The Art of Balance

This is a story about control, my control
Control of what I say, control of what I do
And this time I'm gonna do it my way
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do
Are we ready? I am? Cause it's all about control
And I've got lots of it

I was 7 years old when the album Control came out. My mom had bought the record & I actually still have the tape that I wore out. I remember dancing around to Nasty over & over again. It was then that I began my love for all things Janet. In the course of the next 4 blogs I am going to give mad love to my favorite female pop icons of all time. (As if I haven't done it enough over the past few years) In this first one I'm discussing Janet Jackson. I remember seeing re runs of Good Times as a kid & seeing poor little Penny about to be burned by her mother, my mom said, "See, at least when you're bad I don't do those things to you!" Then years & years later I found myself being inspired by Janet through her videos & her dancers in the videos. I would re-wind them over & over so I would get the breakdowns just right. She's one hell of an entertainer & unfortunately I've never seen any of her tours. In the summer of 2004 I found out that she was going to be the surprise performer at the Pier Dance that happens during Gay Pride. So i braved the crowd & made sure I was there. She did 'All Nite' which is literally one of my favorite dance songs ever & to this day I blame Super Bowl Boob Gate for it not charting well. When 2.0. YO came out she performed on the Today show & I made sure I was there as well. If you youtube this you can probably see me near the front because of the blonde blonde hair I had at the time. My love for Janet even hit fever pitch just a few months ago when she was at Best Buy doing an album signing. I realize I wrote about this a few months ago but in case you don't know she told me I was 'sooooo cute' in her soft spoken voice & the brightness in her eyes & smile caused me to be speechless. I had told her that I wouldn't have missed her appearance for the world & before I knew it the security guard whisked me off.

I've been a big fan of her movies as well. Although they come few & very far in between Poetic Justice is still a standout. Why Did I Get Married was incredibly good with her winning an acting award for her role. Nutty Professor was what it was.....Janet looking too cute & an excuse to give some serious dance breakdown moves in the Doesn't Really Matter video.

I would like to say that I have all her albums but alas I actually do not have Janet Jackson 1982 debut album & I also don't have Dream Street. They had some success on the R&B charts & out of those my favorite is 'Young Love'. I actually remember seeing her on American Bandstand with the one ear ring & saying it was the keys to animal cages at Neverland Ranch.

Like I stated before it was the Control album that made me dance my lil 7 yr old ass off. Released in '86 she exploded & had the first of her 6 #1 albums. The tracks of a new empowered woman really set it off with people around the world going onto sell 5 million just in the US. I still listen to it constantly & the pairing with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis was musical brilliance. 7 of the 9 tracks were released commercially:
1. What Have You Done For Me Lately #4 Pop #1 R&B
2. Nasty #3 Pop #1 R&B
3. When I Think Of You #1 Pop #3 R&B
4. Control #5 Pop #1 R&B
5. Let's Wait Awhile #2 Pop #1 R&B
6. The Pleasure Principle #14 Pop #1 R&B
*7. Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun) #59 UK

* means this was only released in the UK & not pushed as a single in the US

In 1989 none of us were ready for the social commentary of Rhythm Nation, but somehow she made the ability to wake up about social injustice danceable. The way that each video stood out from the rest was on a whole new level. The dance moves, the 5,4,3,2,1....the R&B, the dance, the rock. The fact alone that she blended all so cleverly is still un-matched today. 7 top 5 hits from one album put her in the record books & if the last single had been released commercially it would have given her 8. Selling 6 million copies in the US it remains one of her best sellers.
1. Miss You Much #1 Pop & R&B
2. Rhythm Nation #2 Pop #1 R&B
3. Escapade #1 Pop #1 R&B
4. Alright #4 Pop #2 R&B
5. Come Back To Me #2 Pop & R&B
6. Black Cat #1 Pop #10 R&B
7. Love Will Never Do (Without You) #1 Pop #3 R&B
*8. State Of The World #5 Airplay Pop #23 R&B

