more honorable mentions: Escapade, Love Will Never Do, and Night. ❤🎶❤
Yesss to those songs! 😁
I just want to go and listen to Janet’s songs. Your writing makes her music come to life for me. Happy Birthday Janet!!! Keep on blogging…keep on writing! Ash, you are truly gifted!
Thank you so much mom! 🙌🏽❤