*not released as a commercial single so it was ineligible to chart on all Billboard charts

1993's janet album is arguably my most favorite Janet album EVER. I could listen to each track literally without skipping. Which is very rare in any artist. She went beyond the rhythm of her nation & took us to where her love goes. It was the first time she brought out the abs & the sexy times. We also got to meet the dancers & Tina Landon went on to be a major choreographer because of the moves she made for Janet. I'm surprised I didn't wear out my tape of the if video the way I was rewinding over & over again. It's no joke that when they play it in the club I do pop out of nowhere to do this breakdown. As does half the other dancers I know. It always puts a smile upon my face. The album sold 6 million copies as well in the US & it also started her contract with Virgin after leaving A&M. It was widely reported that she made quite a profit after this. Der! Ms Jackson ain't stupid y'all. 10 singles were released from this one & 6 of those were released in the US. A couple even featured B sides that made noise of their own on airplay charts.
1. That's The Way Love Goes #1 Pop & R&B
*2. Where Are You Now #30 Pop Airplay
3. If #4 Pop #3 R&B
4. Again #1 Pop #7 R&B nominated for best song Oscars
5. Because Of Love #10 Pop #9 R&B
6. Any Time, Any Place/And On And On #2 Pop #1 R&B/#36 Pop Airplay #12 R&B Airplay
*7. Throb #66 Airplay #2 Dance
8. You Want This/70's Love Groove #8 Pop #9 R&B/#45 R&B Airplay
*9 Whoops Now/What'll I Do #9 UK

*Where Are You Now got airplay just off the excitement of That's The Way Love Goes & was never released commercially. Throb was an additional b-side to Any Time, Any Place & was remixed for clubs where it found major success. It was released on its own in the Netherlands. Whoops Now was the secret bonus track at the end of the album & was released as a double sided single in the UK

Design of a Decade was released in 1995 as a greatest hits album but actually only contained one track from the Virgin label. This was because the former label A&M released this album. I bought the import version because it included a remix to the song she did with Luther Vandross which was a top 10 hit in '92. This also had 2 new singles that place as book ends between the other singles.
1. Runaway #3 Pop #6 R&B
*2. Twenty Foreplay #32 R&B #22 UK
*3. The Best Things In Life Are Free 97 remix #7 UK

*Twenty Foreplay was released here to Airplay but in the Uk it got an actual commercial release. Meanwhile The Best Things... was released there because it had not originally been released in 92.

The Velvet Rope was released at the end of 1997 & is what most considers her 'dark' album. She explores the sexuality concept a little more, covers a Rod Stewart classic & didn't change the words which made some people start the whole Janet is bi concept. Mind you she added that just in the interlude where she masturbates while another female friend is listening. Mind you this is probably one of my favorite quotes when the girl says 'your coochie's gonna swell up & fall apart!' The album went on to sell 3 million in the US.
*1. Got Til It's Gone feat Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell #36 Pop Airplay #3 R&B Airplay #6 UK
2. Together Again #1 Pop #8 R&B
3. I Get Lonely #3 Pop #1 R&B
*4 Go Deep #28 Pop #11 R&B
*5. You #30 Japan
*6. Every Time #47 UK

*Unfortunately, Virgin didn't release many singles from this album & chose to release them elsewhere in the world. This was the start of that problem here in the US. Videos were made & shown here but that was to be all of that. I think it's because they didn't want to release them & have them seem like failures because they didn't go top 10.

By 2001 All For You was released to wonderful reviews & dance gems in abundance. Janet was honored as an MTV Icon & the single All For You held the top spot for 7 weeks. Only That's The Way Love Goes went longer. This album had so many good dance songs on it & I was surprised when they weren't released as singles. I know I heard them in all the clubs I went to regularly. The album sold 3 million in the US. This album even included the remix of the #1 hit she had the year before from the Nutty professor 2 soundtrack. Due to the fact that Billboard now had changed rules that airplay songs could chart Son of a Gun charted even thought it wasn't commercially released.
1. Doesn't Really Matter #1 Pop #3 R&B
2. All For You #1 Pop & R&B
3. Someone To Call My Lover #3 Pop #11 R&B
4. Son Of A Gun feat. Missy Elliot & Carly Simon #28 Pop #26 R&B
*5. Come On Get Up #7 Japan

*only released commercially in Japan

Ahhhhhh & now we come to Super Bowl Boob Gate. Controversy galore & there's no need to rehash it. I mean seriously, do you not walk around waiting for your boob to be accidentally exposed as you're wearing a star like thing over your nip???? Ok so I don't either. Janet tried to play it off as an accident & stuck to her guns. Now mind you a month before it all went down I remember seeing an interview with Jermaine Dupri saying how everyone was going to be talking about her performance. Then magically everyone involved after was like oops! I don't know how that happened. To this day I feel what is the big deal over a boob. We can see worse things on the telly each & every day such as war & violence. But apparently boobs are a bigger ordeal.
Shortly after Damita Jo was released in 2004 & to this day I still think there are some choice cuts on it. I already stated All Nite is one of my fav jams & if it comes on where I'm at I can't help but start breaking it down. R'n'B Junkie was serious hotness & sould have been released. I think the over all tone was probably too sexual for this album which scared people off. I mean even I wondered, girl didn't you discover sex 10 yrs ago? The album sold a little over 1 million copies & was the first of hers to be considered a flop. MTV had stopped airing her videos & only a few singles were released.
1. Just A Little While #45 Pop #1 Dance
*2. I Want You #57 Pop #18 R&B
*3. All Nite (Don't Stop) #1 Dance #90 R&B #19 UK
*4. R&B Junkie #2 Japan #101 R&B

* I Want You & All Nite was released as a double single in the Uk. Japan got R&B Junkie & we got to see her perform it on a tv show here.

2006 saw the release of 2.0. Y.O & was suppose to remind everyone of Control. Unfortunately for Janet's case it just reminded everyone that those songs were sooooo much better then these. Once again I found the songs that were good but no one was listening to me. In a perfect world Enjoy would have been released because it was classic Janet & reminded me of Whoops Now! To this day I still hate Call on me as the lead single but apparently the R&B audience loved it. The album sold 700,000 copies which was incredibly disappointing & this found her leaving Virgin for good.
1. Call On Me w/Nelly #25 Pop #1 R&B
2. So Excited #90 Pop #34 R&B
*3. Enjoy Japan release only
*4. With U #65 R&B

*Seriously, is Japan the only one reading my thoughts? They got the song that should have been huge here. It just re-iterates the fact that if I released an album there they would live for me no doubt. With U was released as a promo single & I have the vinyl record to show for it.

Now we come to Discipline which had me at the title. Especially with everything that has happened to me I've discovered the things in my life needed balance & in order to have this balance I would need some major Discipline. This album was released on her new label Island Def Jam & it was promised that this album was going to be classic Janet. My first listen found me not thinking that so much. Seriously too many ballads in the end & had me thinking maybe Jermaine has her on her back a little too much. But then the more I listened to it, the other songs really grew on me. Feedback had me the minute it came out & so did all the other Janet fan friends of mine. Texts & calls exploding saying 'have u heard this new hotness?!' So why this didn't catch on I have no idea. Musically it's much better then the last one & at least it did debut at #1. Sadly, it's fallen dreadfully down & I have a feeling it may not recover. Either way as I write this I'm listening to the good tracks.
1. Feedback #19 Pop #39 R&B
2. Rock With U
3. Luv

I didn't mention the other singles but there have been plenty of other good ones to mention such as her top 5 duets with brother Michael on Scream, What's It Gonna Be?! with Busta Rhymes, Diamonds w/Herb Albert in the 80's. Yes bitches, I didn't forget & in case any of you don't believe me & my chart statistics feel free to check them out yourself on wikipedia.